Walsh Jesuit High School has been good to the Buckeye wrestling program, sending guys like Anthony Magistrelli, Dave Rella, and NCAA champion Mike Pucillo to wrestle for Ohio State.
On Sunday, Walsh Jesuit played gracious host to the Buckeyes as they dominated Michigan State by the score of 33-9. Johnni DiJulius was the most recent Walsh Jesuit alum to wrestle for the Buckeyes, and for that reason, Ohio State held the home match at his former high school.
Nathan Tomasello started off the action in dominant fashion, picking up eight takedowns and two sets of two nearfall points on his way to a 21-6 technical fall (the wrestling equivalent of the mercy rule). Tomasello’s tech fall pushed his winning streak to 31 consecutive victories dating back to last season. The Buckeyes led 5-0 after the first match of the day.
Johnni DiJulius scored early and held on late in his homecoming bout, defeating Garth Yenter 5-2. JDJ scored a quick takedown and rode tough on top, but Yenter seemed to be frustrating the Buckeye senior on the mat. Yenter scored a late takedown, but DiJulius hung on for the 5-2 decision. The Buckeyes led 8-0 after two matches.
Javier Gasca put the Spartans on the board with a quick angle pick and subsequent pin over backup Stanley Hendricks. Gasca finished the match in just 20 seconds and gave the Spartans six team points.
At 149 pounds, Hunter Stieber put on a takedown clinic against Kaelan Richards of Michigan State, winning a 14-5 major decision. The win was Hunter’s first of the season as he sat out the first semester recuperating from double Tommy John surgery. Stieber’s win gave the Buckeyes a 12-6 lead in the dual.
Jake Ryan earned a 10-6 decision over Mark Bozzo of MSU at 157 pounds. Ryan demonstrated some excellent defense as Bozzo was in on some decent shots, but Jake was able to fend them off and score takedowns of his own. The Buckeyes took a 15-6 lead at the midway point.
At the intermission, the Buckeyes recognized OSU and Walsh Jesuit alum Mike Pucillo, who was a noteworthy member of both programs. As a Buckeye, Pucillo was a national champion and three-time NCAA All-American.
Bo Jordan started the second half of the dual with what could have been considered assault against Dean Vettese. Bo took the Spartan down at will before looking for a pin, which he got at 5:58 in the match. The pin gave the Buckeyes a 21-6 lead in the team score.
True freshman Myles Martin demonstrated why the coaching staff was confident in his abilities when he took out Shane Shadaia. Tom Ryan mentioned the decision to pull Martin’s redshirt at the midway point of the season had to do with his ability to score points at the NCAA tournament, and Myles is making the staff look like they know what they’re doing.
Martin racked up takedowns at will and scored a takedown and quick set of backpoints near the end of the match to earn a 19-4 tech fall over Shadaia. With the second tech fall of the day, the Buckeyes took a 26-6 lead.
Kenny Courts looked great early on against Shwan Shadaia (not a typo) and scored six points in the opening period. Courts scored a very late takedown to earn a 10-3 decision. The Buckeye senior continues to show brilliance in short bursts, but was unable to put together a bonus point victory. The Buckeyes took a 29-6 lead heading into the 197.
Josh Fox stepped in for the Buckeyes at 197, filling in for usual starter Mark Martin against a tough Jacob Cooper. After a scoreless first period, Fox rode tough throughout the second period and nearly earned backpoints of a couple of occasions. The Buckeye crowd got behind Fox to escape, but he was unable to score in regulation. In sudden victory, Cooper scored a quick takedown and won 2-0. The Buckeyes held onto a 29-9 lead.
In the final match, Nick Tavanello scored an early takedown and a second period reversal to go along with a point for riding time. The Buckeye big man notched a pair of late takedowns and a full set of backpoints to earn a 13-1 major decision. The major decision put a cap on the scoring at 34-9 in favor of Ohio State.
With the win, the Buckeyes move to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten. They will be in action twice next weekend, traveling to Indiana and Purdue on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
Match Results
- 125: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) technical fall over Mitch Rogaliner (MSU) 21-6. OSU leads 5-0.
- 133: No. 8 Johnni DiJulius (OSU) decision over Garth Yenter (MSU) 5-2. OSU leads 8-0.
- 141: Javier Gasca (MSU) pins Stanley Hendricks (OSU), 0:20. OSU leads 8-6.
- 149: No. 12 Hunter Stieber (OSU) major decision over Kaelan Richards (MSU) 14-5. OSU leads 12-6.
- 157: No. 13 Jake Ryan (OSU) decision over Mark Bozzo (MSU) 10-6. OSU leads 15-6.
- 165: No. 2 Bo Jordan (OSU) pins Dean Vettese (MSU), 5:58. OSU leads 21-6.
- 174: No. 15 Myles Martin (OSU) technical fall over Shane Shadaia (MSU) 19-4. OSU leads 26-6.
- 184: No. 13 Kenny Courts (OSU) decision over Shwan Shadaia (MSU) 10-3. OSU leads 29-6.
- 197: Jacob Cooper (MSU) decision over Josh Fox (OSU) 2-0. OSU leads 29-9.
- HWT: Nick Tavanello (OSU) major decision over Dimitrius Renfroe (MSU) 13-1.
- OSU wins 33-9.
