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Whisler looks to leave mark at Howland Invitational
By Curtis Pulliam
Howland
David Brian Whisler has high hopes for Saturday’s 54th Howland Invitational.
“I plan on winning it again,” Whisler said. “This would be the third year in a row.”
The last two years Whisler has won the 152 weight class at the second-oldest wrestling tournament in the state.
However after a grueling season of trying to cut weight he decided it would be best to compete at 170.
“I wrestled at 170 all summer at the national tournaments,” Whisler said. “I feel I’ve been doing great at it and had no problems at all.”
The Howland Invitational includes local teams in Girard and Brookfield. Others are Ashtabula Lakeside, Geneva, Painesville Harvey, Eastlake North, Northwestern (Pa.) and Cranberry (Pa.). Matches start at 10 a.m.
Whisler is aware of how big Saturday’s meet is to the program.
“It’s always exciting to wrestle at the Invitational,” Whisler said. “It has so much history behind it. It’s nice to get up and wrestle in front of our fans.”
The Howland senior knows it is critical for underclassmen to participate in the event.
“A lot of the younger kids are excited for it,” Whisler said. “I know it’s important for the younger kids that don’t usually get that much varsity feel at times.”
The Tigers are 0-1 in dual meets this season but have participated in a number of tournaments. Their best finish came at the Nationwide Invitational in Lorain.
The Tigers finished second to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary.
Even though the Tigers are winless in dual meets so far, head coach Matt Zakrajsek likes what he sees from his team.
“We’re are improving week to week,” Zakrajsek said. “We have a relatively young team in most of the weight classes. They have been getting more comfortable with themselves in the wrestling match.”
Zakrajsek says the underclassmen are improving with experience.
“The kids are opening up more and trying new things and being the aggressor,” Zakrajsek said. “That’s really starting [to show] in the second half of the season.”
This is Zakrajsek’s first year as head coach, but his seventh year coaching at Howland.
Zakrajsek is a Howland graduate and understands the community involvement in the tournament.
“A lot of people come back to watch the finals and help out in the tournament,” he said. “The tournament runs on volunteers. Our kids look forward to it, especially not having many events at home. To have a tournament this long-standing ... it means a lot to everyone involved.”
As one of only three home meets for the Tigers this season, Whisler is looking forward to it.
“We’re lucky to have this opportunity,” he said.
Zakrajsek hopes his squad can remain focused on Saturday.
“Winning the tournament is always the cherry on top,” Zakrajsek said. “But we need to take everything one match at a time.”