Canfield wrestlers fall in team duals

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The Canfield wrestling team lost to Lake Catholic in the team duals competition Wednesday night. The Cards will compete in the EOWL tournament this weekend.

The Canfield varsity wrestling team suffered its first defeat since before Christmas, falling Wednesday to Mentor Lake Catholic, 37-36 in Region 11 semifinal action of the OHSAA Team Dual Tournament.

Canfield (16-3) battled to overcome injuries which kept six starters out of the lineup. Like last week’s quarterfinal against Poland, the bout came down to final two matches. But this time, the Cards fell short.

In the other semifinal, top-seeded Perry edged West Branch, 34-33 and toppled Lake Catholic 39-25 to advance to meet Crestwood for the Region 11 championship and a trip to Columbus.

Canfield’s Kyle West got the match off to a good start when he pinned Lake Catholic’s Monahan at 1:13 of the first period for a 6-0 Canfield lead. Lake then got victories at 113, 120, 126, and 132 to pull to an 22-6 advantage.

Shaun Williams got Canfield back on the board by decking Jeff King in the waning moments of the second period. Brian Batton pulled Canfield to within four when he pinned Joe Szep early in the second.

Victories at 152 and 160 gave Lake Catholic a 31-18 lead. Canfield pulled to within one point when John Poullas won a hard-fought 6-5 decision over Kaz Struna at 170,

Hayden Smith won by pin at 182 and Sam Conner’s 3-1 win over Joe Brace made it 31-30. But Lake Catholic won the pivotal bout at 220 with a pin by Jimmy Szep. Canfield’s Curtis Burn’s first period pin of Lake’s Marcus Desantis provided the final margin.

Canfield’s matmen return to action this weekend when they travel to Boardman to compete in the EOWL wrestling tournament. Canfield is a favorite for the team title, along with defending champ Howland and West Branch.