Boardman’s wrestlers are no match for Perry

By Eric Hamilton

Jerry Pasquale and Tim Taumoepeau were Boardman’s only winners in a 67-9 loss.

BOARDMAN — Boardman High wrestler Jerry Pasquale remembers the bitter disappointment he felt in March when he sat in the stands at the state wrestling tournament, watching athletes he had already beaten wrestle on the big stage.

Having qualified for state as a freshman — and every year before that since fourth grade — he was left on the sidelines to reflect on whether he’d ever get back to that level again.

“I took it for granted,” Pasquale said. “It was the first time in a long time that I wasn’t wrestling at state and I missed it. It was a big letdown and I used that in the off-season and in open mats and I’m looking to get back there again this year.”

Pasquale took a step in the right direction Tuesday night when he was only one of two Boardman wrestlers to taste victory when the Spartans hosted Division I state power Massillon Perry in a Federal League dual match.

The Panthers used 30 points from five Boardman forfeits and won seven of the nine contested matches to earn a 67-9 victory.

“We had a chance to get shut out tonight,” Boardman coach Dom Mancini said. “It’s not that we’re that bad, it’s just how good Perry is this year. They are so good that they have a shot at being the first public school to win state in Division I since 1977. I’ll take two wins against these guys.”

With Boardman trailing 10-0 after two matches, Pasquale faced Perry’s Josh Arrendale at 119 pounds. Pasquale got the early advantage with a takedown and a near fall to go ahead 5-0 and led 5-1 through two periods.

In the third period, Pasquale increased his lead to 7-1 with a reversal. His six-point victory trimmed the deficit to 10-3.

“This was the first match I really felt I wrestled the way that I should,” said Pasquale, who improved to 8-0 this season. “I was mentally prepared and ready to go. With us facing a tough team like Perry, I knew I’d have a tough match.

“As a captain, I needed to win to give us some momentum in the other matches and show the younger guys that we can beat them.”

Perry went on to sweep the next 10 matches, winning for by forfeit. Freshman Nico Graziani put up a fight against returning state placer Nick Hannon, before losing a 16-5 decision.

“Nico gave him fits for two periods, but then got tired,” Mancini said. “But he showed some promise right there.

“We’re a young team and we’re just trying to teach them and keep them this year. Some of these kids are pretty new to the sport so we’re teaching fundamentals and pushing the four or five advanced kids that we have.”

Boardman heavyweight Tim Taumoepeau gave his team a reason to cheer, pulling off a surprise win by pinfall over Perry’s Doug Mayes.

The Spartans were without veterans Chris Lorimer and Ricky Zupko, who were in street clothes for the match. They are expected to be back in action this weekend when Boardman travels to Delaware for the Beast of the East tournament.