Junior high wrestlers from across Ohio take over Covelli

March 9, 2014 at 12:05a.m.

Youngstown

More than 2,900 wrestlers statewide participated in the 16th annual Ohio Athletic Committee’s Junior High Wrestling Tournament.

Eight-hundred-thirty-six of those from eight districts advanced to this weekend’s competition at the Covelli Centre.

Competition continues today.

“We are very excited to bring this event to Youngstown,” Jared Opfer, OAC executive director, said Saturday. “The Mahoning County Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as Covelli Centre and its staff have been very helpful in assisting us the past four years.

“Everything from hotel accommodations to concessions to the facility has been top-notch. It’s an exciting time for wrestling in the Mahoning Valley.”

Among area representation are a seven-player contingent from the Austintown Middle School; 10 wrestlers from the Canfield Wrestling Club’ and three players from Howland’s wrestling club.

Brett Powell, Austintown Fitch head wrestling coach the past 29 years and architect of 253 career victories, assists the AMS coaching staff.

“We have seven wrestlers competing this year compared to just one last year so we’re pleased with that number,” Powell said. “You never know what to expect because luck of the draw has a lot to do with everything.”

Brock Kimble, a seventh-grader at Austintown Middle School, has been wrestling for three years, each year entering this event.

In 2012, his first year of competitive wrestling, he was crowned state champion. Last year, he finished fourth at 180 pounds.

He’s hoping to return to the awards podium this year.

“The older I get the harder I have to work because competition gets that much tougher,” Kimble said. “I don’t look at the brackets, preferring to just go out and wrestle my best and hope that is good enough.

“I just want to place and get back to the podium on Sunday.”

Frank Giordano, AMS head coach, called youth wrestling programs the key to whether or not you have a successful scholastic program.

“A wrestler needs to get in a couple hundred matches at the youth level in order to be competitive at the junior high championships and beyond,” Giordano said. “It starts with the youth program as you get to see them evolve with the goal success at the high school level.

“It’s a pipeline.”

Donovan Jones, a sixth-grade student at AMC, advanced to today’s competition while Mike Feree, winner in his first match at 154 pounds, called the competition quite an experience.

“I was nervous at first but settled down and felt like I wrestled well after that,” Feree said. “There are many great wrestlers from all over the state so you have to be at the top of your game if you expect to win.”

Dave Crawford, Canfield Wrestling Club head coach, said the tournament attracts the top wrestling talent in Ohio.

“We have 10 wrestlers registered and it’s simply a bear of a tournament,” Crawford said. “In high school, there are three divisions, but here everyone is lumped into one big division.

“You might wrestle someone now and never see them again in high school,” Crawford said. “If you do well here, chances are that you’ll do well the next four years at the high school level.

“A prime example is Giorgio Poullas, who finished third here as an eighth grader and placed sixth in Division II last week at the state tournament.”

The Green Machine, also Austintown-based with Boardman Spartans coach Dom Mancini as its coach, boasts 60 members.

“Between the lower and upper level age groups we’ll have 10 wrestlers competing this weekend,” Mancini said. “It’s a competition that brings out the best in everyone.”

At 126 pounds, John Fleet and Karl Nail are Boardman natives who will wrestle for Mancini’s Spartans next year.

“Both John and Karl have been in the program from youth to middle school and they are hoping to win a couple of matches,” Mancini said. “If they do that against this type of competition,

then they have had an excellent tournament.”

Bill Beesom of the Howland Wrestling Club called the competition a great experience for everyone, including son Dylan, who wrestled at 114 pounds.

“You put kids in a big setting like this in order to get them valuable experience,” Beesom said. “We’re fortunate that the OAC stages this type of event for the lower age groups.”

Competition gets under way today at 8 a.m. The Parade of Champions is set to take place at 4:30 p.m.

Finals will start at 5 p.m. for 144 state qualifiers as they crown 18 state champions. The top eight in each category earn All-Ohio status.