Highland sends seven wrestlers to state tournament

Highland’s wrestling team knew things would get harder in the second week of the postseason – and they did. Still, the Hornets sent a strong group to the Division I state tournament this weekend in Columbus, with seven qualifiers and a pair of alternates.

Highland, which had two others finish sixth for a total of 12 placers among its 13 qualifiers, finished fourth in the district with 210 points. The Hornets trailed state powerhouses Perrysburg (271), St. Edward (259) and Brecksville (239) and were well ahead of fifth-place Avon Lake (100).

Junior Austin Bickerton was district champion at 120 pounds, the lone Hornet to top the podium but just one of seven Highland wrestlers headed to the Schottenstein Center with a secure spot on the state bracket.

Bickerton notched a pin and two technical falls before winning the final by default over Perrysburg’s Ayden Dodd.

Junior Brandon Bickerton finished second at 112, as did sophomore Kyle Scavuzzo at 132. Bickerton had a pair of pins and a technical fall before losing a tough 2-1 decision in the final to Rylan Seacrist of Brecksville. Look for that pair to potentially battle for the state crown. Scavuzzo started with a technical fall, then stopped Toledo Whitmer’s Ayden Ledesma in the ultimate tiebreaker before upsetting top seed Lucas Schulz of Brecksville 3-2. Scavuzzo lost a major decision, 19-6, in the final to Alex Denkins of Perrysburg.

Junior Brennon Kicker finished third at 150, as did seniors Niko Giatis and Cody Bendau at 165 and 285, respectively. Kicker and Giatis lost in the semifinals but went 2-0 in consolations. Bendau lost his quarterfinal match after starting with a win, then went 4-0 in the consolation bracket.

Senior Kallen Whitling, who earlier in the week committed to play football at John Carroll University, placed fourth at 215 to earn a state berth. He was a semifinalist before losing, then bounced back to win his “blood” match to guarantee himself a place at state.

Sophomores Joseph Oriti and Lukas Grillis placed fifth at 175 and 190, respectively, along with freshman Leonidis Giatis at 144, to earn trips to state as alternates. Oriti went 3-2 over the weekend to secure fifth place. Giatis was a semifinalist before falling and then lost by decision in the blood round. Grillis had a busy weekend thanks to a first-round loss, after which he went 4-1 in the consolation bracket.

Sophomore Caleb Berger finished sixth at 126, along with junior Hoyt Pylypiak at 138. Both were semifinalists but couldn’t get the third win needed to reach state. Pylypiak was a particularly hard-luck loser, falling 4-2 to Joel Brink of Green in the blood round.

Junior 157-pounder Artha Rogers was the only Hornet not to place in the district but still won a pair of bouts.

Buckeye wrestling

The Bucks had four wrestlers qualify for the Division II state tournament, including one sectional champion and one runner-up. Winning a title at the Kenston District was Blake Bartos, who captured the 138-pound division. Brody Zoul finished second at 165. Also making it to Columbus were Collin Bartos (fourth place, 113) and Logan Letner (fourth, 144). Brenden McKee placed sixth in the district at 126.

The Bucks placed fourth in the district with 102 points, trailing champion Perry (144), West Geauga (124) and St. Vincent-St. Mary (102).