The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
High school wrestling watch list
Wrestlers to watch
Jeff Brichford, Madison, senior: He was on the cusp of a Division I state berth last year, but settled for being a state alternate with a 38-7 record. Nate DeBoe, Mentor, junior: He went 39-13 last year and was a Division I state alternate. Alex Farenchak, Riverside, senior: He went 36-8 last year at 145 and was one win away from placing at the state tournament. The bar is set high. Kevon Freeman, Lake Catholic, senior: Freeman will go for a third straight state championship at 160 pounds after winning the 145-pound title last year with a 46-3 record. J.P. Hlifka, Hawken, junior: A Division III state qualifier last year, Hlifka will look to build on his 35-11 record and hopefully get to the state podium this year. Joe Koplow, Kenston, junior: He burst onto the scene last year with a 33-13 record. He’ll look to take the next step in his progression. Conor McCrone, Lake Catholic, junior: A fifth-place finisher at the state tournament as a 113-pounder as a sophomore, McCrone hopes to get even higher on the podium this year at 126. He was 30-9 last year. Nick Nastasi, Kenston, sophomore: He went 34-6 and was a Division state qualifier as a freshman. Now he’s up to 126 and has high goals. Sean O’Dwyer, University, junior: He did everything but get to the state tournament last year. As a 120-pound sophomore, he went 30-6, just short of his state berth.
Justin Rayner, Chagrin Falls, senior: He’s had a stellar career for Coach Victor Puskas’ program. He will look to cap it with a state berth after going 37-11last year.
Hunter Ryan, Lake Catholic, senior: A Cleveland State signee, Ryan was 3210 last year and was fourth at 120 in the state tournament. He’s still at 120 and is aiming for a state title.
Nick Sabin, Mentor, sophomore: A secondteam News-Herald all-star last year, he is coming off
a 40-10 season in which he was a Division I state alternate. Dominic Shelley, Mentor,
senior: Shelley suffered a knee injury in football season and missed the last dozen games of the season. But he’s back and is shooting for a state berth in wrestling. Tommy Ungrady, Mayfield, freshman: Probably the most heralded freshman in recent Mayfield program history, Ungrady is one of the top 126-pounders in the state. He’s a legit state title contender.
Pinning combination
No area wrestler was better at pinning his opponents last year than VASJ heavyweight Pat Sheridan. A Division III state tournament qualifier, Sheridan went 30-5 with 30 pins last year. That’s right — every win he recorded was by pin. Sheridan is back for his senior year and has goals of getting on the state podium. It’s safe to say if he realizes that goal, he will have pinned a slew of opponents again.
Injury front
Luke McKeon, a Lake Catholic senior, broke his hand recently and will miss a handful of weeks to start the season. The bad news is McKeon will be out of action until at least Christmas. The good news is when he returns, he should be physically fresh to face the rigors for the rest of the season. As a junior, McKeon was 35-16 and was a Division II state qualifier for the second time in his high school career.
Dates to remember
The target dates for wrestling teams are consistent — the state dual-meet tournament and the individual state tournament. The dual-meet tournament will begin Jan. 24 with regional quarterfinals. The regional final round (where state berths are earned) will be Jan. 31. The top teams in the state will then gather at St. John Arena in Columbus for the state dual tournament on Sunday, Feb. 11. The individual state tournament is slated for March 8-10 at Ohio State’s Jerome Schottenstein Center.
Tournament talk
First off, those looking forward to the annual Mentor Meatgrinder Division I district tournament will have to wait until next year. This year’s Division I district tournaments will be at North Canton Hoover and Perrysburg. The tournament rotates back to Mentor next year. Divisional assignments for the sectional and districts are as follows: • In Division I (enrollment of 370 or more), Kenston will be at the sectional it hosts. At the South sectional will be Brush, Euclid, Madison, Mayfield, Mentor, North, South, Riverside. All local Division I teams funnel into the North Canton Hoover District. • In Division II (enrollment 200-369), Benedictine will be at the Bay sectional, while Chagrin Falls and University will be at the St. Vincent-St. Mary Sectional. The rest of the Division II teams — Chardon, Geneva, Harvey, Lake Catholic, NDCL, Perry and West Geauga — will be at the Lake Catholic Sectional. All local Division II teams advance to the Alliance District • In Division III (enrollment 199 and lower), VASJ will be at the Independence Sectional. The remaining Division III teams — Beachwood, Berkshire, Cardinal, Hawken, Kirtland, Newbury, Wickliffe - will be at the Beachwood sectional. As usual, the Division III district is held at Garfield Heights.
An early glimpse
The first weekend of wrestling action is already in the books. Here are a few highlights: • Two area wrestlers were crowned champions at the Hawken Invitational Tournament — Hawken’s J.P. Hlifka at 120 pounds and Newbury’s Mike Weston at 145 pounds. Pymatuning Valley took home to team title with 234 points. Top area teams were Newbury (125) in fourth place and Benedictine (112.5) in fifth place. • Lake Catholic (146.5) placed second and Kenston (79) placed 11th as the top finishers in the annual Solon Comet Classic. Conor McCrone finished first at 126 pounds and Kevon Freeman finished first at 160 pounds. Kenston’s top finishers were Nick Nastasi (second at 126) and Joe Koplow (second at 160). Also winning an individual title was Riverside’s Alex Farenchak (152).