Ross’ Byrd set for challenge

Rams junior looks to prove himself against Division I competition.

Ross High School junior wrestler Cordell Byrd is a returning state qualifier with a good chance of placing at the Southwest Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association Glen Sample Classic. Staff photo by Samantha Grier

Samantha Grier Ross High School junior wrestler Cordell Byrd is a returning state qualifier with a good chance of placing at the Southwest Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association Glen Sample Classic. Staff photo by Samantha Grier

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By Jay Morrison, Staff Writer Updated 2:42 PM Friday, December 16, 2011

ROSS TWP. — After dropping a 10-4 decision to London High School’s Arron Thompson in the first round of the Division II state wrestling tournament in March, Ross’ Cordell Byrd thought he would have to wait another year for a rematch.

But it turns out the Red Raiders are among the 39 other teams who will be joining Ross at Harrison this weekend for the Southwest Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association’s annual Glen Sample Classic.

“I thought about that match every single day last spring and summer,” the 132-pound junior said after practice Wednesday afternoon. “Earlier today I was thinking about it. If I would’ve just beaten Thompson, I would have made things easier on myself.”

Instead, Byrd fell into the consolation bracket, where he won one match and then lost the next one to finish one victory shy of placing.

This year he intends to reach the podium, if not scale it entirely.

“He’s got the potential to win state,” Ross coach Rich Dunn said. “He can beat anybody. He has that kind of talent.”

He’ll get a chance to prove it this weekend against more than just Thompson. Also in the 132-pound bracket are Moeller senior Joey Ward, the defending Division I state champion, and Mason senior Jorge Gonzalez, a Division I state qualifier who beat Byrd at last year’s Coaches Classic.

“The biggest thing I learned last year is I need to keep working harder, and that’s what I’ve done,” said Byrd, who is 4-1 with three pins this season. “I’ve been working on trying to get better at everything. Honestly there isn’t one thing I don’t need to work on.

“This is the biggest tournament for me because all the D-I teams are there,” Byrd continued. “I want to prove myself and show that I can not only do well against D-II competition but against D-I guys as well.”

Thirty of the 40 teams competing this weekend are Division I schools, including local squads from Edgewood, Fairfield, Hamilton, Lakota East, Lakota West and Middletown, along with Talawanda and Ross in D-II.

Action begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and will run until approximately 8:30 p.m. Wrestling resumes at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, with the finals scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Prior to the finals Dunn will be honored as the Division II Coach of the Year, while Moeller’s Jeff Gaier will receive the Division I award.

Mason’s Thik Phou, a Lakota graduate, will receive the Division I Assistant Coach of the Year Award, and former Monroe and Hamilton coach Tim Brashear will be inducted into the SWOWCA Hall of Fame.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.

Southwest Ohio Wrestling Coaches  Association Glen Sample Classic

When: Saturday (10 a.m.) and Sunday (9:30 a.m. with finals at 3:30 p.m.)

Where: Harrison High School, 9860 West Road, Harrison

Who: 40 teams, including local squads from Edgewood, Fairfield, Hamilton, Lakota East, Lakota West, Middletown, Ross and Talawanda

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