By Roger Gordon

Correspondent

The 11 Portage County boys wrestling teams competed in the Portage County Tournament Jan. 4 at Ravenna High School. The following are the team rankings from 1 through 11 and the highlights for each team.

1. ROOTSTOWN, 182 POINTS

Rootstown was dominant all day long.

For the most part, the Rovers did not have any real tough matches until the finals.

“I figured it was going to be either us, Streetsboro or Aurora that would wind up winning the tournament,” head coach Anthony Anderson said. “I guess those two teams had some injuries we weren’t expecting. We had a couple guys sitting out, too, though. When I looked through the brackets and saw that some of the stronger kids from those teams were out, we had a lot better outlook.”

Winning individual championships were seniors Tristan McKibben in the 175-pound weight class, Brian Youngblood at 190 and Nick Malek at 150.

“Tristan was just dominant all day. Even in his finals match, he dominated. He won by pin in every match,” said Anderson. “Brian pinned his way through the tournament. Nick wrestled really well. He was also very dominant all day.

“These seniors just keep putting the extra work in and pushing themselves a little harder every day.”

     • Next for Rootstown: Dies Tournament at Akron Firestone Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. and Jan. 18 at 10 a.m.

2. AURORA, 158 POINTS

Defending their individual championships were Aurora junior Michael Kennedy in the

144-pound weight class and senior heavyweight Matthew Copley.

“Michael was dominant all the way through, earning bonus points in every match. I was pleased with his effort and intensity each match,” head coach Jeremy Johnson said. “I was really pleased with Matthew in how he competed. He went against some pretty big, athletic kids. It was really nice to see him open up and compete. That’s what you look for out of a senior.” Also capturing an individual title was sophomore Grant Eaton at 138.

“Grant was dominant in his quarterfinal and semifinal and defeated a tough wrestler from Garfield in the final 4-1,” Johnson said. “I was really pleased with his performance and how he competed throughout the day.”

Overall, the coach was pleased with his team’s showing.

“We had a few wrestlers get opportunities to compete since we sat a few,” he said. “I was happy with those wrestlers who competed.”

     • Next for Aurora: Suburban League Tournament at Medina Highland Jan. 11 at 9:30 a.m.

3. STREETSBORO, 148.5 POINTS

Streetsboro head coach Mark Skonieczny had only eight wrestlers compete due to another tournament for his less-experienced wrestlers, but the Rockets still managed to finish just nine-and-a-half points out of second place.

“Isn’t that crazy?” Skonieczny said.

Winning individuals titles were seniors Matt Klimak in the 120-pound weight division, Justin Wargo at 132 and Cohen Klimak (Matt’s cousin) at 165 plus sophomore Johnny Bollinger at 106.

“Matt had a breakout tournament finally. He got his 100th high school win,” Skonieczny said. “He struggled the first two or three tournaments of the season, but he’s finally starting to hit a little bit of a peak. He came in on fire. He wrestled well, pinning his way through the tournament. He’s starting to figure it out again. I was really, really happy with his performance. This was the first high school tournament Justin won in his career. He rolled through the

tournament. He started the season at 138, but he was too small for that weight class. He’s strong for this weight class, and he’s body-sized for this weight class.

“Cohen had an outstanding tournament. The kid he beat from Aurora in the finals took fourth at Brecksville-Broadview Heights the week before while Cohen took seventh. That was the big match of the tournament. He won that match 4-1 against a highly ranked Division I kid. He had multiple pins going into that match. He was a machine. He’s starting to find his groove. I

was extremely pleased with his performance. Johnny did a phenomenal job. He wrestled extremely well. He’s getting better by the minute.”

     • Next for Streetsboro: Double dual meet against Field, Woodridge and host Norton Jan. 9 at 6 p.m.

4. CRESTWOOD, 130.5 POINTS

Crestwood sophomore Rocco Wrobel captured the championship of the 113-pound weight class despite going up against two very talented opponents.

“In the semifinals Rocco beat a kid from Garfield pretty convincingly who he beat by only a point last year,” head coach Dave Wrobel said. “In the finals he beat a pretty solid kid from Aurora. He had a real good tournament, was solid.”

The Berquist boys — junior Michael at 175 and his cousin sophomore Ty at 157 — both finished third.

“Michael did well,” the elder Wrobel said. “The last couple tournaments, he’s wrestled the best on the team outside of Rocco. He’s a scorer, a pinning machine. I’m really happy with his progression. Ty also wrestled well. He ended up wrestling a solid kid from Rootstown. I think he was tied 3-3 and had a nice shot on him but ended up getting elevated and pinned. Otherwise, besides that one move, he wrestled a pretty good tournament overall.”

Three freshmen — Levi Daniels (106), Tyler Devlin (120) and Chris Mory (132) — placed fourth.

“The three of them are really starting to step up,” said the coach. “We knew coming into the season that we were going to have a young team, and those guys have been wrestling extremely well. They’re usually put in some situations where they have to score points for the team, and they’re doing it. I’m proud of them.”

