The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Final day of the state wrestling tournament
The state wrestling tournament rounded out on March 9, and Fuad Shalhout was there to cover all the action in Columbus. See how area wrestlers fared and who placed in this year’s tournament.
Beside powerhouse Elyria and Avon heavyweight Jack Roesch, The Morning Journal coverage area had a strong showing at the OHSAA state tournament on March 9.
Cover finishes strong
Bay senior Matt Cover (195) finished in third place after a 8-1 decision over Louisville’s Brent Paulus. He won in the consolation semifinal beating Spring Northwestern’s Nathan Snyder in a 9-1 major decision. It was the second-straight season Cover finished third and is a two-time Freestyle National All-American. After the projected state champion and Princeton commit fell in the semifinal, he had to mentally bounce back — and did. “I knew coming into today I only had two matches left in my career,” Cover said. “I wasn’t going to let that hold me back. My focus was stay aggressive, score points. I haven’t really thought about what I’ve accomplished, but it’s cool to look back now at what I’ve done. Other kids can now shoot for something now. These four years have been amazing wrestling with my dad (Ryan Cover) and now it’s just getting ready for the next step.”
Avon placers
Eagles junior Jordan Greer (195) placed fourth after dropping a 5-2 decision to Brecksville-Broadview Heights’ Ethan Hatcher. He won his consolation semifinal match, 8-1, over Harrison’s Max Boyle. Greer had a dominant season overall as the No. 5 state-ranked wrestler and has set himself up for a dominant senior season. “It’s not what I wanted, I wanted that state title but at the same time I’m happy with what I got,” Greer said. “I was poised the whole way through and I was here for the experience. I think I have a good chance to go for a state title.” Sophomore Cael Saxton finished in eighth place after dropping a 5-3 sudden victory to St. Ignatius’ Johnny Novak. He also lost his consolation semifinal match, 5-2, in an ultimate tiebreaker to Dublin Scioto’s Dylan Le. The future is bright for Saxton, who should continue to climb up the state ladder the next two years. “It’s nice being a state placer,” Saxton said. “It’s good for experience and not everyone ends on a happy note. I’m already thinking about the next step because I’m not happy with how my season has ended.”
Bucknavich shines
Midview junior Daniel Bucknavich (285) finished in fifth place after pinning Cincinnati LaSalle’s Robert Brown in 1:26. He bounced back from a consolation semifinal loss to Cincinnati Anderson’s Kevin Stone getting pinned (1:09). Bucknavich picked up Solon, Medina, Bill Dies Memorial, Southwestern Conference and District titles along the way, and will position himself as one of the favorites to win next year’s state title. “It feels good to win the last match,” Bucknavich said. “In the first match I was pretty overwhelmed and seeing all the competition. I’ve thought I already had a bull’s-eye on my back the whole season, so it was no big deal. They can’t beat me.”
Burgdorf one ups
The motivation for Firelands junior Payton Burgdorf (120) was to at the very least do better than last season. He did, taking fifth in Division II after a sixth placer finish last year at 106 pounds. Burdgorf’s opponent, Lisbon Beaver’s Logan Ours, forfeited the fifth place match. This was after losing a close 6-4 consolation semifinal match to Goshen’s Josh Dunn. He is a three-time state placer, something no one at Firelands has done. Now the next motivation is a state title. “Being a three-time state placer is a lot of kids’ goals, but it’s not my highest goal,” Burgdorf said. “I still need to work to improve to ultimately achieve my top goal. I’m going to try and make it out and do freestyle and Greco all summer.”
Watson finishes 8th
Lutheran West senior Parker Watson (138) finished in eighth place after injury defaulting his match. Watson sprained his knee the day before and finishes as a two-time state placer, taking fourth last year at 132 pounds. He is committed to Ohio State.