GWOC wrestling meet seems 'wide open'

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By John Cummings, Staff Writer Updated 12:46 AM Thursday, February 2, 2012

The old adage is every point counts.

That cliché will be reality Friday and Saturday at Trent Arena when the Greater Western Ohio Conference wrestling tournament hits the mats. Unlike recent years, the league race is wide open.

“More than ever the bonus points will matter,” Centerville coach Alan Bair said. “The team that wins will have some finalists and a bunch of kids placing.”

Bair’s Elks enter as the top-ranked team in the area, but Fairmont, Beavercreek and Wayne are also legitimate title contenders.

“It should add a lot to the atmosphere,” Beavercreek coach Gary Wise said of a tournament his squad won by 50.5 points last season. “This is a tough league.”

Fairmont coach Frank Baxter believes that while bonus points will be huge, any points scored are going to be key, making for nonstop excitement beginning Friday at 5:30 p.m.

“It adds a lot of excitement to an already great event,” Baxter said. “It won’t just be the finals that will be exciting. Matches from the first round may play an important role, so literally every match could be a determining factor.”

Some of the matches will be previews of what is to come once the postseason kicks off. The GWOC returns six state placers, 18 state qualifiers and eight others who were district placers last season.

“It makes our own conference a measuring point for the end of the season,” Miamisburg coach Willie Wineberg said. “That is nice to have as we prepare for the end-of-the-year tournament run.”

While there are several possible marquee match-ups in the finals (Wayne’s Marcus Windsor against Fairmont’s Justin Kihn, Miamisburg’s Jordan Branham and Fairmont’s Matt Denlinger, and the re-emergence of Springboro’s Brandon Walker and Springfield’s Darryl Grayson), the main event could be the beginning of a four-week series of matches.

“(Fairmont’s Tommy) Kimbrell against (Northmont’s Jonah) Newburg,” Bair said of the anticipated showdown at 170 between two returning state placers who are a combined 55-0 this season. “End of story. I can’t wait.”

The marquee matchups could be just the icing on the cake. “Honestly, I see every weight being hotly contested and look forward to them all, just as a wrestling fan,” Baxter said.

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