Overall, the coach was pleased with his team’s performance.

“We placed nine kids,” he said, “so I was happy with that.”

     • Next for Crestwood: Garrettsville Garfield at home on Senior Night Jan. 9 at 6 p.m.

5. KENT ROOSEVELT, 122 POINTS

Kent Roosevelt junior Gavin Edwards continued his stellar season by winning the title in the 157-pound weight class.

“Gavin, as he has all season, showed up ready to compete. He’s competing at a high level this season,” said head coach Chris Dunfee. “In the finals he wrestled a state qualifier from Rootstown, a very good wrestler with credentials. Gavin wrestled a very good, solid match. He didn’t make a lot of mistakes and capitalized on his opponent’s one mistake that we saw.”

Placing runner-up were seniors Jeremiah Brumfield at 132 and heavyweight Noah Dunlap plus junior Ethan Humbert at 215.

“Jeremiah wrestled a good tournament,” Dunfee said. “He came up short in the finals wrestling a very solid kid from Streetsboro who is just better than him right now. Jeremiah battled all day. That’s what he’s done all season. He’s a hardnosed, tough kid who is not going to give up. He’s a fighter.

“Noah had a good day. He’s just an undersized heavyweight. In the finals he wrestled a kid from Aurora. He was probably giving up at least 50 pounds in that match. It showed as soon as they walked on the mat. You could see the different bodies. He got pinned. Noah most likely will be going down a weight class later in the season, but right now heavyweight is where he’s benefiting our team the most. He’s a team guy.

“Ethan continues to surprise. He wrestled well. He’s a very physical wrestler. In the finals he wrestled an undefeated kid from Mogadore. He just came up a little bit short. Ethan will get to see him again on Thursday, and hopefully he can make adjustments and get ready for that match.”

Overall, Dunfee was very happy with how his team competed and battled.

“I thought most of our kids showed up ready to wrestle and competed at a good level,” he said.

     • Next for Kent Roosevelt: Tri-meet at home on Alumni night against Mogadore and Cuyahoga Falls Jan. 9 at 6 p.m.

6. GARFIELD, 108.5 POINTS

Garfield, despite having only nine wrestlers due to injuries and vacations, had four individual runners-up – senior Harper Troyer in the 175-pound weight class and sophomores Landon Andel at 138, Luke Kaufman at 126 and Logan Sell at 144.

“Harper pinned his way to the finals and then lost to Rootstown’s McKibben for the second time this season in the finals. He wrestled well. He didn’t really see much competition until the finals,” said head coach Dan Andel. “Landon lost by a takedown to an Aurora kid when he made a mistake in the finals. He pinned everybody before the finals.

“Luke had another close match in the semifinals with a Rootstown kid and ended up winning, making him 2-1 against him for the season. He was ready to wrestle. He had a good day on the mat. Logan wrestled well. He beat a kid from Field who was undefeated 8-7 in the semifinals.”

     • Next for Garfield: Crestwood at home Jan. 9 at 6 p.m.

7. SOUTHEAST, 83.5 POINTS

Southeast head coach Shane Kuberry was a little disappointed with his team’s showing.

“I feel like, at this point in the season, we have to start showing that we can grow a little bit,” he said. “We lost some matches that we definitely should have or could have won. But there were definitely some outlier performances that we were really happy with.”

One was junior Dominic Kemble’s championship in the 126-pound weight class. The other was senior Deian Longgood’s runner-up finish at 150. It was each’s first action of the season.

“Dominic dealt with some significant adversity leading up to this tournament,” said Kuberry. “He just jumped right back in with three pins and a major decision in the finals. It’s really good to have him back. Deian had been dealing with an elbow injury. He had a real tough match in his first match. He got a pin with like two seconds left in the second period, and he was losing at the time. In the semifinal he looked absolutely dominant. He never stops fighting. You can never count him out of a match. His heart is there always, his desire is there always. He had a really great tournament for his first event back.”

     • Next for Southeast: Eastern Ohio Wrestling League Tournament at Austintown-Fitch Jan. 10 at 3:30 p.m. and Jan. 11 at 9 a.m.

8. FIELD, 74 POINTS

Field junior Daniel Hudson and freshman A.J. Freudeman both finished runner-up — Hudson in the 190-pound weight division and Freudeman at 106.

“Daniel probably had his best tournament of the season,” head coach Dave Tenney said. “He took a lot out of the Kenston Invitational Tournament, where he wasn’t so successful. He put in the work through the week, worked on some of the things he thought he needed to improve on. It was nice to see the things we were working on at practice take fruition on the mats. He ended up in the finals against Rootstown’s Brian Youngblood and had a real good match. It didn’t turn out in our favor, but I’m still very proud of the way he wrestled.

