Thu May 17 2012
by MICHAEL LEONARD | SPORTS EDITOR
Contrary to popular belief, there is no sign over the gym at Medina reading "Abandon all hope all ye who enter here..."
It only feels like the Division I sectional at Medina is comparable to Dante's "Inferno."
Out of this infernal tournament, however, six Knights emerged with tickets to this week's district meet -- triple the amount the Knights advanced last year.
Nordonia finished fourth in the team race at Medina with 144 points. Brecksville won the team race with 254 points, while Wadsworth was second with 238.
The top four finishers in each weight class at Medina advanced to districts.
Knights coach Audie Atienza was very happy with his team's effort in such a tough tournament.
"We're really pleased with how well and how hard our kids wrestled this weekend," Atienza said. "It's no secret how hard it is to get kids out of Medina. Selfishly speaking, you always want more, but you always could get less. Everybody has to go through it."
The highlight of the tournament was the performance of 220-pounder Alex Woicehovich, who backed up his Suburban League title by winning the 220-pound crown at Mentor.
Given the second seed and a bye in the first round, Woicehovich pinned Brunswick's Matt Perdue in 1:20 and then squeezed past Brecksville's Austin Linden 7-6 in come-from-behind fashion.
In the final, Woicehovich faced top-seed Arshak Asrayan of Strongsville, but Woicehovich attacked early and scored the win in 1:46 to take the title.
"He wrestled really well," Atienza said. "He was on his game all weekend and made the moves he needed to make."
Woicehovich opens the district meet by facing Sylvania Southview's Hunter Topolski.
After reaching the Division III district meet last year with St. Peter Chanel, 126-pounder Mike Decesare made it two district appearances in a row by reaching the finals.
After a bye, Decesare roared into the finals, scoring a 20-5 technical fall on Copley's DJ Johnson and pinning Highland's Logan Brant in 3:35.
The title match was a rematch of the Suburban League final at 126, as Decesare faced a rematch with Wadsworth's Brandon Jones. He had no better luck this time, as Jones won 8-3.
"They wrestled two really close matches two weeks in a row," Atienza said. "Mike's been in deep on him; he just hasn't finished his shots. I'm encouraged by the way he goes after him."
Deceseare will face Maumee's Anthony Arroyo in his opening match at districts.
Nordonia had one other finalist in 106-pounder Nick Collica.
Collica also was given the second seed and reached the final by beating Cople'sTanmay Shah 16-4, Midpark's Alex Lunney 12-6 and Brunswick's Brett Thomas 7-5.
In the final, however, Collica ran into top-seeded Austin Assad of Brecksville and was pinned in 1:25.
"Nick's come a long way," Atienza said. "A lot of times, it's not easy to transition to high school, even at the light weights. Austin has all the makings of being one of the greats, so we knew he'd probably be there."
Collica will open against Toledo St. Francis deSales' Michael Irvine at districts.
After winning the Suburban League title at 195 pounds, sophomore Eric Claren advanced by finishing third.
Perhaps the best news for Nordonia was, after two injury-marred seasons, senior 152-pounder Terrell Glenn will get another shot at districts. He finished fourth at 152, while sophomore Jimmy Coyne finished fourth at 120 pounds.
"Terrell has made some great strides since his returned," Atienza said. "He's been doing everything he could to get back into wrestling shape. I like the way he's going about it. We're really glad that he's moving on this week."
It was a tough tournament for Nordonia's lone returning district qualifier, as senior 138-pounder Nathaniel Codner has to settle for an alternate place, as he finished fifth.
"It was upsetting for sure," Atienza said. "It would have been nice to have him qualify. There are just so many good kids in the middle weights."
Junior 160-pounder Tyler McCann also finished in fifth place.
Tough as Medina was, it doesn't get any easier for the Knights this week.
Nordonia will participate in the Division I district tournament at Ashland University, which will take place Feb. 24 and 25. First match Feb. 24 is set for 4 p.m.
Considering the field will include Wadsworth, Brecksville, Oregan Clay and defending state champion Lakewood St. Edward, Atienza knows his team has its work cut out for it to reach states.
"You just let them know that they can't be surprised with what's in store for them," Atienza said. "Every time we step on the mat, it's going be to be tougher."
The top four finishers in each weight class at Ashland will advance to the Division I state meet, which begins March 1 at Value City Arena in Columbus.
E-mail: mleonard@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3113
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