Elyria trio place at toughest tournament

Elyria remembers the sting of walking away empty handed at last year’s Walsh Jesuit Ironman tournament.

CUYAHOGA FALLS » Elyria remembers the sting of walking away empty handed at last year’s Walsh Jesuit Ironman tournament.

The Pioneers made amends on Dec. 8 placing three wrestlers — Dylan Shawver (126 pounds), Mick Burnett (132) and Jake Evans (170). The Pioneers took 10th overall (71 points), their secondhighest finish (eighth in 2014). Blair Academy (New Jersey) won the title (276.5).

Shawver, ranked No. 1 in the state, put forth a strong showing taking fifth, topping Drew Munch (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) in an 8-2 decision in the fifth place match.

Along the way, he picked up a win over Dylan Ragusin (Montini Catholic) in a 1:46 pin in the consolation semifinals.

Ragusin is a United World Wrestling Cadet Greco-Roman world teamer, Ironman placer and Fargo Jr. Freestyle All-American.

This was the only tournament Shawver had never placed at until now.

“My freshman and sophomore year I came here and it didn’t go as planned,” Shawver said. “There were bad memories I exorcised this weekend. My offense worked and I kept the pace going, and never stopped moving. Finishing 10th as a team shows that we’ve improved since last year and we’ve wanted it more. We need to keep improving into state.”

Burnett, ranked No. 1 in the state, placed sixth after dropping to Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary) in a 3-2 decision.

In the consolation semis, he lost a 7-3 decision to CVCA’s Jordan Decatur, who is ranked No. 1 in the nation.

However, his wins included victories over Division II finalist Nick Moore (Graham) in a 3-1 decision to place and Henry Porter (Oakdale, Calif.) in a 2-1 decision.

“You always want to win your last match. But I’m sure when I look back and reflect it will be a nice accomplishment,” Burnett said. “I had close matches with some of the best wrestlers in the country. Beating Nick Moore meant a lot, a guy I’ll be competing with this year and next year. I think we made a statement for not only me but for Elyria that we’re good enough to be a top 10 team. Especially with what we’ve been through the last couple weeks, it’s crazy how we’ve really come together as a team.”

Evans went 0-2 last year at Ironman and was one match away from placing at the Division I state tournament.

He finished seventh overall after beating Blake Hopson (Park Hill, Mo.) in a 3-0 decision.

Evans is primed for a big sophomore season.

“These two days have been great,” he said. “From going 0-2 last year to placing seventh this year, it’s an amazing feeling. It’s a huge tournament and all the great top kids are here. Some very good kids aren’t going to place. I’ve been pushing really hard and I was ranked only 10th, and I think I’ve proved that I’m not 10th and should be higher. I’m trying to get to the top. This for me is just the beginning and I want to keep going to the top.”

Head coach Erik Burnett, ultimately, wanted to see the Pioneers focus on themselves rather than someone else.

They did that, and now it’s about bottling up this experience and moving forward.

“The point of emphasis this year was getting guys ready to go,” Burnett said. “I think last year we had guys that were a little more concerned with weird things like bracketing or some guy’s second match. At this tournament, not everyone is nationally-ranked, but they are good. We had to come here with a purpose. Our team is good and our kids have had success on the cadet level. They are growing and they came in here and got tested. It’s good to go out and prove we belong at this level.”