Aurora youth matmen compete; two earn all-Ohio honors

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Aurora -- Local middle school and grade school wrestlers have been busy the past couple of weeks.

Jarrod Brezovec, Quade Rasmussen and Jack Gorman participated in the OAC junior high state tournament at the Covelli Center in Youngstown. It pitted 32 of the top wrestlers in each weight class against each other.\

Brezovec and Rasmussen won their first two matches to advance to the quarterfinals before losing.

In consolations, Brezovec won three matches in a row by narrow margins to advance to the third-place match, where he met his quarterfinals opponent. He came up short and took fourth place.

Rasmussen won his next two before losing. In his match for fifth, he flattened his opponent. Gorman wrestled well, winning three matches, but came up short of placing.

Meanwhile, JAWs (Junior Aurora Wrestlers) sent 10 matmen to the same venue for the ages 5 to 12 tournament, and two boys earned all-Ohio honors.

Nic Willingham competed in the 9-10-year-old class and won his first three matches to advance to the championship semifinals.

In the semis, he faced a familiar foe from Copley. He battled to a 5-3 lead, but gave up a late takedown to tie in regulation, and then lost in overtime.

In the consolation semifinals, Willingham battle a solid opponent from St. Paris Graham, but again he came up short. He managed to get back on track for a fifth-place finish.

Colin McNamara competed in the 11-12-year-old 130-pound class and won his first two matches by fall. Against a Lake Catholic foe, he jumped to an early lead, but a few bad breaks resulted in a loss and placement in the consolations.

McNamara flattened his first opponent and followed with three solid wins. In the third-place match, he jumped out to a 5-0 lead and coasted in the third period.

Kyle Petersen and Bo DiJulius each came within one match of placing before bowing out. Shane Cheatham, John Papesh, Ben Rogge, A.J. Barner, Carter Gerbrick and Will McGhee also competed and wrestled well, gaining valuable experience and contributing to he team's score.