The Potomac Highlands Dispatch
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Mount Savage, MD 21545
Scheffel stands above peers, past and present
Rams senior named PhDispatch.com Wrestler of the Year
By Kevin Spradlin
PhDispatch.com
MOUNT SAVAGE, April 20 - While the general rule ii considering only a single year's performance in determing end-of-season awards, every once in a while there is an exception.
This year is that exception. One simply can not talk about Southern Garrett Jakob "Bubba" Scheffel being 43-1 in his senior wrestling season this year without mentioning that he's the state of Maryland's No. 1 all-time career wins leader among public high school wrestlers.
That's just not something PhDispatch.com could ignore, and Scheffel's continued dominance - even the kid from John Carroll who took Scheffel for his only loss of the season lost to him in a rematch - makes him PhDispatch.com's Wrestler of the Year honoree. Scheffel has accepted a scholarship to wrestle and study at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., this fall.
Teammate and fellow senior Lex Ozias, who on Tuesday was named Maryland's winner of the prestigious Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award, as selected by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, was runner-up.
A key tie-breaker between the two was the National High School Coaches Association National Wrestling Championship in Virginia Beach, Va., in early April. There, Scheffel lost the 171-pound championship bout to two-time South Dakota state champ Kris Klapprodt.
Scheffel entered the tournament ranked 13th in the nation at 171 pounds. Ozias, meanwhile, earned a fourth-place finish at the same tournament.
The Wrestler of the Year decision, as well as First Team and Second Team selections, were made based on season results with input gathered from coaches and fellow wrestlers from Allegany and Garrett counties. The Bi-County Tournament was a key factor. Tie-breakers included the regional and state tournaments.
There was general consensus that while Ozias was as feared on the mat as Scheffel, it was Scheffel who brought "rock star" status to high school wrestling in a region already filled with dedication to the sport.
Scheffel went 43-1 in this, his senior year. Ozias went 44-0. Scheffel finished 167-5 over his four-year varsity career while Ozias finished No. 2 all-time among public high school wrestlers in Maryland with a career record of 163-5. Both won three individual state championships.
The two were simply overpowering on the mat - at least, when opponents chose to wrestle them. Despite injuries to key parts of the team, the two carried the Rams to a 26-5 overall record and led Southern Garrett to a 12-1 duals record - losing only to Winters Mill in the Region Duals tournament.
The pair led the Rams to a second-place finish in the region tournament at North Hagerstown and the team, aided by freshman Coy Ozias's state title at 103 pounds, finished fourth in the state championship.
2011 PhDispatch.com
First Team Bi-County
103 - Coy Ozias, Southern Garrett (43-0)
112 - Austin Shaffer, Southern Garrett (31-8)
119 - Kody Osselburn, Northern Garrett (34-7)
125 - Adam Finzel, Northern Garrett (35-7)
130 - Carlos Howard, Northern Garrett (18-15)
135 - Dillan Darr, Fort Hill
140 - Matt Thomas, Northern Garrett (36-5)
145 - Mikey Skipper, Southern Garrett (32-13)
152 - Lex Ozias, Southern Garrett (44-0)
160 - James Bender, Fort Hill
171 - Bubba Scheffel, Southern Garrett (44-1)
189 - Jason Wright, Mountain Ridge
215 - Drew Winters, Mountain Ridge
285 - Kevin Miller, Southern Garrett (28-13)
2011 PhDispatch.com
Second Team Bi-County
103 - J.T. Thomas, Mountain Ridge
112 - Jacob Taylor, Mountain Ridge
119 - Brian Thompson, Fort Hill
125 - Gavin Murphy, Southern Garrett
130 - Sean Chapman, Southern Garrett
135 - Dakota Pritt, Southern Garrett
140 - Tom Patterson, Mountain Ridge
145 - Kameron Kamp, Northern Garret
152 - Sean Kamp, Northern Garrett
160 - Dale Marple, Southern Garrett
171 - Nick Owens, Northern Garrett
189 - Jason Opel, Northern Garrett
215 - Anthony Cervi, Northern Garrett
285 - Andy Day, Allegany
Photo by Mariel Pazourek Schenk
Southern Garrett senior Bubba Scheffel earned a 7-0 decision over Northern Garrett's Jason Opel on Feb. 3 to become the Rams' all-time career wins leader. This was win No. 155. He finished his four-year varsity career with a public school state record 167 wins and five losses.