Purcell Marian's Jake Meinking celebrates after pinning Moeller's David Candy. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        The Moeller wrestling team is rated No. 1 in the city. And it is rated as high as seventh nationally by at least one wrestling publication. But Fairfield won the Coaches' Classic, outpointing the Crusaders 266.5 to 235 in the big school competition that wrapped up Saturday at Mount St. Joesph.

        Fairfield coach Ron Masanek said his team had a strategy going in — pins and placers.

        “We knew Moeller had outstanding individuals,” he said. “We also knew we had 14 guys who could place.”

        Indeed, 13 Fairfield wrestlers finished in the top six, piling up a lead that Moeller, with eight finalists, couldn't catch.

        “We got it done,” Masanek said. “We'll have a happy Christmas — but it's not the season.”

        Purcell Marian produced two champions — Jake Meinking at 103 pounds and Jason Lackmeyer at 215 — on its way to another small school team title.

        The Cavaliers won despite only filling 11 of 14 weighting classes.

        “It was a nice tourney for us,” coach Terry Meinking said. “Still we didn't do as well as we could have, and I think the kids know it. But we'll get better as the year goes on.”

        Lakota West took third in the large-school division, followed by Elder and St. Xavier.

        Mason couldn't hold its early-round lead, falling to second in the small-school division.

        Aaron Keough of Clermont Northeastern, who beat defending state champion Nick Lukens of Moeller at 189 pounds, was named outstanding wrestler of the tournament.

        • 103 pounds: A first-period takedown, and a successful defense of a late head-and-arm takedown attempt by Moeller's David Candy earned Meinking his first Coaches' Classic title, 3-0. Candy was the defending champion.

        “I got victimized by the head-and-arm all summer,” Meinking said. "I'm just glad there wasn't much time left.”

        • 112 pounds: Beavercreek's Kyle Puckett, the top seed, pinned Moeller's Joel Cottone, seeded third, with 56 seconds left in the second period.

        • 119 pounds: Unseeded Andrew Gray of Lebanon held on for a 6-5 victory over Nick McCoy of Elder. McCoy had rallied from a 4-2 deficit after two periods, gaining ground on a penalty point and trading reversals with Gray.

        • 125 pounds: Mason Straus upset Kentucky state champion Jason Daviaux to reach the final, but he couldn't build on that momentum. Lakota West's Stephen Wolery, seeded second, used first- and third-period takedowns to beat Straus 5-1.

        • 130 pounds: Moeller's Brian Zinkan fended off a last-second takedown attempt and beat Elder's Nick Spatola, the No. 1 seed, 3-2. • 135 pounds: Lakota West's Matt McIntire was simply too strong for the second seed, Doug Stehlin of Fairfield. After rolling up a 10-3 score, McIntire pinned Stehlin with 70 seconds left in the second period.

        • 140 pounds: Aided by a penalty point, Reading's D.J. Engle broke open a 2-2 third-period tie to claim the title. The top seed, Engle beat the second seed, Clermont Northeatern's Kyle Harmon 5-2.

        • 145 pounds: Winton Woods' Ian Ruth upset top seed and state runner-up Joe Zinkan of Moeller in the semifinals.

        However, Fairfield's Mike Wahoff scored a near fall toward the end of the third period and beat Ruth 6-5.

        “I started to stand up and lost my footing,” said Ruth, a returning district champion.

        Coach Randolph Smith took the disappointment in stride. “He made a mistake. It happens.”

        • 152 pounds: Defending Classic champion David Blanks of Moeller and Reading's Tim Kelly fought as evenly as the top seeds could, ending three periods tied at 3-3.

        In the end, it came down to a penalty point.

        Early in the second overtime, Kelly was penalized for locking hands, giving the title to Blanks.

        • 160 pounds: Marcus Blanks, seems to have fared well in his year off from wrestling.

        The fifth seed won the title by beating Andrew Fuhrmann of Lakota West 12-8.

        • 171 pounds: Moeller's Mike Ostholthoff pinned Fairfield's Jason Saylor in the second period.

        • 189 pounds: The final featured a rematch of last year's final, with Lukens taking on Keough.

        Last year, Lukens scored late in the third period to win 4-3. This year, though, Keough took it to Lukens, beating Cincinnati's only returning state champion 7-1.

        Keough thinks the match will be a measuring tool.

        “Early in the season, if you beat the area's only returning state champ, that means things look better for later in the year,” Keough said.

        • 215 pounds: Lackmeyer improved on his third-place 1999 finish. Lackmeyer pinned Moeller's Mike Creeden with seven seconds to go in the second period.

        • 275 pounds: Monroe's Ben Ryan pinned Sean Dooley of Mason in the first period. Dooley was Mason's lone finals qualifier.

        TEAM STANDINGS

        Large school: 1. Fairfield 266.5, 2. Moeller 235, 3. Lakota West 188.5, 4. Elder 187, 5. St. Xavier 146.5, 6. Beavercreek 86, 7. Lakota East 77.6, 8. Hamilton 75, 9. Colerain 74.5,10. Nordania 69.5, 11. Sycamore 61.5, 12. Princeton 47, 13. Oak Hills 45.

