High school wrestling: Area grapplers ready for challenge of Walsh Jesuit Ironman

Five of Medina County's best boys wrestlers and two of the best girls wrestlers will begin to chase the glory that comes with earning All-America status when competition at the 31st Ironman begins at Walsh Jesuit this morning.Widely regarded as one of the toughest — if not the toughest — high school tournaments in the country, the Ironman has been a breeding ground for NCAA, Olympic and world champions for decades.This season Buckeye's Blake Bartos, the reigning Gazette MVP, and All-Gazette choices in Highland's Brandon Bickerton and Austin Bickerton and Wadsworth's Blake Frantz and Kolten Mellon are seeking their first spot on the Ironman podium. They all have experienced the competition and know what awaits, as 104 nationally-ranked wrestlers, according to flowrestling.com, will be in action this weekend. In total, 127 teams are scheduled to be represented."Ironman is one of the best tournaments around the country," Bartos said. "The best kids from across the country are going to be there. There's no hiding. You've got to be ready to compete, and I'm ready."Wrestling is scheduled to go through the championship quarterfinals tonight. Anyone who reaches the championship semifinals is guaranteed of placing. If a wrestler loses before that point, he will need to survive the consolation bracket today and Saturday morning to reach the podium.Black River's Taylor Owen (155) and Brunswick's Marisa McCartin (130) will follow suit on Saturday afternoon when the Women of Ironman begins. Owen is making her second trip to the tournament after finishing seventh in the state last year. She went 0-2 in her first Ironman. McCartin is making her first appearance at Women of Ironman after placing eighth in the state last season.Brandon Bickerton and Bartos were on the verge of reaching the podium last winter, but came up one win short in the blood round. Both finished the tournament 3-2.Bartos reached the 132-pound quarterfinals last year before losing by technical fall against Jayden Raney of Union County (Ky.). He then was beaten by Deven Casey of IC Catholic Prep (Ill.) by 3-0 decision in the consolation.Brandon Bickerton lost in the second round to Case Bell of Brownsburg (Ind.) by 4-0 decision before rebounding with two consolation victories to reach the blood round at 113 pounds, where he lost 12-8 against Malachi Stratton of Sussex Central (Del.).Brandon Bickerton is seeded ninth at 120 pounds this year. Ahead of him are six nationally-ranked wrestlers, according to flowrestling.com, and three Ironman placers from last year. Top-seeded Domenic Munaretto of St. Charles East (Ill.) is the third-ranked wrestler in the nation at that weight and finished third at the same weight last year. Michael Batista of Blair Academy (N.J.) finished fifth at 113 last year and Bell was third last season."I'm looking forward to showing what I'm capable of doing," Brandon Bickerton said. "I fell short the past two years at Ironman. I definitely have a chip on my shoulder and want to place, let alone win the tournament. That's my goal."At 138, Bartos is seeded ninth with six nationally-ranked wrestlers and six placers at Ironman last year ahead of him. Keanu Dillard of Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) is the top seed and ranked fourth nationally. Tyler Conroy of Malvern Prep (Pa.) and Zach Stewart of Marmion (Ill.) placed sixth and seventh at Bartos' weight last year."I'm picking up on my mistakes from last year," Bartos said. "I'm in the practice room adjusting and working really hard. Those are the main things that are going to help me. I've just got to trust that."Frantz had a solid showing last year, going 3-2 at 120 before bowing out. This year he is unranked at 138.Austin Bickerton also went 3-2 at 120 last year before falling two wins shy of reaching the podium. He enters this year's competition seeded 11th at 126.Ahead of him are eight nationally ranked wrestlers and two 2024 Ironman placers. Perrysburg's Grey Burnett is seeded second and ranked third in the nation after beating Austin Bickerton 8-0 in the championship third round on his way to placing seventh at 120 last winter. The top seed is Paul Kenny of Christian Brothers Academy (N.J.), who is the second-ranked wrestler at the weight class in the nation.Fourth-seeded Ignacio Villasenor of Stillwater (Okla.) is the fifth-ranked wrestler in the nation and finished runner-up at 113 a year ago."It's the toughest competition in the country," Austin Bickerton said. "It's a way to grow your ranking and get your name out there more than it already is. I'm super excited to wrestle the best guys, because that's what's going to get you better. It exposes your weaknesses, and it being the first tournament of the year helps me know what I need to work on."Mellon, who went 0-2 last season, may be in the toughest bracket at Ironman this season at 150, which has 12 nationally-ranked wrestlers. It's headlined by Bo Bassett of Bishop McCort (Pa.), who is attempting to become a four-time Ironman champion and is the top-ranked wrestler in the country. Joe Bachmann of Faith Christian (Pa.), is right behind him as the fourth-ranked wrestler at the weight and a champion at 120 last year."It's our first event of the year, so I'm really excited to start wrestling other people," Mellon said. "Ironman is always a fun one to start with because you can start to see where you scale against the best wrestlers in the nation. I'm excited, feeling good and I'm ready."Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.