WRESTLING
2002-03 

Your location for wrestling highlights involving TEAM JAM wrestlers the last two seasons.

VILLARS NABS THIRD

RYAN HURLEY IS 
7TH 
Both Earn All-American Honors

Beacon Journal Link
Plain Dealer Link

All-American Listings

An upset loss in the semi-finals to Chad Espinoza of Reno, Nevada, disappointed but didn't deter Ryan from coming back and anhilating his opponents 11-0 and 14-2 in his battle for third place.  His first three matches saw him win by an average score of 19-3.  Rated #1 all year, the Ohio Div. II state champ at 215 was frustrated at suffering his first loss of the year, especially after watching St. Ed's 215 lb. Koz go on to win.  Villars had dominated him all season.  

Jared is a two sport athlete who is going on to Southern Illinois to play football and actually wrestles "on the side".  Not a bad hobby.  A wrestler this good might just be coaxed at giving it another try some time during his college experience.

Meanwhile, Ryan had a great tournament at 145 lbs.  Headed to Cleveland State on a wrestling scholarship, Ryan won his 7th place match 18-5.  Ryan finished 5th at the Ohio Division II state meet in spite of a severe eye injury that forced him to wrestle with a mask.   His 7th place finish at Nationals showed what would have happened at state without the accidental injury he incurred.  

Heavyweight Mike Skonieczny, also from St. V.,  was one match away from competing in the medal round as well.

MIKE HURLEY AT NATIONALS !!

Mike Hurley narrowly lost the championship match at Nationals in the final eight seconds, 16-14.  Mike led throughout, dominating the first period, before he was edged out by fellow Ohioan, Matt McIntire.  McIntire , of West Lakota HS, is a two time Division I state champion.  Both wrestlers had notched stunning victories in the semifinals, with McIntire handing Michigan's four time state champ his first loss ever after 219 matches.  Mike beat a four time state champ from Wisconsin.  

Plain Dealer article

Last year's Brakeman
Report

Jared Villers, 
St. Vincent-St. Mary -  215
Star stats:
Division II state champion at 215 pounds, overall record of 43-0.

State champion at 171 pounds as a sophomore (26-3 overall), third at 189 pounds last season (44-4).

ANNOUNCEMENTS

HURLEY'S COMMIT TO CLEVELAND STATE

Mike committed to Cleveland State last spring and now younger brother Ryan will be following him there as well.  After pursuing a number of options across the country, the brothers decided that they would like to wrestle together in college and do it within driving distance of their family.  The brothers' father, Mick, has been coaching them since youth wrestling and has been an extremely positive influence in their life and wrestling career, so it only makes sense to share the next phase of their careers with him as well. We're sure mom won't mind either !!!
Click here for the CSU release.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

ST. V. OPENS WITH 8TH PLACE FINISH AT IRONMAN TOURNEY

Ryan Hurley at the Ironman

VILLERS, HURLEY AND SKONIECZNY ALL REACH THE FINALS

  VILLARS SHOCKS KOZ

The tournament was made up of this generation's legendary wrestlers.  Six area wrestlers made the finals and all of them either had to wrestle a national champ or a wrestler ranked no.1 in the nation.  Three of the those six were St. V. wrestlers Villers, Hurley and Skonieczny.   Hurley wrestled arguable the most dramatic match of the tournament when he lost to top ranked 145 lb. Ryan Davis (headed to Oklahoma State) of Blair Academy in overtime, 5-4.  Blair is ranked #1 in the country and won the tournament as well.

Ryan Villers however, won the Outstanding Wrestler Award because of his convincing 8-5 win over top ranked Matt Koz of Lakewood St. Ed's at the 215 lb. weight class.  Villers had three takedowns to control the match and was the agressor throughout.  Mike Skonieczny finished second at heavyweight, rounding out St. V's only placers.

The ninth annual Ironman wrestling tournament at Walsh HS featured the top three high school wrestling teams in the country as well as perennial national powers such as Lakewood St. Ed's and Walsh.  Throw in top 20 St. V. and Massillon Perry from Ohio and an assortment and National Champs and you have the greatest Ironman Tournament ever.  From Ohio, St. Paris Graham (coached by Ohio wrestling legend Jeff Jordan), finished second, St. Ed's was fourth, Perry was fifth, Columbus DeSales was sixth, Walsh was seventh and St. V. was eighth.  

Entering this season, Ryan is currently ranked eighth nationally at 152 pounds.  Last spring, brother Mike was the national runner up at 135, concluding a career that saw him finish as state runner-up his soph. and jr. seasons, and state champ at 140 his senior year.