Stars galore in mat meet

West Branch moved 10, Howland eight and
Hubbard six to the
semifinals.

By ERIC HAMILTON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

BELOIT — When it comes to sports, Howland wrestling coach Brian Earich isn’t superstitious.

Well, maybe just a little.

When asked how many wrestlers he thought could advance out of the Division II West Branch sectional, he wasn’t about to make a prediction.

“Oh no, you aren’t going to jinx me,” he said with a laugh. “If the kids do what they are supposed to do tomorrow, then we have a shot at winning this sectional.

“We’re hoping to be in the top three, but it’s still early and the semifinal matches will be the real difference makers,” Earich said.

If that’s the case, then the Tigers have a legitimate shot of taking plenty of competitors to next week’s district tournament at Akron Firestone.

Howland advanced eight to the semifinal round on Friday, just two fewer than host West Branch, which has 10 in line for title shots in their respective weight classes when action resumes today at 10 a.m. at West Branch High School.

The Warriors (74) own a narrow lead over Howland (71.5) in the team standings and Marlington is making it a three-horse race at the top with 66.5 points after one day of competition.

Hubbard (48.5) boasts six semifinalists and leads the rest of the pack in fourth place.

“This is a long way from over,” West Branch coach Mike Helm said. “This tournament is definitely a little tougher this year when you add teams like Howland, Marlington and Minerva.

“We lost [Akron] Kenmore, but we picked up three solid teams and I think that helps everyone for next week,” Helm said.

“Our kids wrestled real well today and I think we won the matches we should have,” Helm said. “The semis are where the money matches are, so hopefully we can do well there. There are some good teams and some good individuals, so that makes the top end of the tournament tough.”

The sectional had a different look this year as Kenmore, which finished second to West Branch in 2007, moved up to Div. I after consolidating with Central-Hower.

But Howland moved down from Div. I and Marlington and Minerva made the switch from the North Canton Div. II sectional to West Branch.

In all, 30 area wrestlers will compete in the semifinals and need just one win today in order to finish in the top four of their weight classes and earn a district tournament berth. Friday’s action included two rounds of championships, but no consolation bouts.

Even the wrestlers losing on Friday still have the opportunity to qualify if they win two matches today and advance to compete for third and fourth.

Among the notable upsets was Hubbard’s Tanner Thompson’s win over top-seeded Patrick Simpson (Salem) at 103 pounds. At 135 pounds, freshman Tyler Lias — also of Hubbard — knocked off second-seeded Zach Lutes (Minerva).

In addition to semifinalists from West Branch (10), Howland (8) and Hubbard (6), other area teams with semifinalists include Salem (3), Liberty (2) and Poland (1).

Wrestling continues at 10 a.m. today and the finals will be held at 6:30 p.m.

Team standings are: West Branch 74, Howland 71.5, Marlington 66.5, Hubbard 48.5, Crestwood 45.5, Southeast 44.5, Salem 34, Alliance 31.5, Minerva 17, Liberty 16, Field 9 and Poland 8.