Canfield youth wrestlers great at state
Neighbors | Submitted.David Labra (left) finished second and teammate and Paul Whitehead took fifth in their respective weight classes at last weekend's state tournament at Akron Firestone High School. This was Labra's second trip to state.
Canfield Wrestling Club’s David Labra and Paul Whitehead earned all-state honors last weekend at the Ohio Youth Wrestling Association state tournament.
Labra, a sixth-grader, finished second at 110 pounds while classmate Whitehead (120 pounds) took fifth. The event was held at Akron Firestone High School and featured the top 16 wrestlers from four district tournaments.
“Wrestling isn’t an easy sport. Practices can be long and hard, and losing is never fun. They fought through it all and put themselves in a position to be on the podium at the end of the season. I am very proud of them and every young athlete who competes in the demanding sport,” said Canfield coach Dave Crawford.
“These two kids and their families put a lot of time into getting better this year. They competed in a lot of extra tournaments in the preseason and during the season to get outside of our area and see what kind of competition is out there.”
Labra won his first three matches to earn a spot in the 110-pound championship match where he was beaten by Southeast’s Tristan Brady, 11-0.
He won his first match by pin, then beat a strong wrestler from Waynedale with a third-period headlock. He cruised to an 11-2 win over Massillon Jackson’s Nolin Crnic in the semifinals.
“David is a talented wrestler with great balance and a mean headlock. I look for him to continue to well in the future,” said Crawford.
“It was great to get here and place after coming last year and not being able to,” said Labra, who also qualified for state in 2009.
Whitehead finished his day with a 5-0 win over Northwest’s Dalton Cox to earn fifth place.
He started his day with a 2-0 win over Cox, then lost to Westshore’s Jared Campbell. Whitehead had to win two more matches to be able to place in the top six and he did so with a 1-0 win in double overtime and a 1-0 win.
“Paul is just beginning to tap into his potential. His dad was a great wrestler at Northwestern and his family provides tremendous support,” noted Crawford.
“At the beginning of the season, my Dad and I set a goal to be here and place and he and David [Labra] kept me focused all season,” said Whitehead.