Girard wins Div. III wrestling title

By John Bassetti

ROOTSTOWN — Girard had two champions and four runners-up en route to winning the Div. III sectional wrestling championship.

The Indians had 188 points to top Garrettsville Garfield’s 176.5 and Jackson-Milton’s 176.

Girard placed fourth last year when Jackson-Milton was third behind winner CVCA and runner-up Woodridge.

Champions were Jackson-Milton’s Vinnie Pizzuto (112), Tim Wiseman (119), Johnny Matacic (130), Alex Tomaino (135) and Anthony Tomaino (160); South Range’s Hayden Brooke (140) and Girard’s Nico Francis (152) and Alex Saunders (215).

Runnersup were Girard’s Jacob Carpenter (125), Liberty’s Zach Hackett (130), J-M’s Tyler Collins (145) and Girard’s Craig Frankford (285).

Finishing third were Liberty’s Ryan Shimko (125), South Range’s Max Brooke (135), Girard’s Aaron Hall (140), Liberty’s Justin Hideg (145) and Jackson-Milton’s Dylan Tomaino (152),

Girard’s Nico Francis was pumped up during the most spirited bout of the night in beating Wellsville’s Mat Flanigan, 13-7, for the 152-pound championship.

Francis took a 6-0 lead after one period, then went up, 11-2, after four minutes. Francis’ quickness enabled him to get the jump on Flanigan and grab the Wellsville wrestler with holds that restricted movement.

However, an unsportsmanlike call on Francis enabled Flanigan to pick up points.

“Nico, keep your head,” Girard coach Jim Cardiero yelled at this senior as time wound down.

Francis said he was upset, but wasn’t concerned because he was aware that he had the upper hand against his taller opponent.

Nico finished his night by taking a victory lap around the circle on the mat. Francis will be making his second district trip. He also won as a sophomore.

Pizzuto, now 11-3, won by technical fall over Waterloo’s J.J. Diven, 19-4.

The senior’s two matches on Saturday followed a layoff for knee surgery after he rolled up an 9-3 record.

“I went out and got aggressive with an early takedown and pushed the pace,” said Pizzuto, who was sixth at state. “I tried to get a fall, but settled for a technical. I wanted to get more points for my team [six for a pin instead of 5 for a technical fall].”

Wiseman, a junior, said he wanted a takedown so he wrestled hard the whole time. However, he came away with a 4-0 decision over Brookfield’s Tyler Thompson, whom Wiseman beat by a point at the Hephner tourney. Wiseman was seventh at state last year.

Shimko beat Waterloo’s Jeff Hermann, 4-3, in his first sectional appearance. “I knew I’d have to take a shot at him to win, so I just kept at it,” said the senior who felt ill before the match.

“I was struggling, but once I got him in the final takedown, I used all I had to kept him down the final 20 seconds.”

Matacic scored a major decisioned over Liberty’s Zach Hackett, 10-2. “It was hard because all he did was back up and stall,” said Matacic, a junior, who was enjoying his first sectional crown. “Once I got him on his back, I knew he was tired.”

Alex Tomaino, a junior, decisioned Garfield’s Josh Lawrence, 5-4, for his first sectional championship.

“At first I was feeling him out to see how strong he was and what his weaknesses were. He tried to get a shoe under me and I blocked it. Then we stayed on our feet and stalled it out.”

Brooke, who was projected to finish third, beat Rootstown’s Brett Snyder, 8-4. “I paced myself all the way and just wrestled cautiously,” Brooke, a junior, said.

Third-place Hall didn’t place at sectionals in 2008-2009. “I just wrestled with heart and gave it all I had,” said the Girard junior who pinned Waterloo’s Adam Allen in 3:39.

Senior Anthony Tomaino claimed his first sectional after a forfeit.

“I was under control,” Anthony said of his 2-0 weekend record at Rootstown after pinning South Range’s Kevin Groff in 1:47 and beating Waterloo’s Kenny Shircliff by decision, 5-3.

Saunders beat Brookfield’s Stephen Shaw, 8-5.

bassetti@vindy.com