Epic 195-pound final showcases SBC's wrestling greatness

NORWALK — It was a moment everyone knew was coming. But in the final seconds, just before the traditional sportsmanship handshake, it became very real. "I knew it would be a good match from the start, but to hear that announcement, it was nerve-racking," Norwalk senior wrestler Gabe Phillips said. "That's when you knew, 'Gosh, this is really big. This is happening.'" What happened was the most anticipated match at the Sandusky Bay Conference championships held Saturday night in Norwalk. It had been circled for months. And in true, unpredictable wrestling fashion, it almost didn't happen. Phillips shook hands with Edison senior Jacob Brewer, and the two immediately locked up. Moments before, both were introduced to the large crowd that had gathered not only in the stands, but with another dozen people — mostly young kids — sitting mat side. Phillips was introduced as the undefeated, No. 1-ranked wrestler in Division II at 195 pounds (according to borofanohio.net). Brewer was announced as the No. 1-ranked wrestler in Division III with 44 wins on his resume. And it was right here in the backyard of what has always been a hotbed conference for high school wrestling. "That's what sells the tickets right there," Norwalk coach Frank Staley said. "When people look for those potential big-time matchups — that is exactly what everybody wanted to see." The match itself didn't disappoint. Brewer (44-7) was aggressive from the start. Within 10 seconds of the two locking up, he tried lifting Phillips off the ground and tossed him to the mat. Late in the second period, Phillips was able to fake to his right, and went in from the left for a low-single leg takedown for two points. It was a 3-0 lead entering the third and final period. Then it got really fun. With just more than a minute left in the match, Brewer was able to get out from under Phillips for a reversal to pull within 3-2. There was a big scramble that Phillips was able to roll through for no change in score. With 45 seconds left, Brewer let him out for an escape point and a 4-2 deficit. Then, with under 20 seconds to go, Brewer made his move. He again locked up Phillips, then spun and threw him over his shoulder to the left. But the throw was out of bounds, as Phillips again spun off and rolled through for no points. With the crowd roaring — and just 13 seconds left — Brewer again got Phillips off his feet. But this time, when he went to attempt to throw Phillips again — the two-time Norwalk state-placer was able to land on his feet — on top of Brewer — and turn the Edison standout over for the clinching two points with seven seconds left of a 6-3 win. The matchup had delivered. "You're out there and you want to be yourself and wrestle your match," Brewer said. "But you also want to put on a show for the fans and show them what they came for. At the end of the day, know you gave your best." One thing in particular had stood out to me as the match progressed. A quick glance to the left or right showed coaches in the chairs — who were watching their own competitors in third- and fifth-place matches — take quick glances over at the Phillips-Brewer match. After Sandusky's Terion Stewart wrapped up his third-place win he was front and center, crouched and animated while watching the closing seconds of the match. Earlier in the day, he nearly denied the matchup when he took a 5-3 lead against Phillips with under a minute left, only for Phillips to flip the script with a late pin. When it ended, Stewart was on his feet clapping for both Phillips and Brewer, just like most of the gym. He then greeted the two competitors he knows quite well. The match had that type of feel to it, even by those who had low stakes — if any — on who won or lost. "To see two No. 1 wrestlers from your conference go at it is a special match whether it is your guy or not," Perkins coach Travis Crabtree said. "They both put the work in and deserve the attention. It speaks volumes of our conference depth, and that is what makes us stand out as the best conference in the state of Ohio." When the final whistle blew as the match ended, Phillips (23-0) extended his hand to help Brewer up. There was a brief embrace and pats on the back from both. Wrestling has long been one of those unique sports that creates friendship and respect away from the competitive arena. Yes, the same can be said in other sports, but few offer the physicality in practice, only for there to be laughs and handshakes after it's over. "Me and Gabe, we've wrestled a lot," Brewer said. "We're always drill partners whenever we're in the same place. We knew it was going to come eventually — we've never wrestled before in an in-season match. "It was good to see in that way," he added. "We usually never get to go 100 percent and no one keeps score. Gabe is a stud. That's all you can say really … he's earned his spot." For his part, Phillips spoke the same of Brewer, unprompted in our interview. "He is actually a good friend of mine," Phillips said. "A nice kid, I have a ton of respect for him. We leave the friendship aside when we go out on the mat. It's wrestling." During my interview with Phillips, Edison head coach Davy Hermes walked by and congratulated him. "That 195 match was awesome," Hermes said. "We knew one takedown would win that match. But that's two great kids — two No. 1-ranked kids who we hope both are wrestling Sunday night down in Columbus." Ultimately, any athlete or coach will tell you rankings are just that. Myself and many others may believe we watched two state finalist wrestlers — but Stewart also came within an eyelash of wrecking those plans. The SBC championships had 11 returning state-placers from last season. Virtually every coach called it a "mini-state tournament." It's unique, and the Phillips-Brewer match punctuated that. When the awards were being handed out, I mentioned to Brewer it felt like there were no losers in the match. He respectfully disagreed — which also goes to show you why both kids are considered state title contenders. "No. Losing always sucks," Brewer said. "I just have to learn from that. I have to get a takedown early — I can't let him get it. Stuff like that. But that's the perfect match to have right before the state trail. That showed me that I need to work on some stuff and go back in the room." But as Crabtree pointed out, the friendship among SBC wrestlers may be what puts them both in that position in three weeks. "You can enjoy that matchup because it will expose a small weakness that you can correct in the coming weeks to win a state title," he said. "The cool thing is those two guys will be training, rooting and drilling with each other to get ready for Columbus."