PREP ROUNDUP | West Holmes leads the way during busy wrestling weekend
Saturday, Jan. 16
WRESTLING
Jesse Campbell Memorial Cougar Duals
West Holmes was simply unbeatable at the Jesse Campbell Memorial Cougar Duals held at Crestview High School. Rolling to a 10-0 finish, the Knights defeated Elyria Catholic, Greenon, Clear Fork, Northmor, Ontario, Delaware Hayes, Marion Pleasant, Mansfield Senior and Mentor.
“One of the things we been working on is being a more physical team and our wrestling mindset,” said West Holmes coach Scott Vaughn. “We did a good job this weekend with both and really with this many matches, we told the kids as long as everyone does their job, we will win the dual. We are improving each week, the kids continue to get better and results showed that for themselves.”
Headlining the way were Brady Smith, Mason Taylor and Tucker Kaufman with 10-0 performances.
“Brady is finally getting healthy and he wrestled lights out last weekend and this weekend,” said Vaughn. “He is a great leader and works super hard.
“Mason was totally different kid from last weekend as he looked like a man on a mission and it was nice to see him wrestle to his potential. Tucker is starting to get into wrestling shape from football and it’s nice to have him back and to his normal ways — winning a bunch of matches and getting a lot of pins.”
Nordonia Duals
Getting the chance to take on some more tough competition, Tuslaw simply didn’t back down and came out swinging at the Nordonia Duals. The Mustangs went 2-3, with wins over Madison (42-34) and Cuyahoga Heights (48-25), and losses to Chardon (41-39), Nordonia (63-30) and Minerva (53-30).
“We wrestled some pretty good teams and I think we are headed in the right direction,” said Tuslaw coach Chase Horvath. “We got some big wins, we want to beat the kids who are ranked, our middle of the lineup is doing what they need to do. The competition preparing them for the postseason.”
Jacob Lyons led the way for the ‘Stangs by going 5-0 with four pins and extended winning streak to 12. Zach Lyons only blemish was a 4-1 overtime loss Israel Petite, from Nordonia, who is ranked No. 8 in Div. I.
“Facing a state-ranked kid in Div. I and going to OT says a lot,” said Horvath about Zach. “He is capable of winning these matches against this type of talent and it shows where he is. He is wrestling tremendous.”
Horvath went to talk about his unbeaten grappler over the weekend, Jacob Lyons.
“Jacob is a grinder and he is taking a beating every week, because he is throwing everything he has into each match. He is the epitome of wrestling. If you beat him, you are going to feel it. He just goes out every time and attacks the whole match through.”
Maxwell Cooper was a man on a mission, going 4-1 with three pins, and Devyn Vanest finished at 4-1 with three pins for Tuslaw.
“Maxwell just goes out and wins. He didn’t have the sophomore year I expected, but he is back and ready to wrestle,” added Horvath. “Devyn wrestled tough today and got caught in a situation in his only loss.”
Spartan Invitational
Wrestling at the Spartan Invitational held at Akron Springfield, Chippewa enjoyed plenty of success on the day. With three grapplers in the finals and four total inside the top four, the Chipps kept their season rolling.
“The kids continue to impress me,” said Chippewa coach Hanna Hall. “We are hoping to carry that same momentum through the rest of the season.”
There was Trent Zollinger (165), Neil Miller (175) and Nate Morris (215) with big-time efforts as they battled their way into the finals. All three finished as runner-ups. At 285, Tyler Lower won his third-place battle to finish third on the day for the Chipps.
BOYS BASKETBALL
West Holmes 53, Maysville 48
West Holmes picked up the non-conference win over Maysville behind a balanced attack that was led by Blake Morrison and Channer Wells. Morrison scored a team-high 15 points and had seven rebounds, and Wells finished with 13 points and a team-leading eight boards.
“Our intensity was awesome from start to finish tonight,” said Knights coach Don Hall. “We are starting to get a few players on the same page at the same time and it’s beginning to show. I keep telling my players, ‘Trust in the process, we are going to be a tough and decent team when we start jelling together.’”
Also playing well for West Holmes were Zevin Proper with seven while Mason Wolfe, Brock Zimmerly and Korbin Felton each scored six.
Loudonville 53, Kingsway Christian 50
Loudonville got the best of Kingsway Christian to earn a non-conference win.
Setting the pace was Isaac Gessner with a team-high 16 points. There was Zach Frankford tossing in eight while Conner Harper and Camden Stanton both finished with seven apiece.
