For the second time in three seasons, the Saint Ignatius wrestling program will have three grapplers at the Division I State Championships in Columbus.
Johnny Novak (106), Matthew Whipkey (126), and DJ Huff (145) will represent the Wildcats as state qualifiers, with Patrick McGraw (132) also set to make the trip as an alternate.
As always, the District Tournament featured plenty of intrigue. Close matches and a number of upsets dotted the brackets on Friday and Saturday, but the overall result – three Wildcats to States – is a great outcome for Saint Ignatius fans.
Johnny Novak's triumph at 106 proved to be one of the highlights of the day. The junior came oh so close last season, finishing as a district alternate in 5th place. Novak left no doubt this time around.
"It hurt really bad last year when I took fifth, when I knew I should have been in the top four," Novak said. "I kept that feeling and it pushed me through here. It's amazing."
Novak took the concept of "Viking" to heart, wrestling smart in the first two rounds on Friday. Novak captured a 15-2 major decision over his first opponent and a 14-8 decision over his next foe. Facing Thomas Cassety of Uniontown Lake in the semifinals, Novak wrestled hard and effectively, shutting out his opponent, 5-0, to earn a ticket to Columbus.
"I knew I had to wrestle smart and wrestle my match, don't do anything stupid, stick to the fundamentals, and use all of the hard work I've been doing all season," Novak said.
Novak lost to Mason Brugh in the title bout, 11-0, but Novak will still enter the State Meet with a very impressive 41-9 record.
Timmy Putka was the next Wildcat representative at 113. Putka faced a very challenging bracket, facing off with the top seed from the Wadsworth sectional, Mikey Lewarchick. Putka suffered a 13-0 major decision in the first round match, sending him to the consolation round. Putka fought hard, but the freshman succumbed to Boardman's Raymond Cmil, 10-3 dropping out of the tournament. Pukta will be back and better next year. Look out for him as a sophomore.
Matthew Whipkey faced a similar uphill battle as the third qualifier out of the Brecksville bracket at 126. Whipkey defeated Alex Charvat of Kenston in the first round, 8-4, but then came up against the eventual second-place finisher, 40-5 Logan Heil of Brunswick. Whipkey was pinned in the first period, sending him into the consolation bracket. Whipkey did phenomenal work in the consis. The senior won his first match, 12-2, advancing to the semifinals. In the next round, Canyon Wells of Copley faced off with him. Wells entered with an intimidating 41-9 record, but Whipkey paid it no mind, beating his foe in a resounding 11-0 major decision.
The victory clinched Whipkey a spot at States, but did not end his journey, sending him to the consi finals against Caden Wendling of Berea-Midpark, the runner-up at the Brecksville sectional. In a test of wills, Whipkey emerged as the winner after a nail-biting 3-2 decision.
"I feel pretty good," Whipkey said at the end of the day. "I knew that if I did what I've been practicing all year, I'd come out on top. I feel absolutely amazing."
The Wildcats then experienced some heartbreak at 132. Patrick McGraw entered as one of the top men to beat in the bracket. In the first round, McGraw bested a hard-working opponent, 9-7, to advance to the second round. McGraw again took care of business, earning a 13-5 major decision to roll into Saturday's action with momentum. In the semifinal on Saturday, McGraw ran into a very good wrestler from Green, Caleb Graber. The senior handed McGraw a disappointing 12-5 decision, sending the Wildcats' senior to the consis. In the consi semifinals, McGraw matched up with James Bronstrup of Brecksville-Broadview Heights. At Sectionals, McGraw narrowly beat Bronstrup in the semifinals, 5-2, but in North Canton, McGraw was upset in heartbreaking fashion, 4-3.
Following the narrow loss, the Wildcats' captain and veteran leader took care of business in the fifth-place match with a 14-3 major decision, staking out a State alternate spot. McGraw now stands with a 45-10 record for his senior season.
The Wildcats' next grappler, DJ Huff, looked for a storybook ending to a great career with Saint Ignatius – a trip to States. Huff did everything in his power to successfully earn his ending. Huff tackled both of his first two foes, capturing wins via pin to advance to Saturday's 145 semifinal unscathed. In Saturday's first match, Huff ran into Massillon Perry's Darese Sparkman, the top seed from the Perry Sectional. In a very close match, Sparkman eked by Huff with a 6-4 victory, sending Huff to the consis. In a very low-scoring affair, an escape earned Huff a 1-0 win over Adam Salek of Walsh Jesuit in the consi semis, clinching a spot at States. Huff dropped a 5-2 decision to Daniel Patten of Stow-Munroe Falls in the consi final, but his fourth place finish punched his ticket to the big dance next weekend.
The Wildcats' final wrestler competed at 152. Zach Morgan drew a very difficult bracket, wrestling against eventual state qualifier Brady Linder of Medina Highland in the opening bout. Morgan suffered a 10-2 major decision, but kept working into the consi bracket. Morgan pinned his first foe in the consis, completing the feat in 1:37. In the next round, however, Morgan's high school wrestling career came to an end, as the senior came up against a tough opponent. Morgan fought hard, but was pinned, ending his District journey. Morgan finishes out the year with a 19-15 record.
At the end of the day, the Wildcats punched three tickets to Columbus – Novak with a 2nd place effort at 106, Whipkey with a 3rd place mark at 126, and Huff with a 4th place finish at 145.
All three men will wear the blue and gold proudly next weekend at the Schottenstein Center. Look for a preview later this week.
In the meantime, congratulations, men!