Miller looking ahead to Iowa

By Zach Baker
Sports Writer

zbaker@advertiser-tribune.com



Heidelberg wrestling coach Jason Miller didn’t have much time to celebrate his team’s 28-12 win over Baldwin-Wallace Tuesday night.

Just a few minutes after the match was over, Miller was already on to the next thing — The NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

For the coach of the Student Princes — the No. 4 team in Division III — the tournament is very important.

“We have the national duals coming up this weekend,” Miller said. “It’s a big national tournament, especially for rankings and all that consideration.”

It’s a tournament that features top teams from all divisions, including 16 from Division III.

Miller is hoping his team can finish among the best in D-III, something it didn’t do a year ago, when it did not place.

“We expect to finish in the top four,” he said. “To do that we’re going to have to wrestle a lot better than we did (Tuesday against Baldwin-Wallace).”

If Miller’s expectations sound high, they’re nothing compared to the expectations of his wrestlers.

When asked what he hoped for, 197-pounder Ryan Fogliano was blunt.

“Hopefully to win it all. That’s my plan,” said Fogliano, who is 6-0 this season. “Hopefully we’ll take our full varsity lineup there and win it all.”

Heidelberg heavyweight Ryan Bowers was just as confident.

“I made some adjustments to what my goals are,” he said. “I need to be more committed, and I think this weekend at national duals I can win out. I don’t think there’s anybody in heavyweight — in the top eight in the nation — that’s unbeatable.”

Heidelberg also will have Joe Pflug — the No. 2 wrestler in the nation at 157 pounds — competing, as well as 141-pound national qualifier Nick Sanchez.

“We feel we can compete when everyone goes out and competes like they can,” Miller said. “We can go out there and finish in the top four. We’ve got the weapons. We’ve just got to get healthy, go out and wrestle hard.”



BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: For Bowers, it’s been an interesting year. The senior, who was the Ohio Athletic Conference’s at-large selection for the national tournament last season, has wrestled much of this year as Heidelberg’s No. 2 heavyweight.

Robert Brubeck, also a senior, provided a big test for Bowers early on.

“He beat me in two wrestle-offs this year,” Bowers said. “With him there, I knew I had to work harder; I had to do my best. Him and I in the wrestling room, we pushed each other day in and day out.”

Brubeck was ranked nationally but suffered an elbow injury and could be lost for the season.

It’s a familiar situation.

“Bowers was in the same position last year,” Miller said. “He started as a No. 2, stepped in and became a national qualifier. Right now, we expect him to be an All-American, and that’s his goal.”

Still, it’s not the way Bowers said he wanted it.

“Now that he’s gone, I’ve got the starting spot, but I didn’t want to get it like that,” Bowers said. “I wanted to either earn it, or I wanted the better man to go to the nationals, because regardless of who it was, I thought one of us was going to go.”



CHIEFTAIN PRINCE: Clay Chapman, a state qualifier at Hopewell-Loudon, wrestled for Heidelberg at 174 pounds Tuesday night.

He lost to B-W’s Jeremy Feador, 3-2.

Chapman was substituting for the injured Mike Rando, and Miller said Chapman likely would be better suited at 165 pounds.

“Clay’s a fighter. He gets out there and he’s going to fight hard,” Miller said. “He’s going to wrestle hard. He’s going to give you everything he’s got every time.”



YOU SAID IT: “He’s going to continue to work, and he’s going to continue to get better. Clay’s an athlete; we’ve just got to get him in the lineup a little more and he’s got to work on his bottom position a little more.” — Miller, on Chapman.