Story by Jim Horvath
Photos by Larry Bennet



When is a championship not a championship?

When a non-correctable scoring error says so, evidently.

Last Saturday, the Avon wrestling team thought it had won a share of the West Shore Conference championship after edging regular season champ Midview, 160.5-159.5, in the WSC tournament at Avon High. The Eagles seemingly won the tournament when Rocky River heavyweight Jesse Singler pinned Midview’s Pat Forrer in a quick 1:50.

But after a closer look at the tournament scoring, both head coaches - Avon’s Mark Porter and Midview’s Don Caramell - agreed that a scoring error had occurred. Advantage points were improperly awarded in two weight classes, 106 and 182, making the actual score Midview 158.5, Avon 156.5.

According to wrestling beat reporter Shaun Bennett of the Chronicle-Telegram, both coaches agreed there was an error. But since the error was reported to OHSAA state rules interpreter Ray Anthony on Sunday, the error was ruled “not a correctable mistake.”

According to Avon athletic director Erich Frombach, the OHSAA rules are based on national federation rules, which state such errors must be reported within 30 minutes of the end of the tournament. Frombach told beafanatic.com Tuesday night that he was holding out hope that a solution could still be found.

As it stands, Avon retains its share of the WSC championship.

All results of the championship and consolation rounds, however, were scored correctly. In case you missed it over the weekend, here’s how the final bouts were decided:

106: Drew Dickson of North Ridgeville scored a technical fall over Avon’s Alex Shermak, 15-0 in the championship match. Midview’s Allec Kholhoff decisioned Rocky River’s Brad Sprau, 8-5, for third place.

113: North Ridgeville’s Evan Collier decisioned Bay’s Ben Tepper in the title match, 11-4. Dan Mahoney topped Midview’s Matt Seres, 10-4, to claim third place for the Pirates.

120: North Ridgeville got its third title as Bobby Vedda decisioned Bay’s Adam Tepper, 18-16. In the consolation match, Midview’s Vinny Lupico pinned Avon’s Max Kuchenrither in 4:33.

126: Another win for the Rangers as Mark Carosella scored a technical fall, 16-0, over Midview’s Dan Schatz. Austin Suarez of Rocky River took third place with his pin of Elyria Catholic’s Sean Kilbane in just 54 seconds.

132: Avon’s Jake DeLorge won the title when he pinned Rocky River’s Travis Smith in 3:40. In the consolation match, Vermilion’s Chris Rosa decisioned Midview’s Ryan Walsh, 7-3.

138: Adam Barker of Avon decisioned Nick Asp of North Ridgeville, 7-3, in the title match. Rocky River got its third third-place finisher when Seamus Kilbane pinned Midview’s Alex Szuch in 2:05.

145: Avon’s Zane Zeman, the tournament MVP, pinned Midview’s Issac Payne in 1:58 to claim the 145 crown. Bay’s Max Langer pinned North Ridgeville’s David Difillippo in 41 seconds to take third place honors.

152: Mike Plas of Midview pinned Avon’s Matt Campo in 3:48 to win the championship bout. Tyler Filiaggi of Elyria Catholic decisioned Vermilion’s Mason Montgomery, 9-3, to win third place.

160: Elyria Catholic’s only championship of day happened when Luther Washington scored a technical fall, 22-6, over Rocky River’s Pat Gallagher. In the consolation match, Bay’s Joe Kubinski scored a 16-1 technical fall over Avon’s Chris Harris.

170: Jason Anthony of Vermilion got the first of two titles for the Sailors with his 5-3 overtime decision over Lucas Ball of Elyria Catholic. Cody Wright of Bay took consolation honors with a 10-5 decision over Midview’s Joey Zuckerman.

182: Avon won this title as Hamza Kirresh pinned Steve Burns of Bay in 1:40. Rocky River got another third-place finish as Enil Hamzai pinned Phil Hicks of North Ridgeville in 2:49.

195: Midview’s Zach Frambach won the title with his 11-4 decision over Bay’s Matt Spies. In the consolation bout, Paul Sturm of Avon pinned Vermilion’s Anthony Strader in 51 seconds.

220: Dominic Zunis of Midview decisioned Elyria Catholic’s Adam Kuchta, 4-2, to win the championship. Matt Dawson of North Ridgeville took third place after pinning Avon’s Tom Holwecky in 2:11.

285: The heavyweight title went to Robbie Lear of Vermilion as he decisioned North Ridgeville’s Nick Bailey, 4-2. Singler’s pin of Forrer had the attention of the Midview and Avon squads and gave the Eagles their now-disputed share of the WSC title.

Final team standings: 1.Avon 160.5, 2. Midview 159.5, 3. North Ridgeville 146, 4. Bay 101.5, 5. Rocky River 98, 6. Elyria CAtholic 68, 7. Vermilion 57.

Brecksville wins SWC title again

The Bees scored 222 team points and claimed eight individual championships in winning the Southwestern Conference title at North Olmsted.

Olmsted Falls took runner-up honors with 174.5 points, while Amherst took third with 157. Host North Olmsted was fourth at 96.5 points, while Westlake came in fifth with 54.

The Bulldogs had two champions on the day. At 126, Nick Asadorian decisioned Amherst’s Bryan DeRuchie, 3-0, while Alex Bevilacqua took the 132 title with his 4-2 decision over Kyle Biggs of North Olmsted.

Runner-up finishers for Falls were David Lance (106), Chase DuPratt (113), Scott Ahern (138), Travis Devericks (195) and Jordan Lee (220). For the Eagles, Brian Brunner (145) and Alex Belaia Matinduk (170) also took runner-up honors, as did Logan Paul (160) of Westlake.

Tag: AV