Mahoning commissioners award $6,000 to sponsor state wrestling championships

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning County commissioners approved this morning the award of a $6,000 sponsorship grant from the county’s hotel and motel bed tax revenues to the Ohio Athletic Committee for its junior high and grade school state wrestling championships.

The junior high school age event will be March 12 and 13, and the grade school event will be March 19 and 20, 2016, at the Covelli Centre in downtown Youngstown, where the committee is under contract to hold the annual event through 2017.

The OAC has held the championships every year since 2011 at the Covelli Centre, whose arena can accommodate 10 simultaneous wrestling matches.

In March 2015, there were 820 junior high school age wrestlers, with a total attendance of 7,100 people, including the wrestlers, during that event weekend.

In March 2015, there were 1,200 grade school wrestlers, with a total attendance of 9,900 people, including wrestlers, during that event weekend.

“We’re happy to work with this group to bring all these visitors to the area and we appreciate our local hotel partners, who also work closely with OAC to help secure lodging for the participants and their families,” said Linda Macala, county Convention and Visitors’ Bureau director.