“A.J. was sick all week, so coming back and being able to wrestle was really something … it was a gametime decision. It speaks a lot to him that he said, ‘Hey, I know that I’m not 100 percent, but I want to wrestle.’ To be in the finals, I thought he wrestled really well. He’s going to re-wrestle his finals match Thursday against Streetsboro’s Johnny Bollinger, and hopefully there’s a different outcome.”

Overall, Tenney thought the Falcons wrestled okay.

“Every time you step on the mat,” he said, “you’re always taking something from it. We had some young men who made the podium, which is always a good thing. I think everybody who wrestled got some experience.”

      • Next for Field: Double dual meet against Streetsboro, Woodridge and host Norton Jan. 9 at 6 p.m.

9. MOGADORE, 73 POINTS

Mogadore junior Dylan Benedum captured the championship in the 215-pound weight class. He dominated the field for the most part.

“Dylan won every match pretty solidly with pins,” said head coach Duane Funk. “He’s a light 215-pounder, so there’s no issues with worrying about weight or anything that comes with all of that stuff. He’s wrestling really well. He’s moving well on his feet, he’s very dominant on top and does well enough on bottom to get out.”

Junior Matthew Truskey placed third at 190.

“Matthew wrestled really well,” Funk said. “He looked a little rough at the beginning, but once he got into it he did a good job.”

Overall, Funk was okay with the Wildcats’ performance.

“We did some really good things, but we definitely did some things we know we need to work on,” he said. “We had a couple guys out due to injuries. The kids who showed up wrestled hard, so I’m proud of that.”

    • Next for Mogadore: Tri-meet against host Kent Roosevelt and Cuyahoga Falls Jan. 9 at 6 p.m.

10. WATERLOO, 54 POINTS

Waterloo was not at its best, but according to head coach John Foster, the effort was

there.

“It seemed like we took a little step back,” he said. “But I just asked my wrestlers that they be aggressive and compete regardless of the situation, and I think they accomplished that. We definitely went into each match and competed from start to finish whether we won it or we didn’t.”

Leading the way for the Vikings were freshman Dalton Braybon, who finished third in the 132-pound weight class, and senior Dublin Porter, who placed fourth at 113.

“That was by far Dalton’s best performance on the season,” said Foster. “He struggled a little at first this season, but he put together a couple matches that were far and beyond the best matches he’s had this season. He typically likes to be on his feet, but a couple of the matches he won he was just dominant on top and went to town on a couple kids. I definitely was pleased with his performance as a whole.

“It wasn’t a great day for Dublin, but he battled all day. He lost to an Aurora kid who is pretty darn good and he lost to a kid from Garfield in a fairly close match. So the two losses that he took were to pretty high-quality kids. Those were his first two losses of the season. He was wrestling at a weight class heavier than he’d been competing at. He’ll be at 106 the rest of the season.”

     • Next for Waterloo: Eastern Ohio Wrestling League Tournament at Austintown-Fitch Jan. 10 at 3:30 p.m. and Jan. 11 at 9 a.m.

11. RAVENNA, 8 POINTS

Ravenna had no placers, with five starters out due to injuries.

“We started mainly freshmen and sophomores, so we are still a growing team,” head coach Eric Kline said. “I’m really expecting to do well in this tournament in the coming years.”

     • Next for Ravenna: Double dual meet against Cloverleaf, Springfield and host Coventry Jan. 9 at 6 p.m.

GIRLS WRESTLING

KENT ROOSEVELT

Kent Roosevelt freshman Penny Edwards (Gavin’s sister) captured the championship in the 100-pound weight class Jan. 3 at the Austintown-Fitch Girls Tournament. She won all four of her matches by pin. Her season record is now 14-3.

“Penny is making the necessary adjustments with her wrestling style to win championship matches,” head coach Ryan Fankhauser said. “She continues to stay focused on her goals, pushing herself in practice to see the results she is looking for. As a coach, I couldn’t be prouder of her.”

     • Next for Kent Roosevelt: Top Gun Tournament at Alliance Jan. 18.

MOGADORE

Mogadore junior Mackenzie Shellenbarger placed second in the 155-pound weight class Jan. 5 at the Chippewa Invitational Wrestling Tournament in Doylestown.

“Mackenzie wrestled really well, kind of dominated until the finals, where she wrestled a very solid girl from Tuscarawas Valley. She just came up short,” said Funk, also the girls head coach. “She has to wrestle her match instead of the other girl’s match. She has to set the tempo.”

     • Next for Mogadore: Akron North Tournament Jan. 11 at 10 a.m.

ROOTSTOWN

Rootstown freshman Morgan Giebel finished runner-up in the 145-pound weight division Jan. 5 at the Chippewa Invitational Wrestling Tournament in Doylestown.

“Morgan looked good. She came out and wrestled hard,” said head coach Nick Sladky. “She wrestled a tough girl in the finals and got stuck, got pinned. Morgan is tough, though, she’s a handful. I see a good future with her.”

     • Next for Rootstown: Marlington Iron Girl Tournament Jan. 13 at 5:30 p.m.