Brad Bournival

The Gazette

LORAIN – When you have a well-oiled machine like Wadsworth’s wrestling team, you just rev the engine and listen to the purr.

The Grizzlies didn’t win the Lorain Division I District on Sunday. They didn’t last year either, but won state.

What the squad did, however, was continue a program rich in tradition by qualifying nine individuals to state, while finishing second to Lakewood St. Edward in the team race.

“It’s not hard when you have people like we do in the room,” Grizzlies 125-pounder Kagan Squire said. “They have no problem sacrificing for us. They know what it takes to make our life easier.”

Wadsworth’s life wasn’t easy, but the Grizzlies did crown Squire, Nate Ball (140), Clay Wenger (145) and Nick Tavanello (215) champions at Lorain, while seeing Alfredo Gray (2nd, 130), Jake Crowley (2nd, 285), Brandon Jones (3rd, 112), Sheldon Brandenburg (3rd, 160) and Aaron Warstler (4th, 119) qualify for state as well.

“It takes the parents and administration to get it done,” Wadsworth coach John Gramuglia said. “There are so many people involved. You can never imagine how much hard work goes into it. We’d love to get more than nine, but nine is pretty darn good. That’s a story in itself.”

That number could increase with state alternates Chris Baughman (135) and C.J. Edwards (152) ready to step in.

But make no mistake, the Grizzlies go because they’ve got a laundry list of state champions, state placers and state qualifiers before them.

“We wouldn’t be anything without our coaches,” Ball said. “They know how hard to push us. They know if they can break us in the room, we won’t do it on the mat. That flow comes from the work they put in.”

The Grizzlies aren’t the only team pushing forward in Medina County, however.

Medina increased its number of state qualifiers by one from last year when Ryan Hornack (2nd, 103), Mike Griffith (2nd, 135), Matt Hammer (3rd, 140) and Teddy Hammer (3rd, 152) joined Brunswick’s Caleb Curtis (4th, 189) at the state tournament as well.

For the Bees, it has been a study in improvement as coach Chad Gilmore continues to build a team that is getting better and better.

In the last five years, Medina has qualified 11 individuals to state and had four of those wrestlers place.

That number should increase this year with Hornack, Griffith and the Hammers heading to Columbus.

The four Bees competing at Value City Arena are the most state qualifiers Medina has ever had in a single year with Zach Getto (112) going as an alternate as well.

“There were days when we were just hoping to get a district qualifier and maybe get an individual to place,” Gilmore said. “Now, there’s a change in attitude.

“It just shows the kids have turned a corner. They’re going out and doing what they know they can do. We’re expecting to get there and not hoping to.”

LORAIN – Results Sunday from the Lorain Division I District at Lorain High

School.

Team standings: 1. St. Edward 265½; 2. Wadsworth 223; 3. Brecksville; 4. Oregon Clay 110; 5. Medina 99; 6. Elyria 86; 7. Copley 81; 8. Lakewood 62½; 9. Perrysburg 48; 10. Lorain 43; 11. Olmsted Falls 40½; 12. Springfield 38½; 13. Fremont Ross 38; 14. Midpark 37; 15. North Olmsted 29½; 16. Toledo Whitmer, Midview 26; 18. Amherst Steele 25½; 19. Cuyahoga Falls, Sandusky, Westlake 24; 22. Nordonia 23½; 23. Mansfield Senior 20; 24. Strongsville 19; 25. Sylvania Northview 18; 26. Brunswick 16; 27. Toledo St. Francis, Avon Lake 15; 29. North Ridgeville 12; 30. Toledo St. John’s 10; 31. Findlay 9; 32. Ashland 7; 33. Cloverleaf 6; 34. Whitehouse Anthony Wayne 4; 35. John Marshall 3; 36. Sylvania Southview, Bowling Green 1.      

Individual results

(Top four advance to state tournament)

103 – Krumheuer (Midp) d. Hornack (Med), 6-3; Third: Mueller (OF) d. Davis (Cla), 10-5; Fifth: Diaz (Lor) by inj. def. Torres (Ely); 112 – Bright (SE) d. Screptock (Cla), 8-5; Third: Jones (Wad) d. DuPratt (OF), 1-0; Fifth: Getto (Med) m.d. Demio (Str), 14-0; 119 – Heil (SE); t.f. Y. Abdel-Salem (Lak), 17-1; Third: Matos (Ste) d. Warstler (Wad), 7-4; Fifth: Pruchinski (Bre) by inj. def. Elden (SN); 125 – Squire (Wad) d. Scheidel (SE), 5-3; Third: Garcia (Ely) d. Scholtz (Str), 3-1, OT; Fifth: Brunner (NO) m.d. Walker (Cop), 13-2; 130 – Baran (Bre) d. Gray (Wad), 6-4; Third: Amenta (Cla) p. W. Abdel-Salem (Lak), :45; Fifth: Heffernan (SE) m.d. Ayers (Midv), 17-4; 135 – Barber (SE) d. Griffith (Med), 8-4; Third: Ramsey (Lak) d. Taylor (CF), 4-3; Fifth: Baughman (Wad) d. Good (Bre), 10-7; 140 – Ball (Wad) d. Gupko (Nord), 7-4; Third: M. Hammer (Med) p. Hiles (Bre), 4:30; Fifth: Basinski (Ste) d. Feckley (Lak), 2-1; 145 – Wenger (Wad) d. Garrison (Cop), 10-5; Third: Wright (Ely) t.f. DeCavitch (Spr), 16-1; Fifth: Saridakis (Bre) d. Opial (Whi), 4-3; 152 – Martin (SE) p. Stuckart (Wes), 3:48; Third: T. Hammer (Med) m.d. Price (Ely), 15-2; Fifth: Edwards (Wad) d. Barr (Bre), 3-2.; 160 – Abounader (SE) by def. Roddy (Bre); Third: Brandenburg (Wad) t.f. Zayed (NO),16-0; Fifth: Davis (Midv) p. Koncek (Midp), 4:53; 171 – Willet (Bre) d. Davis (SE), 4-3; Third: Kohlhofer (Spr) d. Boff (Per), 3-2; Fifth: I. Cloyne (Cla) p. I. Wheeler (Cop), 3:40; 189 – Wheeler (Cop) m.d. Suvak (SE), 8-0; Third: Trautwein (FR) d. Curtis (Bru), 8-2; Fifth: Veler (Cla) d. Medina (Lor), 3-2; 215 – Tavanello (Wad) d. Walz (SE), 5-1; Third: Gott (Ely) p. Willis (Lor), 3:39; Fifth: Carter (Per) d. Gaghen (Cla), 3-1, OT;285 – Kuhar (SE) d. Crowley (Wad), 5-0; Third: Brown (San) d. Gray (Cla), 7-3; Fifth: Frank (AL) d. Hiss (Cop), 2-1, OT.

 

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W – Kagan 1^st, Ball 1^st, Wenger 1^st, Tavanello 1^st, Alfredo 2^nd, Jones 3^rd, Brandenburg 3rd, Warstler 4th, Baughman 5th, C.J. Edwards 5th

M – Hornack 2nd (103), Griffith 2nd, M. Hammer 3rd, T. Hammer 3^rd, Getto 5,

B – Caleb Curtis 4^th.

C – Wheeler 1st, Garrison 2^nd, Hiss HVY

CF – Taylor fourth

Nord – Gupko 2nd