Elder Wrestling 2023-2024

Tajma said:
Some may know this little nugget. But this still impresses me every year. I think it speaks volumes of the program, alumni, supporters, and the coaching staff.

This marks the 44th straight year in which Elder has been represented at the State Tournament with at least one wrestler! Since Elder started the wrestling program in 1962-63 (this current season marks the 62nd season of Elder Wrestling), there have only been 5 seasons when Elder was not represented at the State Tournament. During the 1963 – 1970 seasons, only the District champion qualified for the State Tournament. During that time, there were only eight wrestlers who competed in the State Tournament. From 1971 to present day, the top four District placers qualified for the State Tournament.
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Thank you, Kody Kaimann '21! He took his lumps as a sophomore (7-13 final record), was a district qualifier as a junior (24-19), and was Elder's lone state qualifier as a senior (21-15) to keep the streak alive.
 
Pantherontheporch said:
Thank you, Kody Kaimann '21! He took his lumps as a sophomore (7-13 final record), was a district qualifier as a junior (24-19), and was Elder's lone state qualifier as a senior (21-15) to keep the streak alive.
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The streak began with the 1981 season. Since then, here are the years that it was kept alive by a single individual (all other years Elder qualified multiple wrestlers to the State Tournament).

1983-Steve Klumb
1984-Dan Doerflein
1993-Joe Lambers
1994-Sean Brady
2000-Pete Suer
2001-Nick Spatola
2021-Kody Kaimann
 
JasonRoush said:
The streak began with the 1981 season. Since then, here are the years that it was kept alive by a single individual (all other years Elder qualified multiple wrestlers to the State Tournament).

1983-Steve Klumb
1984-Dan Doerflein
1993-Joe Lambers
1994-Sean Brady
2000-Pete Suer
2001-Nick Spatola
2021-Kody Kaimann
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Who was in '81 and '82?
 
Here are a few sentences on the four Panthers who will represent Elder at the Schott this weekend.
106: Colin Broxterman, sophomore, 41-6
Last season Broxterman was a district qualifier but he did not place.
Except for the Harrison and St. Xavier duals, where he wrestled at 113, Broxterman has manned 106 the entire season. Among his six losses are three losses to freshman Lincoln Rohr of Massillon Perry (Hoover district champ at 106) and one to freshman Derion Williams of Trinity (D-III Independence district champ at 106 and tourney favorite). Broxterman finished first at the Lebanon sectional, Ryle Raider Rumble, and SWOWCA; second at the Rieman Invitational; third at the CIT; and did not place at Brecksville.
He is in the lower half of the bracket. As the third place finisher at Kettering he will wrestle the second place finisher at Hilliard Darby, senior Nick Lawrensen of Dublin Coffman. Lawrensen beat Broxterman at Brecksville by the score of 6-3, so hopefully Broxterman can turn the tables this time around. The winner of the Broxterman-Lawrensen match almost certainly will square off against Rohr.
126: Konner Lambers, junior, 41-6
As we all know, Konner Lambers is the son of Elder wrestling coach Jason Lambers and a nephew of Elder wrestling coach Joe Lambers.
He wrestled at 126 the entire season except for the Oak Hills dual, where he wrestled at 132.
He finished first at the Lebanon sectional, Ryle, and Rieman; second at the CIT; third at SWOWCA; and fifth at Brecksville.
Three of his six losses were to state champions. They are Jackson Blum of Lowell, MI (’24 and ‘23 Division 2 state champ); Kade Kluce of Dundee, MI (’24 and ‘23 Division 3 state champ; and sophomore Joe Curry of C-bus Bishop Watterson (’23 D-II champ at 120). (In a bit of a surprise Curry was beaten in the D-II Wilmington district 126 final by freshman Josiah Puller of Wilmington.) Lambers’ other three losses were to senior Aiden Allen of LaSalle (’23 third at 120 and Kettering district champ), although Lambers did beat Allen at Brecksville (3-1 SV).
Lambers is in the lower half of the bracket with junior Phoenix Contos (Perrysburg district champ) while Allen is in the upper half. In the opening round Lambers will wrestle junior Emeric McBurney of Massillon Perry (28-12), who finished third at the Hoover district meet. Lambers beat McBurney 3-1 at the Rieman.
As a freshman Lambers finished third at 106 and last year he finished eighth at 113. If he makes the podium Sunday he will have accomplished something no other Elder wrestler has ever accomplished.
132: Joey Thamann, junior, 34-17
Joey Thamann was a running back for Coach Ramsey’s ’23 squad and also played baseball for the Panthers last season and presumably will do so again this year, although once more he will get a late start swapping his wrestling shoes for his cleats.
Thamann has wrestled at 132 the entire season except for the Oak Hills dual, where he wrestled at 138.
When yappi wrestling forum moderator Bucksman posted his State Tournament Predictions Report on February 17, he did not mention Thamann in his review of the D-I 132 weight class. That’s probably because at that time Thamann was awaiting the Lebanon sectional with a 28-15 record and, although he was a two-time state qualifier, likely did not appear to Bucksman to be a threat to come out of Kettering. Well, after Kettering Thamann is a state qualifier for the third time.
Thamann finished first at the Lebanon sectional, second at Ryle, fifth at the Rieman, sixth at the CIT, seventh at SWOWCA, and eighth at Brecksville.
Thamann is in the lower half of the bracket. In the opening round he will wrestle Perrysburg district champ junior Marcus Blaze of Perrysburg. Blaze, the ’23 D-I champ at 120 and ’22 D-I champ at 113, is 46-1. His only loss (3-2 UTB) was to Ben Davino of St. Charles East High School (IL) (he is a The OSU commit for you Buckeye fans) in the 132 title match at the Walsh Ironman tournament. Davino and Blaze are ranked 1-2 in the national rankings I’ve seen.
157: Lucas Kurzhals, senior, 38-9
As you may or may not know, Lucas Kurzhals is the son of Elder wrestling coach Stephen Kurzhals.
Kurzhals was a district qualifier as a sophomore and junior. He started the season at 165 until the LaSalle dual, where he dropped down to 157. After that he wrestled at both weights until the Lebanon sectional.
Kurzhals finished first at Lebanon, second at the CIT, third at Ryle and SWOWCA, fifth at the Rieman, and did not place at Brecksville. Having finished third at Kettering, in the opening round he will wrestle senior Tyler Deericks of Olentangy Liberty, who finished second at the Hilliard Darby district meet and was a state qualifier last year. Kurzhals is in the upper half of the bracket in the second pairing. The first pairing contains tourney favorite senior Jeremy Ginter of Toledo Whitmer, who finished second last year at 144, second in ’22 at 132, and third in ’21 at 126.
 
