High school sectional wrestling capsules

DIVISION I SOUTH

What: Division I sectional at Willoughby South When: 10 a.m. Feb. 24, with a 20-minute break prior to the finals Teams: Brush, Cleveland Heights, Euclid, John Adams, Lakeside, Madison, Mayfield, Mentor, North, Riverside, South On deck: Top four in each weight class advance to the North Canton District. For the record: Mentor should be the overwhelming favorite to win the team title, with Madison, Mayfield and Riverside all in the running for the second slot. Among Mentor’s top performers are Nick Sabin (31-8 at 113), Nate DeBoe (33-12 at 126) and Connor DeBoe (36-11 at 132 . ... Riverside 160-pounder Alex Farenchak (28-1) might be the top pound-for-pound wrestler in the tournament . ... South’s Eli Serikbaev (32-8 at 182) is a first-year wrestler, but hasn’t performed like a rookie . ... Madison’s Jeff Brichford (29-5 at 132) will likely face Mentor’s Connor DeBoe in a highly anticipated sectional final.

DIVISION I KENSTON

What: Division I sectional at Kenston When: 10 a.m. Feb. 24, with finals beginning at 3:30 p.m. Teams: Bedford, Hudson, Kenston, Maple Heights, Nordonia, Shaker Heights, Solon, Stow, Twinsburg, Kent Roosevelt, Walsh Jesuit On deck: Top four in each weight class advance to the North Canton District. For the record: The only News-Herald area team in this section is the host Kenston Bombers. It’s a much more difficult path to the district tournament than the path at Willoughby South. The Bombers’ best bets are sophomore Nick Nastasi at 126 and junior Joe Koplow at 160.

DIVISION II LAKE CATHOLIC

What: Division II sectional at Lake Catholic When: 9 a.m. Feb. 24. A 30-minute break before finals. Estimated finals start is 3:30-4 p.m. Teams: Chardon, Conneaut, Edgewood, Geneva, Glenville, Harvey, Jefferson, Lake Catholic, NDCL, Perry, Shaw, West Geauga On deck: Top four in each weight class advance to the Alliance District For the record: The Lake Catholic Cougars are the extraordinarily heavy favorite to win the team title here after placing second in the Division II state duals. Don’t be surprised if up to 12 — or more — Cougars advance to the Alliance district, including returning state qualifiers Hunter Ryan (31-7 at 120), Conor McCrone (28-7 at 126), Luke McKeon (16-8 at 152) and Kevon Freeman (34-5 at 160) . ... Geneva is probably the second-best team in the tournament primarily based on being able to fill all weight classes. Aidan Cardaman and Johnny Wayslaw are a pair of Eagles to watch . ... Perry is strong in lower weights, particularly Kyle Rowan (39-3 at 106), Colin Koenig (29-12 at 113) and Zach Berdysz (30-15 at 152) . ... Chardon has a few high-placers in Jake Hamulak (34-7 at 113) and Sam Eldridge (30-8 at 182)

DIVISION II SVSM

What: Division II sectional at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary When: 9 a.m. Feb. 24. Finals scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Teams: Aurora, Akron Buchtel, Chagrin Falls, CVCA, Cleveland JFK, Orange, Richfield Revere, Akron SVSM, Streetsboro, University, Warrensville Heights, Peninsula Woodridge On deck: Top four in each weight class advance to the Alliance District For the record: Only two News-Herald area teams are in the St. Vincent-St. Mary sectional, which is brutal top-to-bottom compared to the D-II sectional at Lake Catholic. CVCA, Aurora and St. Vincent-St. Mary will all vie for the team title in what should be an entertaining final round. .. For Chagrin Falls, Justin Rayner looks to make it back to the Alliance District . ... University’s top performers are Joe Averill (120) and Sean O’Dwyer (145).

DIVISION III BEACHWOOD

What: Division III sectional at Beachwood When: 10 a.m. Feb. 24, with finals starting at 3 p.m. Teams: Beachwood, Berkshire, Brookfield, Cardinal, Garrettsville, Grand Valley, Hawken, Kirtland, Newbury, Pymatuning Valley, St. John, Wickliffe On deck: The top four in each weight class advance to the Garfield Heights district For the record: Seven of the 12 teams in this sectional are from The News-Herald area. Pymatuning Valley is the favorite to win the team title. Second place could go in any direction . ... Berkshire has a number of possibilities, including James Klingman (29-11 at 106) and Jimmy McClellan (10-1 at 160). ... Hawken’s Jake Reineke (26-3 at 113) and J.P. Hlifka (29-4 at 120) are standouts. ... Newbury’s strong up top with Mitch Sanders (27-7 at 195) and Mike McKale (23-8 at 170), and could be in the running to place second as a team . ... Expect a lot of district qualifiers here. The question is how many can then survive the Garfield Heights District.

DIVISION III INDEPENDENCE

What: Division III sectional at Independence When: 10 a.m. Feb. 24, with finals at 6 p.m. Teams: Black River, Brooklyn, Clearview, Columbia, Cuyahoga Heights, Elyria Catholic, Independence, Lutheran West, Manchester, Mogadore, Oberlin, Trinity, VASJ, Wellington On deck: Top four in each weight class advance to the Garfield Heights District For the record: The only area representative here is VASJ. The Vikings have the potential for multiple district qualifiers, two of which are considered threats to win individual championships — heavyweight Pat Sheridan (31-2) and King Seyou (32-6 at 138).