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DIVISION III EOWL CHAMPIONS Wrestlers win first-ever team title
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Photos courtesy of Audi Photography.The Poland wrestling team show off their championship trophy after winning the Division III EOWL tournament championship last weekend. It was the wrestling program's first-ever team championship.
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Poland's A.J. Shields competes against Pymatuning Valley's Zach Campbell during their 132-pound match at the EOWL tournament last weekend.
The Poland High School athletic trophy case is packed with hardware won by the football team, both basketball squads, runners, the volleyball team and the girls golf program. After the performance by the school’s wrestling team last weekend, school officials will need to make room for one more trophy.
In only its second year of existence, the Bulldogs wrestling program secured its first-ever team championship after winning the Division III title at last weekend’s EOWL tournament at Fitch High.
The milestone is one that seemed far off for a wrestling program that only burst on the scene in 2010. Prior to that, Poland was only represented at meets by a few individual wrestlers, who had to practice with other area teams, including Boardman and Canfield.
Those athletes included Max and Ben Pearce, who were both district qualifiers for Poland. In 2005, Max advanced to the state tournament and placed fifth at 125 pounds. Three years later, Ben qualified for state at 145 pounds.
With that foundation set, Tony Stellato, a former coach at Alliance and state qualifier at Boardman in 2002, accepted the challenge of building the Poland wrestling program. He fielded almost a full lineup in the first season (2010) and started to build momentum.
This season, things took off. The Bulldogs have beaten some of the Valley’s top programs in dual matches, which served as a precursor for last weekend’s success at the league tournament.
“This is the first trophy to go in our case, and hopefully the first of many,” said Stellato. “I think this will be something this program can build on in the future. We knew we were capable, but it wasn’t going to be handed us and the kids produced the result. We had some big wins that handed us our first title.”
Poland won the championship without producing a single individual champion — a testament to the squad’s depth and ability to score bonus points.
The Bulldogs were sparked by a second-place finish from A.J. Shields in the 132-pound weight class. Shields advanced to the championship match after winning a thrilling overtime semifinal match against Fitch’s Alex Mackall.
Tad Duran matched his teammate’s runner-up finish by taking second in the 120-pound bracket. He moved into the finals after beating West Branch’s D.J. Anderson in the semis.
Mike Audi showed his mettle by rallying through the 160-pound consolation bracket to finish third. On Friday, he lost in the quarterfinals to West Branch’s William Paynter. But on Saturday night, Audi met him again in the third-place bout and triumphed.
Freshman Anthony Mancini (138) started the tournament on Friday with a 6-5 upset victory over No. 1 seed and returning state qualifier Jacob Carpenter (Girard). In the match, Mancini opened with a 6-1 lead and held on for the win and a trip to the semifinals. He ultimately lost in the semis, but later finished fifth.
Bruno Spotleson rounded out Poland’s title run by taking sixth at 126 pounds.
“The kids are starting to peak at just the right time,” said Stellato. “We had an outstanding EOWL performance and I believe the best is yet to come. The team is wrestling with confidence and has something to prove. They have been preparing for this time of the year all season and now it’s time.”
Poland will look to maintain its momentum next weekend when it heads to West Branch to compete in the Division II sectional tournament. The top four in each weight class will advance to districts the following weekend.