Boardman’s Liggitt grabs fifth-place Top Gun finish

Three of his matches were decided by one point and another went overtime.

By ERIC HAMILTON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

ALLIANCE — Apparently, Boardman High wrestler Jeff Liggitt likes to put pressure on himself to see how he’ll perform in the clutch.

Such was the case at last weekend’s Top Gun tournament, when three of his matches were decided by just one point and another by two points in overtime.

The senior came through when he had to, shaking off a pair of one-point losses to 2007 Division II state runner-up Brad Wukie (University School), and took fifth place in a tough 135-pound bracket.

“I’m disappointed with the two one-point losses, but to finish strong with a big win against a [St. Paris] Graham kid for fifth place feels really good,” said Liggitt, who improved to 19-6 this season. “I just tried to put everything behind me and treat my last match as a new match.

“I expected a lot out of myself this weekend and I feel good about my performance. There were some good kids here and now I can just learn from some of my mistakes and hopefully keep the momentum going.”

Liggitt, a two-time district qualifier, beat Graham’s Mark Meyer 5-3 in overtime to capture fifth. After falling to Wukie 5-4 in Friday’s quarterfinals, Liggitt bounced back Saturday morning with two straight wins in the consolations.

He faced Wukie again in the consolation semifinals and came up one point short, this time losing 3-2.

“I knew he wanted a brawl, but I just tried to wrestle my match,” said Liggitt. “I think I wrestled well, but there’s always room for improvement.”

His performance against an elite field could be a sign of things to come in the last five weeks of the season.

The weight class included Wukie (Div. II state runner-up), Daniel Kolodzik (Div. II state champion), Chase Skonieczny (Div. II third place) and Jeremy Regula (2006 Div. II state qualifier).

“I think Jeff is capable of placing at state,” said Boardman coach Dom Mancini. “He’s gotten a lot stronger in the last year and he’s not getting pushed around or outmuscled anymore. He’s a tough kid and won’t back down from anyone.

“He’s lost a lot of close matches in the past, but now he’s starting to win those close ones and that will be the difference down the road when we get into the postseason.”

In addition to his fifth at Top Gun, Liggitt won his weight class at the Kenston tournament and wrestled at the Beast of the East tournament this season.

No doubt, he’s hoping the tough schedule he’s faced so far will pay off in the postseason, as he attempts to earn his first trip to the state tournament.

“Beast of the East was pretty tough, but Top Gun had some of the toughest competition I’ve had,” said Liggitt. “I just have to keep working hard and see what happens.”