Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Three others from the area also will compete in Columbus.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
AKRON -- Six area wrestlers have qualified for the Division II state tournament during district competition Saturday at Akron Firestone High.
The tournament was not completed in time for this edition.
The top four placers in each weight class qualified for next week's state meet in Columbus.
Of the six wrestlers who advanced, three were from Southeast -- seniors Jacob Bartley, Brad Lanham and Brian Dye.
Bartley wrestled his way into the 125-pound championship match against Revere senior Hugh Hutton, while Lanham had done the same at 215 against Kenston senior Anton Narinskiy.
Bartley had defeated Aurora senior Chris Horne by pin at 5:31 in the semifinals, while Lanham also won by pin (:55) over Trinity junior Nic Laracuente.
Dye (103 pounds) advanced into the consolation final against Lake Catholic sophomore Brian Connelly. Dye had beaten Coventry senior Rory McCahan by pin (3:29) in the consolation semifinals.
Another champion
The area was guaranteed a district champion at 275 as West Branch freshman Nathan Sharp was to face Howland junior Rob Holbert in the title match.
Sharp had defeated Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary senior Justin Walker 4-3 in the semifinals, while Holbert advanced past West Geauga senior Pat Davis by pin (1:02).
Two area rivals were set to square off and provide the sixth state qualifier to the area. West Branch junior Eric Morrow and Salem junior Sonn Hostetter were paired in a 119-pound consolation semifinal.
Morrow won his first two matches before losing by technical fall (18-1) to Kenston senior Ricky Deubel and dropping to the consolation round.
Hostetter, meanwhile, has won two matches in consolations, including a 17-14 victory over Aurora senior Paul Wakefield. Hostetter qualified for the state tournament last season.
Suffered first loss
Howland senior Brandon Alexander's undefeated streak came to an end Saturday.
Alexander had won 35 consecutive matches at 189 pounds this season before Walsh Jesuit senior Jake Glover earned a 2-1 decision in the semifinals.
That dropped Alexander to the consolations, where he needed one victory to reach the state tournament. He was to face Northwest sophomore Scott Weber.