Redshirt sophomore wrestler C.J. Magrum (Oak Harbor), one of five local wrestlers at Ohio State, is facing some of the nation’s best NCAA Division I grapplers as a Buckeye starter. He had been projected to wrestle at 197, but has spent much of his season at 184.
 
Joining him at OSU are Drew Stone (Oak Harbor), Kirk Tank (Oak Harbor), Josh Whitt (Clay), and Mike Ackerman (Clay).
 
Nearly 24 hours after the Ohio State wrestling team matched-up against No. 19 Illinois in Champaign, the Buckeyes quickly returned to action vs. No. 4 Minnesota on a recent Saturday evening in St. John Arena.  
 
Against Minnesota, the bout between Magrum and No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus opened competition. Both wrestlers were tied at 2-2 entering the third period and an escape by Steinhaus within three seconds lifted him to a 3-2 lead. Preventing attacking attempts by Magrum, Steinhaus accumulated 2:14 worth of riding time for the 4-2 win. 

Behind wins from a quartet of Buckeyes in Bo Touris, Colt Sponseller, Nick Heflin, and Magrum, Ohio State scored 12 points, but dropped a 21-12 decision at Illinois Friday.
  
Magrum recorded a 3-1 win over Tony Dallago. Following a scoreless first period, Magrum took a 1-0 lead on an escape in the second stanza. Dallago answered with an escape of his own in the third, but Magrum countered with a takedown at the 1:30 mark to earn the win.
 
Magrum was one of only three Ohio State wrestlers who won in a 27-9 loss to No. 13 Michigan at St. John Arena. Magrum’s win helped give the Buckeyes a 6-0 lead early.
 
Magrum's 4-1 decision over Hunter Collins seemingly gave the Buckeyes the fast start and momentum they needed in front of a crowd of 2,765. Forty-seven seconds into the match, the Buckeye captain scored a takedown and after choosing bottom in the second period, escaped Collins for a 3-0 lead. Collins cut Magrum's lead to two (3-1) when he recorded an escape in the third, but Magrum continued to accrue riding time and eventually compiled 2:39 to secure the win.
 
Magrum is currently 7-8 this season, 3-3 in the Big Ten with one win by major decision.
 
In another match, Ohio State dropped a 33-3 decision to No. 8 Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, but Magrum had a good start in his match against an opponent from one of the nation’s most storied programs.
 
Magrum's takedown with just more than two minutes left in the first period over Grant Gambrall gave him and the Buckeyes the start they were hoping for in this Big Ten rivalry. However, Gambrall answered with an escape and takedown that lifted him to a 3-2 lead.
 
An escape to begin the second period by the Buckeye redshirt-sophomore knotted the score at three points apiece, but once again Gambrall countered with another takedown and following a second stalling warning on Magrum, the Hawkeye owned a 6-3 lead. Gambrall took over the scoring in the third period, recording an escape and takedown and his riding time advantage of 2:07 propelled him to a 10-3 victory.
 
With the revelation of the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals brackets, the No. 24 Ohio State wrestling team knew another tough task against a top-5 team awaited when it drew No. 1 Cornell. In a match that featured 10 Top 20 wrestlers, the Buckeyes dropped a 27-6 decision to the Big Red at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
 
Swapping weight classes with a teammate, Magrum made No. 4 Steve Bosak work for his 3-0 win at 184 pounds. Magrum and Bosak were scoreless in the first period and nearly so in the second before Magrum was called for stalling. With Bosak choosing bottom in the third, the Big Red escaped Magrum's clutches and took a 2-0 lead. A riding time of 1:58 sealed Bosak's win.
 
Ohio State dropped a heartbreaking 20-19 decision to Northern Iowa in a first consolation match at the national duals, with Magrum losing his match, 6-4.
 
Magrum entered the season with a 36-22 career record after taking redshirt in 2008-09. He is a Harris Open champion (Ashland), Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, Academic All-Big Ten honoree, and two-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete.  
 
Last year, Magrum completed his first full year of competition with 19-17 overall record, including a 11-8 dual mark and 4-4 ledger in the Big Ten. He finished seventh at the Big Ten championships and earned a bid to NCAA championships in Omaha, Neb., and went 2-2, recording a 15-0 technical fall over Parker Burns of Campbell in 4:49 and beating Micah Burak of Penn, 3-1.
 
Tank is a 165 pound redshirt sophomore at OSU. A transfer from Michigan State, Tank compiled a high school career record of 160-20, was three-time Ohio High School placer; fourth as sophomore in 2007, runner-up as junior in 2008 and champion as senior in 2009. Tank is currently 0-2 for the Buckeyes.
 
Stone, a 125 pound freshman, was named 2010 Outstanding Wrestler of the Sandusky Bay Conference. Stone was a two-time Ohio High School state runner-up, four-time SBC champion, and compiled 142-36 high-school record.
 
This year at OSU, Stone is 5-4 with two falls and two major decisions but no matches in Big Ten competition. His last win was a pin in 4:46 over Maurice Miller (Notre Dame College) on Jan. 16.
 
Whitt, a 125 pound redshirt freshman, transferred from Ohio University. He compiled 89-23 high school career record, was named second-team All Toledo City League and two-time district qualifier.
 
This year, Whitt is 3-6 with one fall and one major decision but not Big Ten matches. His last win came over Logan Shanks (Central Michigan) on Dec. 11.
 
Ackerman, a 197 pound freshman, split his high school career between Toledo Christian and Clay. A state qualifier, Ackerman was honored with the school’s O'Brien Award his senior year at Clay.
 
Ackerman is currently 4-6 with no Big Ten matches. His last win came over Travis Stanback (Eastern Michigan) by a 4-1 decision on Nov. 20.
 
Clay also has two wrestlers at Heidelberg — Justin Wharton and Richard Urias. On Dec. 4, Urias took sixth place at the annual Ohio Northern Invitational. Urias, a 125 pound freshman, is 9-7 overall and 5-2 against D-III opponents. Wharton, a 157/165 pound sophomore, is 5-9 and 1-5.

Sports Announcements
 
The Rocky Ridge/Graytown Baseball Association is holding registration for children ages 5-14 at St. John Lutheran Church on Feb. 19 and Mar. 5 from 2-4 p.m. Forms will be available at Country Keg in Graytown and in Oak Harbor at Priesman Printery and Oak Harbor Hardware. Forms can also be downloaded at www.leaguelineup.com/graytown. Deadline is Mar. 14. Call Josh Dusseau at 419-707-0707 or Rhonda Pavlica at 419-862-7702.

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The Independent Umpire Association will be holding an eight-week training class for anyone interested in umpiring in Oregon this year.  Classes will begin on Sundays beginning Feb. 13. The class is open to anyone age 16 and older and must have some knowledge of the game of baseball and/or softball. All applicants will be required to submit an application, pass a written pre-test and attend the first three weeks of class. After the third week, the instructors will invite those that qualify to move forward for the remaining five weeks. There is no cost for the first three weeks of training and if selected to move on, there will be a $35 fee.  Contact John Meyers at 419-467-0519 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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A U11 NWOABL travel baseball team is looking for players for the upcoming season. Call Jeffery Lohmeyer at 224-381-9674.

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