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State Wrestling tournament | Final wrap-up
DIVISION I
Austintown Fitch: Gus Sutton (120) finished in sixth place after losing to St. Edward’s Bryce Andonian, 4-2. There was some controversy in the circumstances in him getting to the fifth-place match. In the consolation semis, Sutton was tied 1-1 with Oletangy Liberty’s Jordan Rosselli in overtime when the pair scrambled toward the edge of the mat. Sutton was charged with fleeing the mat and the winning point was given to Rosselli.
Fitch coach John Burd had some words for the referee after the match, but it didn’t rise to a level where his team was deducted points for questioning officials.
Andrew Fairbanks (138) got revenge against Cincinnati Elder’s Jake Meridieth with a 3-1 victory. Meredith pushed Fairbanks into the consolation bracket in the championship quarterfinals. The Fitch senior ends his high school career with 150 victories.
DIVISION II
Beaver Local: Only two wrestlers have defeated Beaver Local freshman Cole McComas (106) this season and both are state champions. On Saturday, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy’s Jacob Decatur defeated McComas 12-6.
“Compared to other kids, he was really quick with his shots,” McComas said. “He was so quick and hard to defend.”
McComas finishes the year 47-2. His only other loss was to Division III state champion Oscar Sanchez of Genoa.
“It’s been a crazy season. I’ve been working hard everyday and getting here was a goal I had,” McComas said. “I did what I wanted to do.”
Skyler Lasure (120) beat Akron Coventy’s Joe Wright, 1-0, to take seventh place.
Canfield: With a heavily bandaged face, freshman Anthony D’Alesio (152) took fourth place after losing to Akron Archbishop Hoban’s Quinton Kelly, 6-2. He made the third-place match with a 9-7 sudden victory against Mantua Crestwood’s Nick Vespucci. He wore black bandages covering his forehead, nose and is left eye in the consolation semifinal. D’Alesio is the highest-placing freshman in program history.
Defiance’s Robbie Bowers pinned Dominic Cooper (182) to knock him into the fifth-place match, but Cooper responded with a decisive 10-4 victory against Granville’s Mathieu Holt.
Girard: Jack DelGarbino (220) took fourth place. He made the third-place match after trailing 5-2 in the third period to Marengo Highlands’ Zach Baker and rallied for a 9-5 victory. He mounted another rally in the third-place match against Norwalk’s Abdullah Silmi, taking a 6-5 lead on a two-count with 20 seconds left. Silmi escaped to tie the match at the end of regulation. In overtime, Silmi won with the deciding takedown.
Howland: Brandon Matlock (285) took fourth. He got a 6-1 tiebreaker win against Warsaw River View’s Sam Mitchell to make the third-place match, but was pinned by Shelby’s Devin Williams.
West Branch: Christian Wayt (106) finished in fifth place after taking a 5-2 decision against Mount Orab Western Brown’s Jebidiah Marlow, 5-2. He dropped to the consolation semifinal to Oberlin Fireland’s Payton Burgdorf, 7-5, in a tiebreaker.