Five Independence wrestlers advanced to Saturday morning’s semifinal round of the 2015 Chagrin Valley Conference Wrestling Championships at Beachwood High School.
Jacob Spino, Tanner Hadick, Nick Sia, A.J. Senick and Paul Deely all went undefeated in Friday’s preliminary matches and have the Blue Devils in the hunt for the overall and Valley Division championship. Perry is in first place with 87 ½ points while Aurora is second with 75 and Independence is third with 60.
Spino earned a first round bye then scored a 16-7 major decision over Kenston’s Brad Verbic in the 145 pound quarterfinals, but it didn’t come easily.
“I got a reversal at the end of the first period and he escaped to make it 3-3,” Spino said. “Once I started to get into my offense, I was able to take him down. I just had to avoid the headlock. I shot my single leg, got the takedown, got some back points and ended the match.”
A returning state qualifier, Spino is focused on winning another individual CVC title and he’s hoping to end his career with a team title as well.
“It's very important for me (to win a conference title), but also for the team,” he said. “This is our shot to win a title in the small-school division of the conference. That's what we're working toward.”
Spino will wrestle Wickliffe’s Russell Horacek in the semifinals.
Hadick also received a first round bye then beat Chagrin Falls’ Ricky Renton, 2-1, at 152 pounds. He’ll wrestle Cuyahoga Heights’ Ben Huff in the semifinals.
Sia beat Orange’s Kyle Kolb 7-2 in the first round then knocked off West Geauga’s Kyle Gallagher in the quarterfinals, 7-3. He’ll matchup with Chagrin Falls’ Garrett Malone in the 170 pound semifinals.
Senick earned a first round bye at 182 then pinned Cardinal’s Bryn Havel in 1 minute, 49 seconds. He’ll face Cuyahoga Heights’ Will Hopkins in the semis.
Deely had little trouble advancing to the 285 pound semifinals. He received a first round bye then pinned Berkshire’s Tony Urban in 1 minute, 56 seconds.
His next two matches will likely present more of a challenge. He’ll face Perry’s Brandon Truhn in the semifinals with the winner advancing to wrestle either Aurora’s Josh Burger, who was eighth in the state in Division I last season, or Cardinal’s Lester Troyer in the finals.
“I need to keep wrestling my game and keep using what I've been working on in the room,” Deely said. “I have good conditioning. I have to keep working and keep the pressure on. I have to focus on Truhn. I have to focus on what's in front of me and not look too far ahead.”
Wrestling resumes on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. with the semifinal round scheduled to begin at noon. The finals will start at 6:00 p.m.
Team Scores
1. Perry 87.5
2. Aurora 75.0
3. Independence 60.0
4. Kirtland 58.0
5. Kenston 53.5
6. Chagrin Falls 51.0
7. Cardinal 47.0
7. Painesville Harvey 47.0
9. West Geauga 40.5
10. Wickliffe 39.0
11. Orange 36.0
12. Cuyahoga Hts. 30.0
13. Hawken 26.0
14. Beachwood 25.5
15. Berkshire 25.0
Semifinal Matchups
106: Brendan Williamson (Kir)) vs. Christopher Pavone (Ken); John Kumher (Ber) vs. Justin Rayner (CF).
113: Brady Toth (Per) vs. Mike Petterson (Kir); Noah Georgian (Ken) vs. Trent Mast (Car).
120: Jarrod Brezovec (Aur) vs. Elijah Brown (Har); Jason Bellisimo (Per) vs. Louis DeMarco (Haw).
126: Ian Mast (Car) vs. Michael Miller (Haw); Josh Whitelaw (Aur) vs. Ben Kitay (Bea).
132: Brandon Neikirk (Car) vs. Mike Calvert (Car); Danny Novak (Aur) vs. William McClain (Har).
138: Frank Regalbuto (Ora) vs. Cole Gavin (Aur); Evan Francis (Kir) vs. Anthony Vetturini (WG).
145: Jacob Spino (Ind) vs. Russell Horacek (Wic); Adam Kirsh (Ora) vs. Josh Romano (Per).
152: David Monturi (Wic) vs. Nick Sbrocco (Per); Tanner Hadick (Ind) vs. Ben Huff (CHt).
160: Clayton Davidson (Kir) vs. Robert Powers (Ora); Ben Brown (Har) vs. Evan Schenk (Per).
170: Robert Sicker (Har) vs. John Miller (Per); Nick Sia (Ind) vs. Garrett Malone (CF).
182: Josh Bialosky (Bea) vs. Connor Orzen (CF); Will Hopkins (CHt) vs. A.J. Senick (Ind).
195: Kyle Kremiller (Per) vs. Alan Haavisto (Wic); Joe Fornaro (WG) vs. A.J. Suchovsky (Aur).
220: Brian McNamara (Aur) vs. Connor Vandeweel (Per); Dylan Diemer (Kir) vs. Desmond Maddox (CF).
285: Josh Burger (Aur) vs. Lester Troyer (Car); Paul Deely (Ind) vs. Brandon Truhn (Per).
