Boardman wrestlers second at sectional

The Spartans qualified nine to next week’s district.

By JIM FLICK

Vindicator correspondent

AUSTINTOWN — On a day that exceeded the coach’s expectations, Boardman finished second in the Division I high school sectional wrestling tournament Saturday and will send nine wrestlers to next weekend’s district meet

“This was a great day for Boardman wrestling,” said Boardman coach Dom Mancini. “Every one of our wrestlers had his best day today, and that’s unusual. It’s rare that everyone peaks at the same time.”

“I thought we’d maybe be in the top four teams today,” he said. “To finish second is outstanding.”

Boardman scored 213.5 points to finish behind Twinsburg, which won the sectional title with 242 points. Eleven schools competed in the tournament. The top four wrestlers in eight weight class qualified for the district meet.

Three Spartan wrestlers took home district titles. John Dillon triumphed in the 125-pound division, Ricky Zupko won the 130-pound title, and Nico Graziani captured the 140-pound crown. Both Dillon and Zupko pinned their opponents in their championship matches.

Jerry Pasquale of Boardman qualified for the district meet by capturing second place in the 119-pound division.

Joe Fernback of Boardman moved on by placing third in the 135-pound division, while teammate Tim Taumopeau captured third in the 285-division.

Earning spots in the district meet by capturing fourth place Saturday were Spartans Nick Mancini (103 pounds), Peter Boyle (112 pounds) and Dave Rich (145 pounds).

Boardman wasn’t alone among local teams in Saturday’s Division I sectional tournament. Howland finished fifth with 118.5 points, while Austintown Fitch took eighth with 101 points.

Howland will send six wrestlers to next week’s district meet, and three wrestlers from Fitch advanced to district.

Two Howland wrestlers finished second in their weight class. J.R. Perry was the runner-up in the 103-pound division, while Bryce Tricker took second in the 171-pound division.

Finishing in third place for the Tigers were Alex Cornicelli (125 pounds) and Robby Klose (145 pounds). Chuck Sayre (215 pounds) and Kyle Descenna (119 pounds) finished fourth to move on to the district meet.

Shawn Ague of Austintown Fitch captured a sectional title Saturday by pinning his opponent in the 112-pound championship.

Two other Falcons qualified for the district meet by capturing third place in their divisions, R.J. Balog in the 160-pound division and Andy Koch at 189 pounds.

Boardman’s John Dillon said he was confident of winning his title match in the 125-pound division.

“I knew I was just going to go out there and push, push, push.” In fact, Dillon pinned all four of his opponents in the sectional meet.

Zupko of Boardman was he wasn’t confident of winning his match because earlier in the season he’d lost to the same wrestler, Scott Bulzan of Chardon. But this time, Zupko pinned Bulzan. The two have been friends since eighth grade.

“I did not expect to pin him in a million years,” Zupko said. “But I just caught him right and took him down.”

Graziani of Boardman said he’d never before wrestled against his opponent in the championship match, Justin Kresevic of Solon. “I knew we were going to be close, so I watched him and noticed he left his left leg out, so I knew I had to go for it.”

Graziani won a 5-2 decision to win the title.

Shawn Ague of Austintown Fitch said he knew going into the championship match that his opponent, Anthony Collica of Solon, was favored to win the title in the 112-pound division. But that worked in Ague’s favor.

“I like wrestling guys that everyone says are better than me,” Ague said. “When people think I’m going to lose, it’s something to work on.”

Saturday, Ague won a 6-4 decision to take home the title.

Boardman coach Dom Mancini said all his wrestlers “wrestled well in every round. It was a good day to be a coach.”

He added that three entered the tournament with losing records, yet scored points to contribute to the team’s success.