The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Sheridan gets much-needed win
COLUMBUS » Pat Sheridan wasn’t ready to say goodbye to his high school wrestling career.
With his tournament life — and season’s life — on the line in the Division III state wrestling tournament on March 8, the heavyweight from Villa Angela-St. Joseph fought his way off his back and pinned Kain Brossia from Bloomdale Elmwood in the first round of consolations at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
Not only did the win advance Sheridan in the consolation bracket. It also broke an 0-3 record at the state tournament, something he said he needed before leaving high school.
Sheridan (42-4) advanced in the consolation bracket on March 9 against a yetto-be determined opponent.
He needs to win one more match to be a top-eight finisher on the awards podium.
“It was real important (to win),” Sheridan said. “I kept thinking all year about it. Running at night, running in the morning I thought about it, and how I wanted to get to the state tournament and show my stuff.”
A year ago in his maiden voyage to the state tournament, Sheridan lost twice by pin. When he opened his senior state tournament with an 11-8 loss to Coldwater’s Thomas Schwieterman, he knew he had only one more shot.
Brossia took an early lead with a takedown, and had Sheridan in a headlock on the cusp of near-fall points. But Sheridan turned the table for the pin.
“I was thinking, ‘He’s a strong boy,’” said Sheridan when asked his thoughts when Brossia picked him up and threw him to the mat early on. “I didn’t expect him to pick me up and slam me like that.”
As far as his Day 2 goals, Sheridan was short and sweet.
“Keep moving on and see what happens,” he said.
Of the area’s four-man contingent in the Division III tournament, Sheridan was the only to survive the first day.
Kirtland’s junior 120-pounder Konnor Duncan, a second-place finisher in the Garfield Heights district, went 0-2 and exited the tournament with a 2317 season record.
Hawken’s tandem of 113-pound Jackson Reineke and 120-pounder J.P. Hlifka both were ousted in two matches, also.
“To be a multi-state-qualifier was exciting,” said Hlifka, who qualified as a junior, too.
He finished his senior season 38-8.
“I wish it would have ended different, but that happens,” he said.
Twice Hlifka had a tight half-nelson in on Richmond Edison’s Hayden Johnson, but couldn’t convert. The second time he had it, his nose plug fell out — and blood started to gush from his nose, so action was stopped.
He never threatened again.
As for Hlifka’s sophomore drilling partner Reineke, he was hurting from his 0-2 state performance. But the 10th-grader finished 34-8 and counted his blessings.
“We’ve been drilling partners every practice for the last two years,” Reineke said of Hlifka. “I would not be here without J.P.”
He said he isn’t going to be a one-and-done.
“I will be down here the next two years — there’s no doubt in my mind,” he said.