Six of the eight Chagrin Valley Conference wrestlers who began the Division II state wrestling tournament at Highland Marengo High School on Saturday have guaranteed their spot on the podium.
Perry’s Colin Koenig and Harvey’s Jayden Jackson both finished day one with a 2-0 record and will compete in Saturday’s semifinals round.
Meanwhile, Perry’s Zach Bellissimo and Brock Christian, West Geauga’s Jack Sparent, and Orange’s Te’Andre Allen all survived the first two rounds of consolation wrestling and can place as high as third when wrestling continues on Saturday.
Koenig, who improved to 30-1 on the year, pinned his first two state opponents in 1:24 and 3:41. He’ll put his state title hopes on the line in the semifinals against St. Paris Graham’s Martin Alek (33-0).
Jackson opened the 170-pound bracket with a 56-second pin and then held of Miami Trace’s Carson Graham in the quarterfinals, 7-6. Jackson, who improved to 40-1, will wrestle Bishop Hartley’s Newsome Dylan, who is 47-0 on the year.
Bellissimo won his first bout at 106, 6-1, and then dropped into the consolation bracket with an 11-4 loss in the quarterfinals. He earned his All-Ohio honors with a 2:28 pin in the consolation round. He’ll compete against Perkins’ Billy Smith in the consolation quarterfinals.
Christian dropped his first state bout, 6-5, but reeled off back-to-back wins in the consolation bracket to seal his All-Ohio honors. He won 3-0 and 3-1 and now will face CVCA’s Anthony Perez.
Sparent, dominated his first 126-pound opponent, 15-0, but dropped into the consolation bracket after being pinned in the quarterfinals. He punched his ticket to the podium with a 4-2 win. He’ll wrestle Buceye’s Eddie Pinc on Saturday.
Allen also wrestled in the 126-pound bracket. He opened the tournament with a 7-5 win and then dropped a heartbreaker in the consolation bracket. A late stalling penalty decided that match, 5-4. He bounced back with a 13-3 win and now will top-ranked Garrett Lautzenheiser from Louisville who was upset in the quarterfinals round.
Perry’s Calvin Rowan (138) and Geneva’s Caleb Selman (160) both bowed out of the tournament with 0-2 marks.
Jason Baxter contributed to this story
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