In a battle between West Side and East Side Catholic wrestling powerhouses to end the regular season, the visiting Lake Catholic Cougars squeaked out a narrow win. Lake Catholic also recently captured the Division II Team Dual Runner-Up crown.
In the end, the Cougars won the lightweights, the Wildcats won the heavyweights, and the visitors did just enough at the middleweights to secure the victory, 39-37.
With back-to-back-to-back pins to end the match, the Saint Ignatius wrestling team did send the home fans happy, however, and has the faithful looking forward to Sectionals.
The match began well for the Wildcats, with six points via a forfeit at 285 and 106 to start out with a 12-0 lead.
Johnny Novak then faced off against Anthony Trivisonno at 113 pounds. Wrestling up, Novak struggled against Trivisonno. Novak took a 2-1 lead before Trivisonno took to the offensive, notching three points in a row before tabbing several near falls. Trivisonno eventually won by near fall with a 17-2 win in the third period.
The Wildcats suffered another defeat at 120, as Jack Bush lost to the ever-tough Hunter Ryan, a three-time State qualifier. Bush was pinned with :34 seconds left in the first period. Matthew Whipkey was also pinned, at the hands of Lake Catholic’s Conor McCrone at 126. The two-time state qualifier tallied the pin with 3 seconds left in the first.
Trailing 17-12, the Wildcats turned things around at 132. DJ Huff returned to the mat and dominated. The junior and captain rolled to a 6-2 lead after the end of just one. Huff continued to control the match as it went on, racking up the points. Huff secured the 18-5 win to notch four points for the Wildcats.
Patrick McGraw started strong for the Mat Cats at 138. McGraw built a 4-0 lead and continued to up the pressure throughout the match. McGraw ended with a 10-4 decision, wrestling well for the blue and gold to get the Wildcats back in the lead, 19-17.
The Cougars fired back at 145. Zach Tomford fell into a hole, as Dakota Ryan notched a pair of smart takedowns, sweeping Tomford’s legs out from under him on one occasion. Tomford tried to battle back, but was dealt a 12-2 major decision, as the Cougars retook the lead, 21-19.
Zach Morgan then dueled Lake Catholic’s Luke McKeon at 152. Morgan and McKeon traded jabs to start. However, McKeon turned Morgan around and found the upper positioning on Morgan, which Lake Catholic’s grappler used to pin Morgan at the 1:49 mark of the match.
The Cougars notched another pin at 160, as Michael Caldwell stepped in for a sick Najee Lockett. Caldwell suffered the pin at 1:15 of the first period, as Kevon Freeman – a two-time state champ – earned six points for Lake Catholic.
Logan Toth, the Student-Athlete of the Week, fought hard next at 170. Toth notched an early takedown, but Lake Catholic’s Cole Hivnor escaped and tabbed a takedown for the lead. A trio of near falls added to Hivnor’s lead, making it 9-2 heading into the second. The freshman phenom, a junior high state champ, sealed the win in the second, however, pinning Toth to notch six points for the Cougars.
The 182-pound match pitted Tommy Gill against Matthew Valentino. Gill scuffled at first, as Valentino secured an early lead. Valentino nearly pinned Gill, but the junior Wildcat escaped like a master Jedi. Gill notched a reversal and an escape after allowing a near fall. Gill then fought against Valentino to a near draw until Gill made his move at the far end of the mat halfway through the second. Gill pinned Valentino in impressive fashion, causing much of the Saint Ignatius wrestlers and coaches to leap up from their chairs with cheers.
Michael Drobnick continued to narrow the deficit at 195. The Wildcats’ two-sport student-athlete notched a pin after racking up the points to start the match. Drobnick advanced to 20-6 on the year with the win.
The final match of the night came at 220. Aidan Gill and Cade Acitelli fought to a draw in the first period, and the scoreless tie continued into the second period. Using the upper position to start the period, Gill methodically went to work on Acitelli. The elder Gill slowly worked on Acitelli, using arm bars to weaken him and turn him onto his back. Gill earned the pin in the second period, securing six points for the Wildcats.
The back-to-back-to-back pins were not quite enough to grab the lead back from the Cougars, however, as the visitors emerged with the 39-37 victory.
The Wildcats end the regular season at 9-3 in dual matches. Up next for the squad is the Sectional Tournament on Saturday, February 24 at Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School.