Ohio State will play host to the Michigan State Spartans at Walsh Jesuit High School south of Cleveland on Sunday in what should be a one-sided affair. The Buckeyes have made a tradition of hosting a dual meet at the alma mater of a graduating senior. Senior Johnni DiJulius graduated from Walsh Jesuit, so he will be honored at the match on Sunday.
The Buckeyes (6-2 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) are coming off of a last-second win against Nebraska while the Spartans are winless on the season (0-10 overall, 0-5 Big Ten). As a matter of fact, Michigan State has been shut out three times this season and have won just 11 of 50 contested individual Big Ten dual matches this season (prior to their dual with Indiana on 1/22). Their closest match was a seven point defeat to a bad Clarion team and the only hope for a Spartan dual win in Tom Minkel’s final season is an upcoming match against Lock Haven.
The sold-out match will take place at Walsh Jesuit High School on Sunday afternoon at 2 PM. It does not appear at this time that the match will be available for streaming and only those with tickets will get to take in the action, although @wrestlingbucks provides updates on Twitter.
Let's take a look at the Spartans.
Head Coach: Tom Minkel
Minkel is in his 25th and final season at the helm of the Spartan program after announcing his retirement back in June. In a quarter of a century, Minkel has coached 38 All-Americans, 13 Big Ten individual champions, and two NCAA individual champions. Minkel was the head coach for the US Olympic team in 1992, leading the USA to a bronze medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. Minkel himself was an outstanding wrestler, earning three All-American finishes at Central Michigan. He won three national championships in Greco-Roman wrestling, and earned a spot on the 1980 Olympic team in that discipline. The Spartan head coach is one of the most colorful men in the world of wrestling off the mat and has toured the world as a musician prior to returning to wrestling. Minkel will be replaced by Cleveland native Roger Chandler (Indiana), who has been on the Spartan staff for 19 seasons. Wyoming graduate Sam Wendland also assists with the Spartan heavyweights.
Ohioans on the Spartan Roster
None. Michigan State has very little diversity when it comes to home states for it’s wrestlers. Just three of the 33 wrestlers on the Spartan roster are from a state other than Michigan.
Notable Spartan Wrestlers
Michigan State is not good this year and they haven’t been good in some time. Many of these previews feature defending NCAA champions, returning All-Americans, or blue chip recruits making a splash. Michigan State does not feature any wrestlers that fit into any of the categories above. None of the current Spartans have qualified for the NCAA tournament.
Javier Gasca III (RS So, 141)
Gasca is a dangerous top wrestler and an adept scrambler. He probably has the most upside of anyone on this year’s Spartan team, although the Big Ten is fairly tough at the top of the 141 lb class. Gasca turns opponent mistakes into points and tends to keep matches within a few points even if he loses.
Jacob Cooper (Fr, 197)
Cooper was a lauded recruit out of high school, winning three straight Michigan state titles to close out his career. He has been one of the few bright spots for the Spartans this season and is going to be one of the cornerstones for the next coaching regime.
Mitch Rogaliner (RS So, 125)
Rogaliner has been one of the more consistent wrestlers for MSU, but has a relatively low ceiling in the brutal 125 lb class in the Big Ten. Rogaliner has won a number of lower-level matches in Big Ten duals already this season, giving the Spartans a reason for mild optimism moving forward. Rogaliner is an Academic All-Big Ten selection.
| No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes | Michigan state spartans | |
|---|---|---|
| 125 | No. 1 Nathan Tomasello | Mitch Rogaliner |
| 133 | No. 8 Johnni DiJulius | Garth Yenter |
| 141 | No. 4 Micah Jordan | Javier Gasca |
| 149 | No. 12 Hunter Stieber | Kaelan Richards |
| 157 | No. 13 Jake Ryan | Joe Johnson |
| 165 | No. 2 Bo Jordan | Dean Vettese |
| 174 | No. 15 Myles Martin | Shane Shadaia |
| 184 | No. 13 Kenny Courts | Shwan Shadaia |
| 197 | Mark Martin/Josh Fox | Jacob Cooper |
| HWT | Nick Tavanello | Dimitrius Renfroe |
Key Matchups
133: No. 8 Johnni DiJulius vs Garth Yenter
JDJ will be competing in his high school’s gym for the final time, so expect something special out of him. Yenter is not close to being rankable, but he did earn a 7th place finish at the Southern Scuffle, which is the toughest in-season tournament in the country. JDJ will get a swan song at Walsh Jesuit, which should be pretty special and he’ll get a chance to shine.
141: No. 4 Micah Jordan vs Javier Gasca
Remember earlier in the season when Micah was ranked No. 19 in the country because he hadn’t yet faced anyone tough? Now he’s No. 4 and within striking distance of the top spot. Gasca is a scrappy competitor, so he’ll pose a decent challenge for Mick. This should be one of few closely-contested bouts in the entire dual.
197: Mark Martin vs Jacob Cooper
Mark hasn’t looked comfortable or strong enough to handle the bigger guys since moving up to 197 (from 174 last season). While Nick Heflin was seemingly the model for Martin’s jump to 197, Mark has yet to start winning close matches and look strong at the higher weight like Heflin. If the Buckeyes are going to hope to repeat as Big Ten champions, they’re going to need to get some points from Martin in matches like this one.
Match Outlook
Michigan State is historically bad and Minkel is a lame duck coach in his final season. The Buckeyes should cruise in this match. If I had to guess, only Johnni DiJulius has this one circled on his calendar and his interest is only due to the homecoming aspect. We very rarely see the full Buckeye lineup, but if Tom Ryan trots out his best ten wrestlers, the Buckeyes could easily hand the Spartans their fourth shutout loss of the season.