Pantherontheporch said:
Here are a few sentences on the four Panthers who will represent Elder at the Schott this weekend.
106: Colin Broxterman, sophomore, 41-6
Last season Broxterman was a district qualifier but he did not place.
Except for the Harrison and St. Xavier duals, where he wrestled at 113, Broxterman has manned 106 the entire season. Among his six losses are three losses to freshman Lincoln Rohr of Massillon Perry (Hoover district champ at 106) and one to freshman Derion Williams of Trinity (D-III Independence district champ at 106 and tourney favorite). Broxterman finished first at the Lebanon sectional, Ryle Raider Rumble, and SWOWCA; second at the Rieman Invitational; third at the CIT; and did not place at Brecksville.
He is in the lower half of the bracket. As the third place finisher at Kettering he will wrestle the second place finisher at Hilliard Darby, senior Nick Lawrensen of Dublin Coffman. Lawrensen beat Broxterman at Brecksville by the score of 6-3, so hopefully Broxterman can turn the tables this time around. The winner of the Broxterman-Lawrensen match almost certainly will square off against Rohr.
126: Konner Lambers, junior, 41-6
As we all know, Konner Lambers is the son of Elder wrestling coach Jason Lambers and a nephew of Elder wrestling coach Joe Lambers.
He wrestled at 126 the entire season except for the Oak Hills dual, where he wrestled at 132.
He finished first at the Lebanon sectional, Ryle, and Rieman; second at the CIT; third at SWOWCA; and fifth at Brecksville.
Three of his six losses were to state champions. They are Jackson Blum of Lowell, MI (’24 and ‘23 Division 2 state champ); Kade Kluce of Dundee, MI (’24 and ‘23 Division 3 state champ; and sophomore Joe Curry of C-bus Bishop Watterson (’23 D-II champ at 120). (In a bit of a surprise Curry was beaten in the D-II Wilmington district 126 final by freshman Josiah Puller of Wilmington.) Lambers’ other three losses were to senior Aiden Allen of LaSalle (’23 third at 120 and Kettering district champ), although Lambers did beat Allen at Brecksville (3-1 SV).
Lambers is in the lower half of the bracket with junior Phoenix Contos (Perrysburg district champ) while Allen is in the upper half. In the opening round Lambers will wrestle junior Emeric McBurney of Massillon Perry (28-12), who finished third at the Hoover district meet. Lambers beat McBurney 3-1 at the Rieman.
As a freshman Lambers finished third at 106 and last year he finished eighth at 113. If he makes the podium Sunday he will have accomplished something no other Elder wrestler has ever accomplished.
132: Joey Thamann, junior, 34-17
Joey Thamann was a running back for Coach Ramsey’s ’23 squad and also played baseball for the Panthers last season and presumably will do so again this year, although once more he will get a late start swapping his wrestling shoes for his cleats.
Thamann has wrestled at 132 the entire season except for the Oak Hills dual, where he wrestled at 138.
When yappi wrestling forum moderator Bucksman posted his State Tournament Predictions Report on February 17, he did not mention Thamann in his review of the D-I 132 weight class. That’s probably because at that time Thamann was awaiting the Lebanon sectional with a 28-15 record and, although he was a two-time state qualifier, likely did not appear to Bucksman to be a threat to come out of Kettering. Well, after Kettering Thamann is a state qualifier for the third time.
Thamann finished first at the Lebanon sectional, second at Ryle, fifth at the Rieman, sixth at the CIT, seventh at SWOWCA, and eighth at Brecksville.
Thamann is in the lower half of the bracket. In the opening round he will wrestle Perrysburg district champ junior Marcus Blaze of Perrysburg. Blaze, the ’23 D-I champ at 120 and ’22 D-I champ at 113, is 46-1. His only loss (3-2 UTB) was to Ben Davino of St. Charles East High School (IL) (he is a The OSU commit for you Buckeye fans) in the 132 title match at the Walsh Ironman tournament. Davino and Blaze are ranked 1-2 in the national rankings I’ve seen.
157: Lucas Kurzhals, senior, 38-9
As you may or may not know, Lucas Kurzhals is the son of Elder wrestling coach Stephen Kurzhals.
Kurzhals was a district qualifier as a sophomore and junior. He started the season at 165 until the LaSalle dual, where he dropped down to 157. After that he wrestled at both weights until the Lebanon sectional.
Kurzhals finished first at Lebanon, second at the CIT, third at Ryle and SWOWCA, fifth at the Rieman, and did not place at Brecksville. Having finished third at Kettering, in the opening round he will wrestle senior Tyler Deericks of Olentangy Liberty, who finished second at the Hilliard Darby district meet and was a state qualifier last year. Kurzhals is in the upper half of the bracket in the second pairing. The first pairing contains tourney favorite senior Jeremy Ginter of Toledo Whitmer, who finished second last year at 144, second in ’22 at 132, and third in ’21 at 126.
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I just want to thank you for the significant time and effort you put into sharing details about the Elder wrestling program. It is appreciated more than you know.
 
