Nine Canfield wrestlers qualify for district meet

March 1, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

BELOIT

Canfield will send nine wrestlers to the district tournament March 6-7 at Alliance High School.

With five individual champions crowned during Saturday’s Division II sectional at West Branch High School, it’s easy to understand why the Cardinals walked off with top team honors.

Marlington, which qualified eight individuals, placed second while host West Branch and Crestwood were the other two squads in the 11-team field to qualify at least seven.

It was Canfield’s third sectional title and second in a row under head coach Dean Conley, now in his 16th season.

“We battled really hard in a very tough sectional — a sectional that I feel is one of the toughest in the entire state. I am fortunate to be associated with three sectional champions and all were very special because each was earned,” Conley said. “I told our kids that rankings mean absolutely nothing because you have to earn everything and that is exactly what happened today.”

Canfield’s individual winners were Matthew Cardello (106 pounds), Georgio Poullas (126), David Crawford (152), Jaret Bunch (195) and Jacob Esarco (220).

Cardello (27-4) decisioned Alec Schopfer of West Branch, 11-7, for his 11th consecutive win while Poullas was a 5-0 winner over Cory Simpson of Field.

“I was up 9-5 in the third period and got a little sloppy,” Cardello said. “I relaxed and took a break, which you should never do and he registered two points to pull to within 9-7.”

Crawford, a freshman, pinned Kristian Jackson of Alliance at 4:51 to improve to 37-11 on the season.

“He [Jackson] placed at state last year and it was scoreless after one period, so I was just thinking that I had better stick to my stuff and wrestle my match,” Crawford said.

Esarco, a state alternate last year, pinned Stephen Cox of Crestwood at 2:34 to improve to 29-2.

“I was disappointed to be an alternate last year so my goal this year is to place at state,” Esarco said.

Howland’s David-Brian Whisler (33-2) pinned Duce Johnson of Alliance at 3:51 for his win at 170 pounds while teammate and cousin Jordan Radich, who dealt Salem’s Jesse Slocum (35-1) his only loss at the recent EOWL championships, fell to Slocum, 6-4.

For Whisler, the only thing missing from his already impressive resume is a state title. He’s reminded of that goal by a piece of tape that says “State Champ,” which is place over his bedroom mirror at home.

“When sectionals begin the countdown starts at 12,” Whisler said. “With four matches out of the way this weekend, that leaves just eight more wins in order to be a state champion.”

Slocum, a state alternate last year due to a broken right ankle, is looking for his first official trip to Columbus.

“I picked up my conditioning last week and broke down that loss more than once,” he said. “I’m not just looking to make it to state, I want to place, so I must remain humble and mentally tough in order for that to happen.”

West Branch’s Mason Hughes (30-5) was involved in arguably the tightest match of the night, scoring a 4-3 decision over Marlington’s Tony Rupert.

He posted the final point of the match with just eight seconds remaining in regulation.

“He [Rupert] tied the match with 17 seconds left, but I still felt like there was plenty of time in order to win the match. I went to a fake gramby, into a power stand up and then a cut away,” he stated.

Poland’s Dante Ginnetti posted a 7-5, overtime decision over Crestwood’s Jake Ondash. West Branch’s Ian Sharp improved to 31-3 with a 4-1 win over Howland’s Mike Bell at 285 pounds.