HEAD COACH MARK SULLIVAN AND SENIOR CAPTAIN ANTHONY MCLAUGHLIN, ONE OF THE TOP WRESTLERS IN ALL OF OHIO, LEND THEIR INSIGHTS AS WE TAKE AN EARLY SEASON LOOK AT SAINT IGNATIUS’ MEN OF THE MATS.
SAINT IGNATIUS OPENS ITS 2013-14 SEASON AT THE ALWAYS DEMANDING SOLON COMET CLASSIC, WHICH TAKES PLACE ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY IN THE MAIN GYMNASIUM AT SOLON HIGH SCHOOL. LAST YEAR, ANTHONY MCLAUGHLIN BROUGHT HOME THE 170-POUND TITLE AT THE COMET CLASSIC AND GARNERED PLAIN DEALER WRESTLER OF THE WEEK HONORS.
*Friday’s competition at Solon gets underway at 4:30 PM. The wrestling resumes on Saturday at 10:30 AM, with the finals scheduled for 6:30 PM. General Admission is $7. For Students and Senior Citizens (62 and older) the admission is $4 per session.
Ohio City – As he enters his 11th season as the Head Wrestling Coach at Saint Ignatius High School and his 13th year overall in the program, Mark Sullivan will be sending to the mats what is one of the youngest teams in the history of the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s wrestling competition.
To say youth will have to be served this winter at Cleveland’s Jesuit Preparatory School is an understatement.
While senior standout and Captain Anthony McLaughlin will show the way in terms of what it takes to succeed on and off the mat, the 2013-14 Wildcats are so young this winter that Anthony’s Co-Captain, Kyle Vilsack, is just a sophomore.
Of course that says as much about the talent and character of Vilsack as it does the youth that is currently finding its way in the new Eugene V. Gibbons Wrestling Complex off Carroll Avenue.
The Gibbons Complex was made possible by the generosity of Michael E. Gibbons ’70. It is named in honor of Mike’s father, Gene, a high school wrestling legend for the old West High Cowboys, the first combo NCAA/Big Ten wrestling champion for Michigan State University in 1951 and simply put, a household name around Ohio’s wrestling circles for the incredible job he did as the head wrestling coach at John Marshall High School. Gene was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012.
At last count, no less than 16 freshmen graced Coach Sullivan's roster and those promising ninth graders were accompanied by seven sophomores, eight juniors and the lone senior, Captain McLaughlin.
Anthony became the only senior when classmate and upper-weight wrestler Dan Cartolin suffered an injury. Dan is still very involved in the program.
“He’s worked very hard at becoming an effective leader,” said Coach Sullivan of McLaughlin, the program’s 2013 “Wildcat Award Winner.” Anthony will wrestle at 182 pounds this season after coming off a very successful junior year at 170 pounds.
En route to finishing sixth in Ohio, Anthony lost a 5-4 (two 30-second tiebreakers) decision to Tyler Hughes of Brunswick in a 170-pound championship semifinal round match during last season’s OHSAA Individual State Wrestling Meet at Value City Arena Columbus.
“Anthony is a great example of what the wrestling program wants to display, the core values of Saint Ignatius,” Coach Sullivan continued.
Coach Sullivan emphasized that he and his staff have a nice group of juniors to work with, including Riley Minerd and Anthony Ferritto at 132 pounds, Ryan Bush (126), Gavin Rivera (120), Michael Penn (upper weight or heavyweight), two-year letter winner Besar Vajusi (160) and Joe Conway (170). Conway, a district qualifier last winter at 182 pounds, is currently recovering from an ankle injury he suffered late in the football season. Coach Sullivan said he is expecting big things from Joe.
“We have a large group of freshmen and sophomores, the program is growing rapidly,” said Coach Sullivan.
Among those gifted ninth graders is Matt Jones (106 pounds), who is projected to be one of the top wrestlers in the state once he returns from a shoulder injury. Matt is also an outstanding student and when he is ready to go on the mats (by January he said), Coach Sullivan sees him as a serious contender to place at the state meet. This season’s Individual Wrestling State Tournament is scheduled for Feb. 27-March 1 at Value City Arena in the Jerome Schottenstien Center at The Ohio State University.
Coach Sullivan has several other very capable freshmen, among them Quade Rasmussen (106), Tyson Long (113), Tristan Brady (a projected starter at 145) and Cal Miller (a projected starter at 138).
Vilsack, a district qualifier at 130 pounds last winter, will be the man at 152 this season and, as far as 195, 220 and heavyweight, there are some solid candidates to go along with the above mentioned Michael Penn. While a few of the upper weight classes will be finalized by a wrestle-off, two names that could come to the fore are sophomores Tito Vazquez and Nate Keirn. Tito and Nate were mainstays on the defensive line for Coach Ryan Franzinger's junior varsity football team.
Coach Sullivan is also high on freshmen upper-weight candidates Joe Gibbons and Jimmy Andrews and the depth they can provide.
The pride of Our Lady of Angels in West Park, Joe (defensive lineman) and Jimmy (tailback/linebacker) were standouts for Coach Rodney Gallaway’s highly successful freshman football team this fall.
Providing solid depth at 113 will be sophomore Hunter Toth.
For a look at the Saint Ignatius wrestling roster, go to ignatius.edu, click on athletics and click on
wrestling.
“They’re very supportive of each other,” Coach Sullivan said of his 2013-14 Wildcats Wrestlers. “I think they’re all promoting what Saint Ignatius loves, spirituality, academics and hard work on and off the mat. It is truly a nice group of kids to work with and there are a ton of athletes in here (at Wednesday’s practice in the new Gibbons complex). This is a very athletic team.
“It is an exciting time to be part of the Saint Ignatius wrestling family,” Coach Sullivan continued. “With the school support, the alumni support and the hard work of the wrestlers, it has been a great experience so far this year.”
AS THE CAPTAIN SEES IT
From 182-pound senior standout and leader Anthony McLaughlin: “It’s a huge role and responsibility, as the only senior, taking all of these guys in, especially the young guys, the freshmen, and have them come together and function as a team, as one. When they first came together, they were from all different parts of the area. But now they are really a congenial group. It’s awesome, awesome.”
Anthony emphasized that his off season was all about “perfection,” that everything has to be perfect and crisp, whether it is offense taking shots, turns on top or escapes on the bottom.
“The biggest thing that I had to improve on for this year was my top game,” Anthony said. “Wrestling on top, spinning, turns, breakdowns, riding, it was one of the most important things I had to work on this summer. I’ve come a long way.”
With an impressive sophomore leader in Kyle Vilsack helping give the oh so promising freshmen “a push,” Anthony said he could see some of the ninth graders stepping up by the time the OHSAA postseason tournament arrives.
“Most of it is mental, believing in your capabilities,” Anthony said. “Knowing that you put the work in and believing that you worked the hardest out of anybody in the state of Ohio. It’s mental.”
As for the future, Anthony said his plans are to attend either the Air Force Academy or Cleveland State University.
****Coach Sullivan’s outstanding staff consists of Assistant Head Coach Jonathan Polick, Tadaaki Hatta, Nate Kmetz, Dan Mone, Mike Cline, recent Saint Ignatius Hall of Fame inductee Dan Stefancin and the venerable Art Thomas.