wrestling roundup Final news & notes

DIVISION I

Austintown Fitch, Boardman: Boardman’s Mario Graziani wrestled Fitch’s Adam Green for the fourth time this season in the seventh-place match. Graziani stayed perfect against Green this season with a 3-1 win. The pair last met in the district finals, where Graziani won, 4-3. Their matches have always been close affairs.

“When you go against someone you don’t know, you don’t know what they will hit. They don’t know what you will hit,” Graziani said. “After four times, you know exactly what (Green) is going to hit. It’s a feeling out process and who ever gets the two points seals the deal.”

Graziani held a 1-0 lead into the third period when he got the only takedown of the match. Green was able to score an escape to break the shutout, but ran out of time before he could tie the match.

“It’s hard wrestling a kid once, let alone four times in a row in four weeks. We knew where each other was heading and basically it came down to a couple points,” Graziani said. “The back points sealed the deal for me.”

DIVISION II

Canfield: Jacob Esarco (220) took third place besting St. Paris Grahams Johnny Shafer, 3-1, and by pinning Ashland’s Tristen Weirich in 4:52.

“My goal was a state championship. I didn’t get that, so the next best thing was to get third,” Esarco said. “Having my last match be a win is something that I will remember.”

After dropping from the championship semis on Friday, both C.J. Frost (138) and David Crawford (160) won their initial consolation matches, but lost in the third-place match to finish in fourth place. Frost was pinned by Wapakoneta’s Tyler Copeland in 1:36. Crawford lost a 5-4 decision to Canal Fulton’s Kyle Myers. Crawford held a 3-2 lead with 29 seconds left in the match, but Myers rallied.

Dominic Cooper (182) finished the tournament in sixth place. He was sent to the fifth-place match by Mentor Lake Catholic’s John Szep in a 9-5 decision. St. Paris Graham’s Gage Braun shut out Cooper in the fifth place match.

DIVISION III

Pymatuning Valley: Gaige Willis (220), the Lakers’ only wrestler to ever place, lost to Rocky River Lutheran West’s James Handwerk in a 7-1 decision to finish as the state runner-up. He conceded a takedown in the first period and aggravated a rib injury he suffered earlier in the tournament. He then had new injuries on top of old ones.

“(The first takedown) dazed me a little bit since we bumped heads,” Willis said.

Willis did not concede any points in the second period, but it was apparent the injuries were getting to him and Handwerk took control of the match in the third. Lakers coach Dave Miller was proud of how Willis put his team on the wrestling map.

“It’s a big deal. As a coach you’re looking for that one guy that can be the breakthrough guy that will help elevate your program and try and get people to come out,” Miller said.

Brian Dzenis