Kenston wrestling: Sean Doyle making most of first postseason tournament
Feb. 25—With the official's hand smacking the mat, Sean Doyle rose to his feet in a business-like manner and had his hand raised.
There was no celebration. There was no trash-talking.
That's because Kenston's junior heavyweight has been training for — and waiting patiently for — this moment for a few years now.
Doyle's 53-second pin of Streetsboro's Arthur Scott was his second blink-and-you'll-miss-it pin of the day, coming on the heels of a 36-second pin Padua's Gavin McClelland in the Division II sectional tournament that Kenston hosted on Feb. 25.
For the past two years, Doyle toiled behind his big brother Cale in the Kenson lineup. But as this year's postseason tournament trail gets rolling, the big "little brother" knows it is his time to shine.
And thus far, he's making the most of that opportunity.
"Last year I got a lot of experience when my brother partially tore his ACL and missed a lot of the season," Doyle said. "Once he came back, I knew he was better than me, so I let him have (the starting position). But I loved watching him and learned a lot from him. Doyle is using that knowledge this year."
After his two quick pins at the Kenston sectional, Doyle (38-3) decisioned Akron SVSM's Andy Vanscoy, 3-1, in overtime to advance to the sectional title bout. Results were not completed as of the afternoon of Feb. 25. He's still a little miffed that he's only ranked 18th by Borofan.net, but understands since he doesn't have much criteria from years past.
"I still think I should be ranked higher," said the ultra-competitive 11th-grader with a smile. "I know I'm under the radar. I came in to the season unranked because no one knows who I am. That motivates me."
He's taking that motivation out on his opponents to the tune of 39 wins. He uses a blend of brute strength — strength everyone saw during football season when he earned All-Ohio honors as an offensive tackle — with good foot-speed for a big man.
"Football is my main sport," he said. "I wrestle mainly for the footwork I need for football. Plus, it's super fun. It gets me competitive and ready for football. The two sports correlate very highly."
Down the road, Doyle hopes to earn a college football scholarship. He said he's heavily looking into Ivy League schools.
But prior to that, he has some unfinished business not only on the football field, but also on the wrestling mat. He said his goal this season wasn't a good performance at the sectional tournament, but beyond — next week at Garfield Heights and then at the state tournament in Columbus the weekend of March 10-11-12.
"I took every second the past two years to watch and learn from my brother," Doyle said. "I worked out with him at district last year and he's coming back next week to see me at districts. I can't wait. I want to make it to state. I think I will."
Finals results of the Kenston sectional were not completed as of the afternoon of Feb. 25. This article will be updated.
