Wadsworth High School
Newspaper II/III
March 2010
The
1870 - 2010 Wadsworth City Schools: “Celebrating 139 years of Excellence in Education”
Volume XXXV No. 6
BRUIN 625 Broad Street Wadsworth, Ohio 44281
Have a safe Spring Break! April 2-9
$1.00
A team to remember forever BY SAM MALKOWSKI AND MACKENZIE BLANTON
Wadsworth won its first wrestling state title 67 years ago; the last public school to win a Division I wrestling state title was 33 years ago; and for the past 13 years, St. Edward has won the Div. I title. But all of this is in the past now. On March 6, the Grizzly wrestlers rewrote the history books after accomplishing the greatest feat of a Wadsworth boys team in ages. They brought home the OHSAA Division I Wrestling State Team Championship along with a record of four individual state champions and five other placers. Winning by the slimmest of margins, a four and a half point gap edged St. Edward, as the Grizzlies won in dramatic fashion with “A Sea of Red” in attendance. Senior, 135 pounder, Louden
Gordon was the first to win the individual state title. Gordon wrestled Mark Martin from St. Eds in the first of two head to head matches, so a victory either way was crucial for their team state championship hopes. Gordon winning 5-4 in the closing seconds of the match ignited the 14,886 fans at the Schottenstein Center with an unexpected pin at the 5:59 mark leaving one second to take the title and earn an extra two points for the team. “It felt really good to get a pin. I was not planning on that happening, but I knew I had to wrestle hard and come out with a win for the team,” said Gordon. Senior 145 Brad Squire was the next wrestler to compete against another St. Eds wrestler, senior Anthony Salupo. “I knew that I had to go out there and win for my team. I was really
excited to win out my senior year, and to finish my high school career with bookend titles,” said Squire. Squire won the match 3-2 and finished off his senior year with a 43-1 record and two state titles. Yet, the Grizzlies still trailed Eds by three and half points at that point in the championship. Squire’s win set up the most monumental win in Wadsworth wrestling history from sophomore Nick Tavanello. With the scored tied and 22 seconds to go, Tavo fought off a deep takedown attempt from Centerville’s junior Kyle Rose, with a countershot at the edge of the circle for the dramatic 6-4 decision. His victory earned four points, putting the Grizzlies up by half a point to guarantee the team and state title. That moment is when the Wadsworth contingent roared the most.
Senior heavyweight, Ben Buzzelli, put icing on the championship trophy, winning the team’s fourth individual title. Buzzelli beat Brecksville’s Billy Vaughan 4-1 in double overtime, avenging two consecutive loses to Vaughan in the sectional and district finals. Although the Grizzlies had the four first place finishes, they still needed the extra help from the other eight wrestlers who participated. Senior Caleb Busson and sophomore Kagan Squire also contributed over 20 points each as state runnersup in the 189 and 119 weight classes respectively. Juniors Alfredo Gray and Sheldon Brandenburg both took fifth place. Junior Nate Ball finished sixth, all adding crucial points to secure the victory over St. Eds and the other 73 Division I schools represented. Other state qualifiers sophomore Brandon Jones, junior Clay Wenger
and senior Bart Randolph all contributed valuable points to earn a true total team victory. The parade and rally that welcomed home the wrestlers and the coaches was only the beginning of the celebration. Coach Gramuglia and the wrestlers visited all the elementary schools and CIS. They were received with open arms and provided autographs and tee shirts for the students and staff. Also, Coach G was inducted to the OHSWCA Hall of Fame for his 26 years of coaching and team’s unforgettable accomplishments, including 18 straight Suburban League titles. This dramatic championship has united the whole city of Wadsworth,, giving the 2010 wrestling team a place in history and earning its new name by many wrestling experts and fans as “A TEAM TO BE REMEMBERED FOREVER.”
OHSAA State Wrestling Championship Results
Wadsworth
172.0 Above: Senior Brad is crowned state champion in the 145 pound weight class. Below: Senior Ben holds on tight to win an intense championship match.
Above: Senior Louden leaps into Coach G’s arms after pinning Martin. Below: Sophomore Nick wrestles an exciting championship match.
Lakewood St. Eds 167.5
ALL PHOTOS BY MR. TERINGO
INSIDE
THE
BRUIN:
TEACHERS SERVING DETENTIONS?
NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
Teachers that break the rules should receive detentions too.
Predictions of what will happen during March Madness.
– page 5
– page 14
STATE CHAMPIONS
TEACHER CELEBRITIES
Pictures on the exciting events of the state wrestling tournament.
See who teachers think should portray them in a movie about their life.
– page 9
– page 18
INDEX
PAGE
Editorial........................................................2 News ............................................................3 Opinion .....................................................4,5 Ads ............................................6,7,10,11,16 Picture Pages ...........................................8, 9 Features ....................................................12 Of the Month ..............................................13 Sports ....................................................14,15 Entertainment ............................................ 17 Speakout ....................................................18