By Roger Gordon

Correspondent

SOUTHEAST

Southeast junior Dominic Kemble finished runner-up in the 126-pound weight class in the Josh Hephner Memorial Tournament on Jan. 24-25 at Austintown Fitch.

“Dominic lost a very close match in the finals to Marlington’s Aiden Bean, the third weekend they wrested against each other already this season. It was a close match,” said head coach Shane Kuberry. “When you wrestle the same person so many times, and they’ve wrestled quite a bit over the last several years, those matches kind of turn into chess matches. You kind of know what the other person does at that point. Dominic wrestled a super good tournament, and I’m super proud of the way he finished. That’s the highest Hephner place-winner who I’ve had as a head coach.”

Also placing was senior Deian Longgood at 150.

“Deian was losing a match by a significant margin — I’d say more than 10 points — and came back and won by one point,” Kuberry said. “That got him into the actual bracket to place. He did it on sheer effort. The kid just does not stop grinding.”

Overall, the Pirates finished 23rd.

“I loved the effort,” said the coach. “That tournament is an absolute grind. The pools are tough.”

     • Next up for Southeast: Tri-meet against host Grand Valley and Pymatuning Valley Jan. 30 at 6 p.m.; Team State Duals against Mogadore at Waynedale Feb. 1.

ROOTSTOWN

Rootstown finished fourth out of 35 teams in the Josh Hephner Memorial Tournament on Jan. 24-25 at Austintown Fitch.

“We wrestled really well,” head coach Anthony Anderson said. “A lot of underclassmen won a lot of big matches for us, scored a lot of points.”

Leading the way was senior Tristan McKibben, who won the title in the 165-pound weight class.

“Tristan dominated all day long,” said Anderson.

Other placers were senior Brian Youngblood (second at 175), sophomore Mason King (third at 113), junior Alex Ely (fourth at 126), senior Nick Malek (fifth at 144) and his classmate Dominic Duvall (fifth at 150).

“Brian was super dominant all day,” said the coach. “He had an illegal slam in the finals that kind of banged him up a little bit. It was a close match.”

     • Next up for Rootstown: Home tri-meet against Strongsville and Canton South Feb. 6.

MOGADORE

Mogadore finished 22nd out of 34 teams in the Josh Hephner Memorial Tournament Jan. on 24-25 at Austintown Fitch.

“I think we wrestled really well. There was tough competition,” head coach Duane Funk said.

Junior Dylan Benedum finished seventh in the 215-pound weight division, and seniors Owen Roberts (132) and Matthew Plum (157) placed eighth.

“Dylan did really well, but he needs some more weight on him,” said Funk. “Right now, he’s a light 215. He’s adjusting a little bit on his feet to try to stay out from underneath the heavier guys. Owen wrestled really solid. He had a really tough weight class but hung in there and wrestled every match really tough. He got caught once, which happens to the best of us. Matthew avenged a loss from an Olmsted Falls kid from the Dies Tournament the week before. He wrestled solid, he’s tough.”

     • Next for Mogadore: State Duals against Southeast at Waynedale Feb. 1.

RAVENNA

Ravenna senior Nacol Foreman won her match in the 138-pound weight class by pin over a Cloverleaf opponent Jan. 23 in a home double-dual meet in which she lost to a Norton opponent. Streetsboro was also there.

“In the first period Nacol was winning by a couple points, in the second period she struggled a little bit,” head coach Eric Kline said. “After the second period, I had to pump her up a little bit to get her confidence back up, and then she got the pin.”

     • Next up for Ravenna: At Streetsboro Jan. 30 at 6 p.m.; home against Kent Roosevelt Feb. 1 at 6 p.m.

GIRLS WRESTLING

MOGADORE

Mogadore junior Mackenzie Shellenbarger captured the championship in the 170-pound weight class Jan. 26 at the New Lexington Girls Tournament.

“Mackenzie is a little underweight by about 10 pounds, but she just out-wrestled the girls. She matched their strength well,” Funk, also the girls head coach, said. “She had some nice moves. She was never in danger of losing any of her matches.”

Junior Kai Gaetjens was runner-up at 130.

“Kai wrestled a great tournament,” said Funk. “She wrestled aggressively. She ran through everybody until the finals.”

Overall, the Wildcats finished 11th out of 55 teams.

     • Next up for Mogadore: Battle of the Fence at home against Ellet and Springfield Feb. 6 at 6 p.m.

FIELD

Field junior Elizabeth Rock won two matches, both by pin, in the 155-pound weight class in the Fear the Spear Tournament on Jan. 25 at Canal Fulton Northwest.

“Elizabeth’s goal was to be more aggressive,” head coach Mason Brainard said, “and she was able to get into some positions she’d been working on and was successful in those positions, specifically in the matches she won.”

Winning a single match were freshmen Mackenzie Williams at 145 and Thea Rebeck at 170 and junior Izzy Dickens at 190.

The Falcons finished 23rd out of 34 teams.

“I think overall we wrestled well,” said Brainard. “There were some bright spots. You can start to see things starting to click together.”

     • Next up for Field: At Minerva Feb. 4.

KENT ROOSEVELT

Kent Roosevelt freshman Penny Edwards was runner-up, going 4-1, in the 100-pound weight division in the fourth annual Lady Riders Invitational on Jan. 25 at Columbia Station.

“Penny pinned her way through up until the finals against a girl from Avon Lake, a tough opponent,” head coach Ryan Fankhauser said. “We should be able to make some adjustment this week in practice, and I think she’ll see the same Avon Lake opponent next week.”

     • Next up for Kent Roosevelt: Lady Redskins Invitational at Port Clinton High School Feb. 9.

ROOTSTOWN

Rootstown junior Reise Thomas lost to an Aurora opponent in the 105-pound weight class Jan. 23 at Aurora.

“Reise came out tough but got pinned in the second period,” head coach Nick Sladky said. “The Aurora girl is a tough girl. We gave it our all but just didn’t come out successful in the end.”

     • Next up for Rootstown: Home against Strongsville Feb. 6 at 6 p.m.