Best of luck to Colin Broxterman, Konner Lambers, Joey Thamann, and Lucas Kurzhals! Go Panthers!

State Individual Tournament - Day 1
Top eight make the podium
D-I Championship Preliminaries, about 5:00 p.m. (win = done for the day, cheer on your teammates and then chill out; loss = will wrestle tonight in Consolation Round 1, about 7:30 p.m.)
106: Broxterman vs Nick Lawrensen (Dublin Coffman)
126: Lambers vs Emeric McBurney (Massillon Perry)
132: Thamann vs Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg)
157: Kurzhals vs Tyler Deericks (Olentangy Liberty)
 
I didn't see any of the Panthers listed in the "State Tournament Alternates" thread in the wrestling forum, so I presume all four made weight and passed skin check.
 
Championship Preliminaries
106: Broxterman dec Nick Lawrensen (Dublin Coffman) 7-2
126: Lambers dec Emeric McBurney (Massillon Perry) 3-2
132: Thamann lost pin Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg)1:25
157: Kurzhals lost dec Tyler Deericks (Olentangy Liberty) 7-2
 
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Colin Broxterman notches a solid win in his first match in D-1 106, winning 7-2, over N. Lawrensen, a senior from Dublin Coffman. Way to go kid! He will next see Mason Bauer from Ashland who just upset top ranked Lincoln Rohr also of Perry. Wow!

126 Konner Lambers wins again against a very good Emeric McBurney from Massillon Perry 3-2 to advance to the Quarter Finals. Next up is Contos from Waite predicted by many to take this weight class. An upset by Konner would be a career highlight and he is more than capable of beating anyone he faces.
 
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Colin Broxterman and Konner Lambers are in the Championship Quarterfinals; that round will start tomorrow morning about 10:45. A wrestler who wins his Championship Quarterfinal match to advance to the Championship Semifinals will place as he will finish no worse than sixth.
Lucas Kurzhals went 1-1 and is still alive in the consolation bracket; that round will start about 1:35.
Unfortunately Joey Thamann has been eliminated from the tournament.
 
Pantherontheporch said:
Colin Broxterman and Konner Lambers are in the Championship Quarterfinals; that round will start tomorrow morning about 10:45. A wrestler who wins his Championship Quarterfinal match to advance to the Championship Semifinals will place as he will finish no worse than sixth.
Lucas Kurzhals went 1-1 and is still alive in the consolation bracket; that round will start about 1:35.
Unfortunately Joey Thamann has been eliminated from the tournament.
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A pretty good day 1 that sets up a phenomenal day 2 if our guys can pull off QF wins locking in a place on the podium. Lucas can still place if he can gut out one more win. Go Panthers! Great season Joey!
 
State Individual Tournament - Day 2
Championship Quarterfinals
106: Broxterman lost dec Mason Bauer (Ashland) 2-0
126: Lambers lost dec Phoenix Contos (Toledo Waite) 9-2
 
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Consolation Quarterfinal (about 7:40 p.m.)(win=will wrestle for fifth, maybe third; loss=will wrestle for seventh)
106: Broxterman vs Luke Green (Aurora)
 
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