Top wrestlers to gather at Jackson-Milton event

Fitch’s Tony Jameson will compete at a national event in Pittsburgh.

The high school wrestling regular season is completed, but the Valley’s best aren’t quite finished competing. Local wrestlers will they take part in several all-star wrestling meets this weekend.

Friday at Jackson-Milton, the top wrestlers from the Eastern Ohio Wrestling League will face the champions from the Portage Trail Conference for the third time. In 2006, the PTC won the event, while the EOWL contingent evened the series with a victory in 2007.

The field for both squads will be stellar, as seven placers from the recent state tournament will be competing.

Six of those placers will be from the PTC, including Ravenna’s Isaac Dukes, who finished third in Division II. Dukes will face state qualifier Brad Benedict (Canfield) at 140 pounds.

Another marquee matchup is at 130 pounds and will pit state qualifier Danny Miller (Brookfield) against Akron Coventry’s Randy Henline, who finished fifth in the state tournament.

Boardman’s Jeff Liggitt (eighth at state) will face state qualifier John Fraley (Streetsboro) at 135 pounds. Fitch state qualifier Louis Greco will wrestle Ravenna’s Tony Karafa, who placed seventh in Div. II at the state tournament.

Other locals competing in the exhibition include state qualifiers Shawn Ague (Fitch), Chris Miller (Fitch) and Santino Pizzuto (Jackson-Milton), Boardman’s Chris Lorimer, Weston Rajkovich and Bryan Whittaker, Canfield’s Dylan Frost, Girard’s Gary Bass, Jackson-Milton’s Joe Skaggs and Alliance’s Logan Ruff.

Fitch’s Tony Jameson will not take part in this year’s all-star event, because he will be in Pittsburgh as part of a national all-star wrestling event.

The four-time state champion was selected to compete in the 34th annual Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic Saturday at Fitzgerald Field House. The event features a team of USA All-Stars against a group of all-stars from Pennsylvania.

Jameson is one of 14 wrestlers from around the country competing for the USA squad. The team includes five four-time state champions and the 14 wrestlers have won a combined 36 state titles.

Jameson is the only Ohioan on the team. In addition to Jameson, who will wrestle at Ohio State next year, the squad features competitors who will attend Big Ten schools such as Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Northwestern.

Jameson (168-6) will wrestle Brock Parker (146-14) from Pennsylvania’s Canton High School in the 145-pound match.

At Fitch High School, the nation’s best high school girl wrestlers will battle for Ohio state championships on Saturday at the 10th USGWA Ohio Girls Wrestling State Championships.

The event will feature wrestlers from all over the country and includes several of the Valley’s best wrestlers.

Fitch High sophomore Jessica Smith will compete for her fifth straight Ohio state title. She comes into the tournament undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the nation at 155 pounds. Earlier this season, she won the Kentucky state championship.

Sarah Guerrier and Monica Moffo will also compete in the tournament representing Fitch.

It is expected that several other area girls will compete in one of four divisions, including elementary, middle school, high school and college. Medals will be given to the top three placers in each weight class.

Like all the United States Girls’ Wrestling Association tournaments, the event is open to the public. Girls ages 5 and up are eligible to compete and registration is available at the door. Wrestling begins at 10 a.m.

For more information, visit www.usgwa.com or call Kent Bailo at (248) 224-5068.