Valley wrestlers off to good start in Columbus

March 8, 2019 at 12:08a.m.

Stein, DelGarbino

among winners

By ERIC MAUK

COLUMBUS

Fourteen area athletes earned the right to go to bed Thursday night with dreams of a state wrestling title in their heads, having secured tickets to the second day of the Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships with first-round wins.

Six of the winners were district title winners, including defending state champions Tyler Stein (220) from Canfield and Jack DelGarbino (285) of Girard, but more than half of those entertaining title hopes tonight came from a little deeper in the bracket. But no matter where the wins come from, each of those 14 victories buys local wrestlers some breathing room for today’s action at the Schottenstein Center.

“A first-round win really gets the nerves out,” DelGarbino said after dispatching his opening foe. “Now you can go back to hotel, stretch out, eat the right things and get ready to go tomorrow.”

Canfield paced area schools with five first-round wins, placing them sixth in the Division II standings with 14.5 points. Sophomore Nick Barber got things started for the Cardinals with a tight 2-1 win over Springfield Shawnee’s Kaleb Reem, setting the table for a late-round run from Ben Cutrer (170), Anthony D’Alesio (182), Nick Crawford (195) and Stein (220).

“Every day we go beat each other up in the practice room,” Stein said after dominating Greenfield McClain’s Kade Rawlins 15-3. “We work hard together and our whole focus is getting better for each upcoming competition whether it’s a league match, sectionals or state. We always push each other up, but we kick the crap out of each other too.”

Crawford echoed Stein’s sentiments, crediting the intensity of the wrestling room for giving him the power to hold off a tough Terion Stewart from Sandusky in a hard-fought 3-2 win.

“It’s ridiculous,” Crawford grinned. “David [Reinhart], Ben, Anthony, Tyler, we go at each other every day. It’s a dog pound in there and it makes you better.”

But while there is strength in numbers, DelGarbino flew a successful solo mission for Girard Thursday in decking Jacob Jackson of Toledo Central Catholic with a 57-second pin for his 75th consecutive victory.

“I tried to get a quick takedown, and got his arm and turned that into a technical cradle and ran it over on him,” said the Girard senior. “I just have to get ready now for the next round and keep advancing.”

Beaver Local sent a school-record eight wrestlers to Columbus this year but it was a trio of underclassmen who stepped forward Thursday. Freshman Mark Emmerling (113) and district champ Logan Ours (120) earned victories, as did junior Cole McComas (126), who is looking for his third consecutive trip to the state podium.

Emmerling had perhaps the biggest upset of the first round, stopping district champion Branton Dawes of Washington Courthouse in a 7-6 nailbiter. Ours needed just 80 seconds to pin Mentor Lake Catholic’s Anthony Trivisonno, while McComas earned a 5-2 victory over the higher-ranked Chris Kelly of perennial power St. Paris Graham.

“We knew we had to come in here and stay focused and bring our best effort,” McComas said. “We had some tough draws to face but we have a talented team and we worked hard.”

South Range earned a pair of opening-round wins in Division III as senior Kyle Keenan stopped Versailles’ Jacob Poling 9-2 at 126 and district champion Anthony Czap came from behind to beat Dylan Sargent of Columbus Grove 6-5.

Columbiana’s Nathan Whitehead needed just 60 seconds to claim his first state tournament victory, stopping Liberty Union’s Casey Fleahman, while in Division I action Austintown Fitch senior Gus Sutton moved on with a 4-1 win over Mason Kleinberg of Springboro at 138.

Boardman senior Michael O’Horo punctuated the first-round action with a strong performance, trouncing Lakewood’s St. Edward’s Michael Garcar 19-2 at 170.

Ten local grapplers overcame first-round losses to claim consolation-round victories, earning the chance to return this morning to continue the battle for a coveted state medal.

Wrestling resumes at 10 a.m., with the championship quarterfinals beginning at 6:30 p.m.