The show must go on for 13 Chagrin Valley Conference wrestlers who punched their ticket to the state tournament by placing among the top four at the district tournament on Saturday.
Two of the 13 finished atop the podium at the Division III Perry District.
Perry’s Brock Christian won the 132-pound title and Beachwood’s Joshua Greenwood won at 150.
“I feel like there’s a little bit more work to be done,” said Greenwood, who has his sights set on climbing the podium at the state tournament next weekend. “But, it’s a great thing that I won.”
Greenwood opened the tournament with a narrow 3-2 win over Cleveland Central Catholic’s Austyn Adams and then closed out Day 1 with a dominating 14-5 major decision over David Duvall of Rootstown.
The 16th-ranked wrestler at 150 pounds then defeated No. 7 Tyson Seesholtz of South Range in the semifinals, 3-1 in sudden victory overtime. He clinched his district title with another overtime victory, this one a 7-5 win over No. 4 Jacob Lyons of Tuslaw.
“In those close matches, I just think about the next takedown and keep after the guy,” Greenwood said. “A lot of people can’t hold up under the pressure, and I can hold up, so I go out and I try to break the guy.”
With his district title, Greenwood earned a No. 1 seed at the state tournament. He’ll open that competition against a No. 4 seed from another district.
Christian recorded two pins and a technical fall in advancing to the 132-pound championship bout. He then defeated Southington Chalker’s Landen Duncan for the district title, 6-3.
Berkshire will send three wrestlers to the state tournament after Colin Hering (113) and Johnny Heiden (138) both finished as the district runner-up and Josh Brown (150) placed fourth.
Perry had two wrestlers qualify for the state tournament including Riley Rowan, who placed third at 120, and Ryan Brubaker, who finished fourth at 165.
Kirtland’s Louka Babic was the district runner-up at 175 pounds and Crestwood’s J.P. Wrobel (126) and Beachwood’s Uzonna Nzekwe (215) each placed third and earned a spot at the state tournament.
Three wrestlers qualified out of the Division II Garfield Heights District.
West Geauga’s Brian Denamen (144), Edgewood’s Zeke Lucas (175), and Orange’s Terrance Davis (215) each finished third.
Denamen qualified for the state tournament in a dramatic fashion.
Trailing entering the third period of his blood round match, the freshman mustered up the heart and courage, and every ounce of energy that he had to narrowly defeat Ravenna’s Sean Loucks, 8-7.
“It was a long day, a really long day,” Denamen said. “(On Friday), we went 2-for-2, so that was good, and then today we had to win one more, and we made it.”
Davis also won a close match in the blood round.
“That was the best match of my life, honestly,” he said. “Qualified for states for the first time, and I feel amazing.”
Edgewood’s Kyle Vencill (138) and Josh Biller (150), Geneva’s Michael Hupertz (215), and Hawken’s Will Greenberg (285) finished fifth and will serve as state alternates.
Alan Kornspan contributed to this story.
