An action-packed two days await the Saint Ignatius wrestling program.
Six Wildcats will compete for a chance to wrestle on the largest stage – the OHSAA Division I State Championships at the Schottenstein Center.
The right to wrestle in Columbus is earned at the District Tournament. This year, the six members of the Mat Cats will head south to North Canton Hoover for Districts.
This year, the Wildcats have a mix of favorites and underdogs. That's the nature of wrestling – some brackets are tougher than others. Here's a preview of what the Wildcats will be up against this weekend.
A schedule note: the first two championship rounds will take place on Friday, starting at 5 pm. The consolation bracket will start running through on Saturday at 9 am, followed by the semifinals. The championship matches will start at 6 pm tomorrow. The full schedule is available here. The brackets for all weight classes are available here.
Johnny Novak will start off the festivities at 106 pounds as a top seed. The junior carries a 35-7 record into the first round matchup with Dominic Vennetti of Boardman. Should he win, Novak will face off with the winner of Jack Schmidt vs. Zane Van Voorhis in the quarterfinals on Friday night.
Timmy Putka enters with a difficult draw at 113. The first-year Wildcat matches up with the top seed, 20-7 Mikey Lewarchick of Wadsworth, in the first round. Putka will look to make noise as an underdog freshman, as he's done all season, evidenced by his excellent 24-5 record.
At 126, Matthew Whipkey will kick things off against Kenston's Alex Charvat. The Bombers' senior rolls in with a 12-17 mark, compared to Whipkey's 28-12 record. Should Whipkey win his first contest, the senior would likely face a tough foe in the quarterfinals – Logan Heil. The Brunswick senior is the top seed in the bracket with a 34-3 record.
One of the Wildcats' top grapplers will do battle at 132. Patrick McGraw will be a top seed on the bottom half of the bracket, entering with a red-hot record of 39-6. McGraw will launch his run against Joe Wickline of GlenOak, the fourth qualifier from the Massillon Perry sectional. Should all go as planned, McGraw could face off against Jaivon Jones of Nordonia in the championship. That bout would be a highlight of the tournament – Jones enters with a spotless 38-0 mark.
DJ Huff will be the next Wildcats' competitor at 145. The senior rolls into the bracket with a 16-3 mark after claiming a Sectional title at Brecksville-Broadview Heights last week. Huff undertakes his trek in the first round against Matt Beard of Uniontown Lake. Huff will have plenty of top competition, but he'll fight hard for his first ticket to States.
Zach Morgan is the last Mat Cat at Districts at 152. The senior would love to cap off his Saint Ignatius career in style with a good showing in North Canton and Columbus. Morgan's journey will start Brady Linder of Medina Highland. The junior owns a 27-5 mark heading into the opening contest.
Be sure to follow @SIHSWrestling on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates from North Canton this weekend.