The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Lorain withdraws from state duals
Because of impetigo, a contagious skin infection, Lorain was forced to drop out of the state team dual tournaments. Fuad Shalhout’s notes.
The Lorain wrestling team got some bad news after learning that several of its wrestlers were diagnosed with impetigo.
According to WebMD, impetigo is a skin infection that causes red sores that can break open, ooze fluid, and develop a yellowbrown crust and is a contagious condition that can be spread through contact.
Because of this, the Titans withdrew from the OHSAA state team dual tournaments, which they were originally scheduled to compete at Wadsworth high school on Jan. 25.
“All of the wrestlers that showed signs have been treated,” Lorain athletic director Bryan Koury said via email.
“We have thoroughly sanitized our wrestling mats along with the locker room and adjoining spaces. We have however decided not to participate in the OHSAA dual at Wadsworth just to be safe. This will give our trainer an opportunity to more thoroughly check all of the athletes, but as of right now, we do not have any reason to believe that any other athletes have it.”
Lorain recently received good news when 195-pound senior Aaron Huff, a state qualifier last year, returned to action after healing from a lengthy football season.
Huff picked up his first tournament title of the season at the Jim Solomon Memorial at Firelands High School on Jan. 21. Huff won two matches, including a 4:30 pinfall over Midview’s Austin MacMillan in the finals.
“I’m still getting back (into form), but it felt good to be back out there,” Huff said after the tournament. “Football really beat me up, but I’m starting to get back into the groove of things. I was sectional champ last year ... I want to make it down to state and see what I can do.”
Longhorns thrive
The Lutheran West team will face Fairview for the Stripes Division championship on Jan. 26 at Brooklyn. The Longhorns are 3-0 in the Stripes after upsetting Columbia, 45-36, last week and the key has been having more depth.
Besides senior James Handwerk, the Longhorns are young and have had strong showings from Robert Pinkie (113), Lachlan Thomas (126), and Parker Watson (132).
“Fairview handled Columbia pretty well last week,” Lutheran West coach Dave Ressler said. “We snuck by Columbia, so we’re going to be the underdogs again. But we’re going to give it our best. Last week we moved some guys around and it paid off.
“We are really young with James being our only senior. Robert has really stepped up. We were a little concerned moving him up to 113 if he can handle it, but he came on at the end of last season. He has helped us in our dual meets and we always emphasize bonus points.”
Handwerk (182) has expectedly been unstoppable this year at 24-0. The twotime state champion has already surpassed the most takedowns in school history with over 300 and has the second most pins (87).
On Jan. 19, Handwerk broke the school record of career wins with his 138th and 139th career wins at Columbia. The Air Force Academy commit hasn’t surprised his coach.
“It’s neat to see James break the record and still have a half season left,” Ressler said. “We’re looking for another 20-something wins and he’s going to set the bar pretty high. Not too many high school kids get 150 wins. It’s great for our program because the kids are going to push to see who can break that record.”
Because the Longhorns were on the road when Handwerk broke the record and were in the midst of a heated battle with Columbia, they didn’t have a proper setting to honor Handwerk for his achievement. But on Jan. 27, there will be a winter prep rally where he will be honored in front of his peers.
Entering the season, Handwerk dealt with a couple of significant injuries. He had an emergency surgery to remove his appendix after the tournament in Fargo, N.D., last summer, and then broke his wrist during a lengthy soccer season.
He’s healthy and primed for another state run.
“He’s doing really well now and has done training with other guys who have been multiple state placers,” Ressler added. “He’s getting stronger every day. We’ve got the conference tournament and then sectionals coming up. We’re going to go hard and get a third championship.”
On the mats
• Westlake went 2-0 last week in SWC duals defeating North Olmsted, 70-9, and North Ridgeville, 56-21.
• Olmsted Falls will honor its state champions on Jan. 27 at their Double Dual vs. Amherst, Westlake and Berea-Midpark.