Brunswick's Curtis wins, but Medina wrestling takes match

(1/27/2011)

 

Share

By BRAD BOURNIVAL

SPORTSINK.COM PHOTO

Medina senior Mike Griffith (135) registered a second-period pin and the Bees rolled to a 54-20 win over Brunswick to clinch the NOC River Division title.

BRUNSWICK, Ohio – If the upcoming battles play out like Round 1, then wrestling fans are in for a treat.
Brunswick’s Caleb Curtis (189 pounds) and Medina’s Joe Gigliotti met for the first time on Thursday night during the Bees’ 52-20 Northeast Ohio Conference win over the Blue Devils.
With the NOC Tournament next week and the postseason to follow, the two seniors waged a battle that will carry them through the upcoming weeks.
Round 1 went to Curtis.
“Once you beat someone, it’s in their head,” Curtis said. “I know that because it happens to me when I lose.
“But it’s also in his head that he wants to beat me more, so he’ll work hard because he wants to beat me. I have to work twice as hard because he’ll be coming after me.”
That’s not a stretch considering Gigliotti, who is ranked 16th in the Brakeman Report, took his fourth-place projected foe to the limit in a 5-4 defeat.
To make matters worse for Gigliotti, he had a 4-0 lead after reversing Curtis to his back in the second period.
But Curtis picked up an escape in the second and third periods and grabbed another point on a stalling call to make it a one-point match.
With time winding down and the two dangerously close to going out of bounds, Curtis took down his foe with 11 seconds remaining.
“It makes me more focused,” Gigliotti said. “It did more to open my eyes and make me work hard. I’ve got to come out more determined.”
That determination showed in Medina (8-3, 5-0), which has won 19 of 20 NOC River Division matches.
Ryan Hornack (103), Zach Getto (112), Mike Griffith (135), Alex Albert (145) and Teddy Hammer (152) all picked up bonus points for their team.
For Griffith, it was a night to remember.
One more win will tie the returning state placer with Mark Balog (131 victories) as the school’s career win leader.
“I never thought I’d be there,” Griffith said. “I used to watch Jake Brown wrestle and think about what it would be like.
“But I never thought I’d have this many wins. It’s nice to know I’ll be leaving something for the kids to look up to and maybe beat.”
The junior class will try to one-up what this year’s seniors have done for the Bees by going undefeated in the league.
That’s a big mountain to climb at a school that has rose from mediocrity to a state power under coach Chad Gilmore’s tutelage.
“We view things season by season, but when you look at the big picture, this is nice,” he said. “It’s pretty special that the seniors lost only one conference match.
“The juniors haven’t lost in the league yet. I was on the first Wadsworth squad to do that. It was nice. It would be great to see it happen here.”
Dan Perstin (130), Mark Fontana (171), Curtis (189) and Tim Reagan (215) won matches for the Blue Devils.

Medina 52, Brunswick 20

103: Ryan Hornack (M) m.d. Zack Taylor, 18-7.
112: Zach Getto (M) p. Brady Young, :24.
119: Matt Hogue (M) by ff.
125: Zach Priebe (M) by ff.
130: Dan Perstin (B) d. Jake Spelic, 4-3.
135: Mike Griffith (M) p. Brian Fontana, 2:57.
140: Matt Hammer (M) by ff.
145: Alex Albert (M) p. Darryl Taylor; :51.
152: Teddy Hammer (M) p. Clay Vild, :14.
160: Josh Quesenberry (M) by ff.
171: Mark Fontana (B) t.f. Julian Lee, 16-0.
189: Caleb Curtis (B) d. Joe Gigliotti, 5-4.
215: Tim Reagan (B) d. Mike Kopacz, 10-3.
285: John Bruketa (B) by ff.
Records -- Medina (8-3, 5-0), Brunswick (8-7, 1-4)