Wrestling tournament set

Staff report

Salem

Tonight’s finals in the 2011 Eastern Ohio Wrestling League tournament are shaping up to be one of the more exciting events in recent years.

Three highly-anticipated match-ups are on track for the finals at Salem High. The finals begin at 6 p.m. at John A. Cabas Gymnasium.

In the 119-pound weight class, Boardman’s John Dillon and Jackson-Milton’s Vinnie Pizzuto each advanced in the championship bracket and are expected to face off for the EOWL title. Dillon won an EOWL title last season .The junior finished fourth at last year’s state tourney and third as a freshman in 2009.

Pizzuto is also a two-time state placer after taking sixth last year and fourth in 2009 at the Division III state tournament.

“All year, John has been wrestling at 125 pounds, but we thought he would drop to 119, so that’s what he did this week,” said Boardman coach Dom Mancini. “We encouraged him to drop sooner, but he never lost a match at 125 and there was no hurry in dropping.”

The 125-pound EOWL final could pit Jackson-Milton’s Tim Wiseman against Beaver Local’s Johnny McComas. Both placed at state in 2009, with Wiseman taking seventh in Division III and McComas finishing fifth in Division II.

Canfield’s Robbie Reed has wrestled at three different weight classes this season and chose to compete at 130 pounds for the league tourney. At EOWL, he is expected to meet Jackson-Milton’s Johnny Matacic in the 130-pound championship bout.

“It was a team decision,” said Canfield coach Dean Conley. “All year, he has been moved around in our lineup and has never asked me to put himself at a certain weight. He is unselfish, much like our whole group this year.”

Reed was a state alternate in 2010 after finishing fifth at the Division II Akron Firestone district tournament. Matacic is a two-time state placer, including a state championship last year in Division III.