Norwayne 77, Malvern 65 (Spectrum Orthopedics Classic)
Playing in the Spectrum Orthopedics Classic held at North Canton Hoover, Norwayne used a 21-11 fourth quarter run to defeat a quality Malvern team.
Isaiah Portis led the charge with a team-high 22 points and added three rebounds, and Justin Rupp was dialed in with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists. Ethan Hann scored 18 and had a team-high five assists, and Parker Metsker matched him with five assists.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Triway 58, Norwayne 43
A pair of tough starts to both halves proved to be too much for Norwayne to overcome as it fell to Triway inside The Pit. The Titans outscored the Bobcats 28-8 in that time frame as they picked up multiple big efforts.
“This was a good win for the girls against a good Norwayne team,” said Triway coach Mike Miller.
Aaliyah Wirth had a terrific all-around game, knocking down three 3-pointers, scoring a team-high 23 points and grabbing a team-leading seven rebounds. Caitlin Titler poured in 12 points and snared six boards, Kelsie Himes scored nine while Mallory Fluharty and Haylee Pruitt both added five points.
The Bobcats were led by Andrea Maibach with 24 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and Shelby Vaughn with eight points. Lily Rieman chipped in three points and finished with five boards.
Gilmour Academy 53, Tuslaw 35 (Classic in the Country)
Gilmour Academy had a little too much firepower and forced 21 Tuslaw turnovers to pick up a win in the Classic in the Country opener.
Jada Weaver scored a team-high 12 points for the Mustangs, but no other player had more than six.
The Mustangs led 15-8 after the first quarter but trailed by halftime and Gilmour put Tuslaw away with a 16-3 fourth quarter.
West Branch 44, Chippewa 39
Facing a tough Div. II West Branch squad, who entered at 13-3, Chippewa had its work cut out and grabbed the early 11-8 lead. Still by the end, it was the Warriors who had the answers and earned the win.
Abby Henegar led the Chipps with a team-high 15 points and completed a double-double with 11 rebounds. There was Tristan Nash scoring seven and grabbing three boards, Jaclyn Jundzilo had six points and Kendal Shiarla finished with four points and three rebounds.
Brunswick 54, Wooster 33
Two nights removed from a huge emotional win over Ohio Cardinal Conference rival West Holmes, Wooster simply couldn’t get it kicked into gear against Brunswick. Instead it was the Blue Devils dictating the pace and took home the dub.
“This is the first time this group has had an emotional win and then had to play two days later,” said Generals coach Alex Kacere. “You could tell we left everything out on the court on Thursday and today was a good learning experience to get us ready for the end of the year tournament. Brunswick plays hard and had a really good thing going."
Leading the way for Wooster was Nora Levy with 11 points and five assists, and Eily Badertscher with seven points.
“Our focus is positive work to get ready for Mt. Vernon next Thursday,” said Kacere.
West Holmes 38, Orrville 27
West Holmes rebounded from a tough loss on Thursday night with a gritty win over Orrville in non-conference action. Holding a 24-18 lead through three quarters, the Knights sealed the win with a 14-9 run to finish the game.
Kinsey Patterson led the way for West Holmes with 13 points and Ella McMillen finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. There was Melanie Fair with six points and seven boards, Allie McMillen added five points and nine rebounds, and Keegan Uhl had six assists and three boards.
The Red Riders were led by Averi Haley with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the double-double, and Brittney Butzer scored five. Ella Gonzales added three points and five boards, and Abby Gonzales posted three rebounds, two assists, three steals and three points for Orrville.
Massillon Perry 54, Dalton 46
Perry came out fast and took control of this battle early and then finished as Dalton lost in this non-league matchup.
The Bulldogs were led on the day by Addesa Miller, Ella Lunsford and Mia Weaver. Miller drained three 3-pointers, scored a team-high 19 and had four rebounds, and Lunsford dialed in two trifecta’s, had 17 points and five boards. Weaver, the senior leader, finished with three points and three assists, but was a monster on the glass with 11 rebounds.
Smithville 57, Wellington 14
A trio of players hit double figures and Smithville rolled past Wellington in this non-league affair.
Naomi Keib led the way for the Green Machine with a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, both team highs. Madi Singer touched home 10 points and grabbed six boards, Cammi Wickens had 10 points and four boards, and Aly Wickens finished with eight points and three assists.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Prep Roundup: West Holmes leads the way during busy wrestling weekend
