Elyria wins again, crowns 8 champions

Because of Elyria’s dominance over the past several seasons, cruising through the Greater Cleveland Conference tournament has become a bit ho hum. On Feb. 15 at Euclid, they displayed their dominance again, claiming the title (253) over Brunswick (143) for their fourthstraight GCC title and fifthstraight conference title overall. It marked the largest win differential in program history and tied a program record with eight champions. Two-time GCC winners included Colin Noel (113), Dylan Shawver (126), Mick Burnett (132), Jake Evans (170), and Drew Levis (220). First-time winners included Peyton Fenton (106), Matt Zuckerman (145), and Enrique Munguia (152). “It was a weird week on a short week, so I thought the kids did a nice job,” Elyria coach Erik Burnett said. “They’ve got to work hard and work smart. In this tournament there is really tough competition and our guys had to step it up.” Shawver, ranked No. 1, had the biggest spotlight match of the night going against No. 5-ranked Logan Heil of Brunswick.

Shawver beat him, 7-6, in overtime. Last season, Heil beat Shawver in the GCC title match, 10-4. Last month, Shawver beat Heil, 6-3, in a dual match. These two already have a long history. “I beat him at our dual so I just wanted to do what I did last time and keep the pace,” Shawver said. “He changed up his wrestling style from last time and stayed on his knees and pretty much knew everything I was going for. So I switched my style up a bit too. This win shows how hard I’ve been working.” Zuckerman topped Strongsville’s Ben Blickle in a 18-3 tech fall. It was Zuckerman’s first conference title and a huge contrast from his prior match with Blickle where he needed a last second takedown in overtime to beat him last month. “I wrestled him last time when I was sick,” Zuckerman said. “A lot of kids here thought it would be a close match again, so I just went out there to make a statement to show that it’s not always going to be a close match. Being a three-time state qualifier is good but I’ve never won conference until now. To think I’m a three-time state qualifier and state placer and never a conference champ is something you don’t see a lot, so it feels good to finally get it.” Noel won back-to-back GCC titles after pinning Shaker Heights’ Toriano Houston (5:02) and has platooned in and out of Elyria’s starting lineup the past two years. “I like wrestling both on varsity and varsity B because I get to go down to state duals and have fun,” Noel said. “And when they slid me in for Maumee Bay and took sixth I felt good about myself. I usually am a 106-pounder but I bumped to 113 for Maumee Bay because they needed a guy there and I scored team points. This is a great win and I feel good about myself and this season.” The No. 5-ranked freshman Fenton beat No. 11-ranked senior CJ Bell of Solon, 4-2, in a matchup between two of the premier 106-pounders. “It builds me up confidence wise,” Fenton said. “My mindset is every kid is good and there are no bad kids in high school. This means a lot.” Elyria will have bigger fish to fry moving forward as it prepares for the Division I Westlake sectional tournament and Coach Burnett’s lineup will be in tact. “Knock on wood, hopefully guys stay healthy,” Burnett added. “We’re looking forward to the postseason.” • Levis picked up his 100th career win in the finals when he beat Euclid’s La’Ron Parks in a 6-3 decision.