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Fitch wrestlers have high hopes
Fitch’s wrestlers enter tournament with clearly defined goals and a first-year coach
By BRIAN DZENIS
AUSTINTOWN
A new face is leading the Austintown Fitch wrestling team in this weekend’s sectionals.
Since 1985, it was Brett Powell guiding the Falcons. He retired from coaching at the end of last season, amassing more than 250 victories in a 30-year career. First-year head coach John Burd is just the third head coach in the program’s history.
“I’ve been around this program basically since I was born,” Burd said. “Brett has taught me a lot. Now I’ve been able to use some of the things that Brett has taught me over the years with keeping these guys kind of weathering the storm through the ups and downs of the season to get ready for this point in the year.”
On Saturday, the Falcons are traveling to Kenston High as one of 12 schools competing there in a Divison I sectional. The other local schools joining Fitch are Boardman and Ashtabula Lakeside. In Division II, West Branch is hosting Canfield, Girard, Howland, Hubbard, Poland and Salem and Jefferson is at Canal Fulton Northwest. In Division III, Columbiana, Crestview, Jackson-Milton, Liberty, South Range, Southern and Wellsville are all competing at Rootstown. Brookfield, Grand Valley and Pymatuning Valley are heading to Beachwood High School.
Fitch (12-0, 14-1 in team play) is trying to end an individual state tournament drought. The Falcons haven’t had a wrestler stand at the podium since 2009. Burd figures that the best bets to stop that skid are 160-pound senior Adam Green (36-11), 132-pound junior Andrew Fairbanks (34-7) and 170-pound senior Isiah Jackson (33-13).
“We’ve put in the time,” Fairbanks said of the trio. “We’ve worked the hardest and we’re more put together.”
Last year, Green made it all the way to the state quarterfinals before bowing out with a 2-1 defeat. He wrestled most of the season at 152 before moving up to 160.
“It wasn’t a big problem because I was losing a lot of weight to get to my previous class. I still lose weight now, so it’s not that much of a change,” Green said. “I think my style kind of eliminates how 160s feel strength-wise to 152s.”
One of the biggest takeaways from that state defeat was that Green needed to just worry about getting the points rather than executing a big move, both the wrestler and his coach said. Green called that quarterfinal a match he should have won.
“I tried to do more than I should have. I should have just tied the match instead of winning the match,” Green said. “It’s important for me to just score points slowly, but surely as opposed to going for the big move because that’s not how I wrestle. It’s not my style and I need to remember that.”
Four of Fairbanks’ seven losses have come against the same wrestler, Massillon Perry’s Gary Define. The two won’t meet in Kenston, but there’s a decent chance Fairbanks will have to go through Define in the district tournament. All of those losses have come down to Fairbanks getting thrown off his game after a takedown.
“When I give up one, it usually changes my match,” Fairbanks said. “It changes how I wrestle and it messes with me. I don’t like being taken down.”
Fairbanks has made it out of sectionals twice in his career, taking third place both times.
“I want to improve. I definitely don’t want third again,” Fairbanks said.
Green is ranked No. 9, Fairbanks sits at No. 13 and Jackson is at No. 19 in the state rankings in their respective weight classes heading into Saturday. Dealing with the postseason atmosphere is old hat for the trio.
“It’s a little more stressful,” Jackson said. “You just have to be focused.”
Other highly ranked wrestlers to keep an eye on in D-I is Boardman’s Mario Graziani, who is just one spot higher than Green in the state rankings. In D-II, Canfield is loaded with the top-ranked 152-pounder, Georgio Poullas, No. 2 David Crawford at 160, No. 3 Jacob Esarco at 220 and No. 9 C.J. Frost at 145. For Poland, there’s No. 7 Anthony Audi at 170 and Salem boasts No. 8 Kade Byland at 160. At West Branch, there’s the No. 2 285-pounder Ian Sharp and No. 5 106-pounder Christian Wayt.
In D-III, Brookfield has the No. 7 220-pounder in Zach Hackett. Also sitting at No. 7 is Columbiana 195-pounder Caleb Rupert.