Posted By Eddie Dwyer and updated by Eddie at 8:41 p.m.
Coach Mark Sullivan's varsity wrestling team took to the mats at the North Royalton Division I sectional on Friday night and there is some good news to report from the first night of action.
Seniors Tommy Zeigler at 126 pounds and Max Baughman at 220 came away with pins in both of their matches, as Tommy defeated his opponents in 0:16 and 0:17. Max's pins came at 2:56 and 3:55.
Wildcats 113-pound standout Jim Ferritto drew a bye and then went on to defeat his opponent by technical fall, 16-0.
In other key quarterfinal matches involving the Wildcats, Kyle Vilsack won by a 13-5 major decision at 138 pounds, Dan Lynch came up with a 4-3 decision at 145, Anthony McLaughlin pinned his opponent in 3:25 at 170 pounds, and Isen Vajusi came away with a 12-3 major decision at 195.
Among some of the early match ups, sophomore Besar Vajusi, Isen's brother, recorded an 11-6 decision at 152 before being defeated in the next round.
Wrestling resumes on Saturday at 11 a.m., with the finals scheduled for 6.
Here are the team standings heading into Saturday: 1. Maple Heights 90; 2. Parma 76 1/2; 3. Bedford 65 1/2; 4. North Royalton 64; 5. Saint Ignatius 62 1/2; 6. Shaker Heights 46 1/2; 7. Garfield Heights 37; 8. Cleve. Heights 15; 9. Normandy 13; 10. Valley Forge 9; 11. Rhodes 8; 12. Lincoln-West 7.
JUST A REMINDER: Coach Sean O'Toole's varsity basketball team, coming off a hard-earned 58-54 victory at Cleveland Heights on Thursday night (see the corner's story below), will take on the Villa Angela-St. Joseph Vikings in Sullivan Gymnasium on Saturday night. It will be a match up of the area's second (Saint Ignatius) and third-ranked teams. The night, which will also feature a tribute to our Safety Forces, will get underway with a junior varsity game at 6 bells, followed by the highly anticipated varsity encounter at 7:30.
The Wildcats (15-3), who are also ranked eighth in the Associated Press Division I state poll, will take a six-game winning streak into Saturday's headliner and VASJ, the No. 1 team in the AP's Division IV state poll, is 17-2 and has now won 14 consecutive games after defeating St. Peter Chanel, 67-53, at VASJ on Friday night.
AND MANY MORE TO COME: The corner would like to wish a Happy Birthday to Wildcats standout senior post Derek Sloan, who turned 18 on Friday. Derek spent part of his special day in Sullivan Gym preparing for the VASJ Vikings.
A LEGEND IN SULLY: On hand Friday to watch Coach O'Toole's Wildcats prepare for the Vikings was former Saint Ignatius basketball coaching legend Marty Chambers. Several of the current Wildcats walked over to Coach Chambers to say hello and introduce themselves. And of course this old-timer couldn't let Marty get away without us reminiscing about the great days of the West Senate and East Senate, and the tradition-rich East Tech Scarabs of the late 1950s, '60s and early '70s.