        Small school: 1. Purcell Marian 99, 2. Mason 94.5, 3. Lebanon 87.5, 4. Reading 80, 5. CNE 73, 6. Glen Este 73, 7. Monroe 51.5, 8. Winton Woods 43, 9. Middletown 39.5, 10. Amelia 39, 11. Anderson 29.5, 12. Scott 25.5, 13. Taylor 19, 14. Northwest 12.

        FINAL INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

       Championship round

        103—Meinking (PM) d. Candy (Moe) 3-0

        112—Puckett (B) p. Cottone (Moe) 3:04

        119—Gray (Leb) d. McCoy (Elder) 6-5

        125—Wolery (LW) d. Mason Straus (Syc) 5-1

        130—Zinkan (Moe) d. Spatola (Elder) 3-2

        135—McIntire (LW) p. Stehlin (Fair) 2:50

        140—Engel (Rea) d. Harmon (CNE) 5-2

        145—Wahoff (Fair) d. Ruth (WW) 6-5

        152—Blanks (Moe) d. Kelly (Read) 4-3 (ot)

        160—Blanks (Moe) d. Fuhrmann (LW) 12-8

        171—Ostholthoff (Moe) p. Saylor (Fair) 2:35

        189—Keough (CNE) d. Lukens (Moe) 7-1

        215—Lackmeyer (PM) p. Creeden (Moe 3:53)

        275—Ryan (Mon) p. Dooley (Mason) 0:45

        Third-place round

        103— Ocasio (Fair) d. Mathis (Prin) 5-3

        112—Spencely (Fair) d. Goodman (LW) 7-5

        119—Hahn (Fair) d. Sellers (St. X) 5-4

        125—Daviaux (Scott) d. Kist (Ham) 10-4

        130—Flake (LW) d. Hensley (Mon) 6-4

        135—Carraher (St. X) p. Spence (Elder) 1:27

        140—Harris (Prin) d. Eynon (Fair) 7-6

        145—Zinkan (Moe) d. Dean (CNE) 16-2

        152—Gadson (Fair) d. Stultz (GE) 12-4

        160—Elsen (Fair) d. Meadors (Mason) 2-1

        171—May (Elder) d. Baute (St. X) 6-2

        189—Lawson (Fair) d. McKiernan (And) 5-2

        215—Slaven (Leb) d. Nalner (Elder) 8-4

        275—Garner (LW) d. Huber (Elder) 7-5

        Fifth-place round

        103—Gorrasi (Elder) d. Bastin (Cole) 6-1

        112—Gray (Leb) d. Campolongo (OH) 4-2

        119—Kunkel (Cole) d. Gravelle (Ham) 6-2

        125—Breiner (Mason) d. Cornwell (Fair) 6-2

        130—Seta (Read) d. Bush (LE) 7-5 (ot)

        135—Fleming (Syc) p. Barlage (Bea) 3:55

        140—Gallagher (St. X) d. Sizemore (Bea) 3-1

        145—Thomas (Bea) d. Connelly (St. X) 7-4

        152—Malinowski (St. X) d. Holt (OH) 2-1

        160—Bosiljevac (St. X) d. Von Boene (PM) 5-3

        171—Gadd (Ham) d. Frei (Nord) 10-7

        189—Sablosky (Cole) d. Chambers (Elder) 5-2

        215—Drew (LW) d. Rowland (Fair) 3-2

        275—Gill (Fair) d. Johnson (LE) 8-6

        Semifinals

        103—Meinking (PM) d. Mathis (P) 17-10, Candy (Moe) d. Ocasio (F) 8-3.

        112—Puckett (B) d. Spencely (F) 15-1, Cottone (Moeller) p. Gray (Lebanon) 2:28.

        119—Gray (Lebanon) d. Kunkel (Cole) 4-2, McCoy (Elder) by default.

        125—Strauss (Syc) d. Daviaux (Scott) 8-4 (ot), Wolery (LW) d. Kist (Ham) 14-4.

        130—Spatola (Elder) d. Hensley (Monroe) 21-6, Zinkan (Moe) d. Seta (Read) 5-2.

        135—McIntire (LW) by default, Stehlin (F) p. Fleming (Syc) 1:52.

        140 — Engel (Rea.) d. Sizemore (Bea.) 8-2; Harmon (CNE) d. Harris (Pri.) 10-0.

        145 — Ruth (WW) d. Zinkan (Moe.) 17-2; Wahoff (Fai.) p. Connelly (St. X) 3:31.

        152 — Blanks (Moe.) p. Stultz (GE) 1:10; Kelly (Rea.) def. Gadson (Fai.) 10-8.

        160 — Blanks (Moe.) p. Elsen (Fai.) :57; Fuhrmann (LW) d. Von Hoene (PM) 8-3.

        171 — Ostholthoff (Moe.) d. May (Eld.) 6-2; Saylor (Fai.) d. Gadd (Ham.) 7-4.

        189 — Lukens (Moe.) def. Chambers (Eld.) 12-10; Keough (CNE) def. McKiernan (And.) 12-1.

        215 — Lackmeyer (PM) def. Rowland (Fai.) 7-3; Creeden (Moe.) def. Kalner 7-3.

        275 — Ryan (Mon.) p. Johnson (LE) 4:22; Dooley (Mas.) def. Garner (LW) 14-9.

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