Wrestling is unlike most other individual sports. As much as the athlete needs to prepare individually, it all comes down to how well he matches up with the man across the mat.
For Ohio’s wrestling team, the guy across the mat Saturday will be a fellow Bobcat. The competitors will go toe-to-toe with one another in a green-and white-scrimmage at Gallia Academy High School in Gallipolis. The intra-squad competition will give the team one last tune-up heading into the 2011-12 campaign.
“It’s not going to determine starting spots for the whole year, but it gives you a place to start,” Ohio coach Joel Greenlee said. “We know who is supposedly our number one guy going into it. We’re trying to figure out ‘Hey, maybe this guy doesn’t practice well but competes awesome, maybe this guy practices great but doesn’t compete well.’ ”
The 174-pound slot, where redshirt senior Nick Purdue will face redshirt freshman Michael Duckworth, will headline the outing. Redshirt sophomore Jeremy Johnson and redshirt senior Andy Hartshorn will also match up in the 285-pound class.
Both Purdue and Johnson were NCAA Championship qualifiers last season.
Johnson was named to the Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie third team and was deemed the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year for his efforts.
“Jeremy is probably one of the hardest working guys I have ever been around. That’s what he brings to the table,” Greenlee said.
Purdue was the most successful Bobcat at the national championships, as he made it to the second day of competition.
“Nick has developed a routine — this is what he does, how he has become a good wrestler — he tries to pass that knowledge on to everyone else,” Greenlee said, referring to Purdue’s leadership role on the team.
The team hit its crescendo in February, when the Bobcats defeated Central Michigan and then captured a share of the regular-season MAC title.
Ohio went on to place fourth in the MAC Championships.
The excitement surrounding the program continued well into the spring because of the addition of five state champions to the 2011-12 roster.
“We think we have a really good recruiting class, bringing in 12 guys. Those guys bring a lot to the (practice) room right now. They come in and they hustle and they are already at a high level as far as work ethic and everything like that,” Greenlee said.
Highlighting the incoming class is Tyler Heminger, who is projected to compete at 125 or 133 pounds for the Bobcats. Heminger was the Ohio state champion his senior season after taking second three consecutive years.
Heading into the season, Ohio has been ranked third by the MAC coaches.
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