Bluejays wrestle well in Div. III

Jackson-Milton placed three in this weekend’s state tournament in Columbus.

MAPLE HEIGHTS — “Today was a pretty good day,” Jackson-Milton High School wrestling coach Dave Tomaino said Saturday night, after his wrestlers finished their last matches in the Division III District high school wrestling tournament.

“I’m thankful for the athletes I have, and the support of the parents and community for our program,” he added. “We’re kind of a wrestling school.”

Jackson-Milton placed highest among local teams in the tournament, tying for seventh place with 64 points. Girard finished 17th with 42 points, Brookfield was 26th with 20.5 points, Liberty was 35th with eight points, and South Range finished tied for 38th with four points.

St. Peter Chanel won the tournament with 210 points. Wrestlers from 44 schools in northeast Ohio competed in for the tournament.

Five local wrestlers qualified for the state tournament, including three from Jackson-Milton. Girard and Brookfield will each send a wrestler to the state championship tournament, which will be held this weekend in Columbus.

The wrestler who finished best among local wrestlers was Jackson-Milton junior Johnny Matacic, who was the runner-up in the 130-pound division.

Also earning berths in the state tournament were two Bluejays who finished third in their weight classes. Vinnie Pizzuto, a junior, competed in the 112-pound division, and junior Tim Wiseman wrestled in the 119-pound division.

Jacob Carpenter of Girard, a sophomore, earned a berth in the state tournament by finishing third in the 125-pound division.

Tyler Thompson of Brookfield, a senior, earned a trip to Columbus by taking fourth place in the 119-pound division. He lost a 7-3 decision to Wiseman in the final match of the consolation round.

With three wrestlers competing, Tomaino said the Jackson-Milton team’s goal at the state tournament is to finish among the top 10 Division III schools. Last year, with four wrestlers qualifying for state, Jackson-Milton finished eighth.

“We’re battle-tested, ready to go,” Tomaino said.

After their final matches, the local wrestlers said they were ready for the state tournament.

“I’m a competitive person,” said Matacic, who added he has enjoyed wrestling since third grade. “I like the competition.”

Matacic went the distance in his final match against Mike Kovach of Chanel.

“I had to put pressure on him,” Matacic. “But everything I did, he countered.”

Pizzuto won an overwhelming victory in the consolation final in the 112-pound division, defeating Dustin Grier of Norwayne 14-2.

Pizzuto said he’s been wrestling since his parents signed him up when he was four years old.

Wrestling, Pizzuto said, “is a good way to get my anger out.”

Qualifying this year marks a return to the state championship for Pizzuto, who finished sixth last year in the 103-pound division. Wiseman and Matacic also competed in the state finals last year, both finishing in seventh place.

“Last year, I was a little bit nervous,” Pizzuto said. “This year, I’ll be ready.”

Simply being ready for state competition is a major accomplishment for Pizzuto. The Jackson-Milton junior injured his knee in a wrestling match early in the season, and was out for half the season.

The injured knee is now healed, Pizzuto said.

After winning the consolation match, Wiseman said he’s determined to go to Columbus and place in the statement tournament.

“It’s fun,” added Wiseman, who said he started wrestling at age five.

While he’s proud of his three state qualifiers, Tomaino said he was most involved in the match involving another wrestler — his son, Alex, who competed in the 135-pound division.

Alex Tomaino, a junior, came close to qualifying for the state tournament, but was eliminated in a triple-overtime match by Justin Petersheim of Wayne.

“I stay calm for all my wrestlers’ matches, but you can’t do it when your son wrestles,” Tomaino said. “You get the stomach swirls in there when your son wrestles.”

After winning 5-1 in his consolation round bout, Jacob Carpenter of Girard said, “I feel great!”

“I made some mistakes, but I won,” Carpenter added.

Carpenter was leading only 1-0 in the final round, but took a commanding lead when he threw his opponent to the mat. Carpenter’s opponent, Drew Liechty of Fairview, appeared to be injured and the match was stopped briefly while a tournament medical aide examined Liechty.

“I was just being aggressive,” Carpenter said.

“It’s exciting,” said Girard wrestling coach Jim Cardiero about this week’s trip to the state championships. “You work hard to get to the district tournament, then you’re back to square one at state.”