Even high school sports teams can have a “Big Three”. Crestwood Red Devils’ senior 132-pounder J.P. Wrobel and senior 150-pounder Drake Rennecker each became champions and senior 215-pounder Gavin McIntyre finished in third place, propelling the Red Devils to 14th place as a team with 91.5 points at the at the 58th Kenston Invitational Tournament last week in Bainbridge Township.
“All three of them wrestled a really solid tournament,” said Coach Dave Wrobel. “They wrestled pretty complete and wrestled some close bouts, which you always want to get under your belt before the postseason. They were battle-tested which was nice.”
For J.P., he finished the 2023 year by once again winning a title at the K.I.T.
He took third place in the 126-pound bracket in his sophomore season and then won his first title last season by competing in the same weight class. This year he wrestled up a weight class and still dominated the field.
“The K.I.T. has always been good to him and he has wrestled hard and wrestled well,” noted Crestwood’s 24th-year coach. “He has always been able to win some close matches which is good. J.P. is more of a pinner and during the second day of the tournament he had some good competition and that is going to bode well for him later in the season.”
J.P. went 4-0 to earn his second consecutive K.I.T. championship and rolled through the competition on Thursday, pinning Willoughby South freshman Mason Gumto with 39 seconds remaining in the first period of the second round and also pinning sophomore Gavin Burgett from Geneva with 1:00 left in the first period of the quarterfinal to earn a berth in the semifinals.
On Friday, J.P. earned a berth in the championship bout when he defeated Madison senior Jack Harrison 6-4 and repeated as a K.I.T. champion by beating junior Sal Bonacuse from Revere 6-2.
“In the semifinal, it was a good match for J.P. because he was actually down in the match and ended up fighting back to tie the score and take the lead and hold on for the lead as well,” Coach Wrobel said. “I was happy with the way he ended up getting the win.”
In the 150-pound bracket, Rennecker also went 4-0 en route to his first K.I.T title.
On Thursday, Rennecker’s run began with a first period pin of North Olmsted senior Mo Zureiqat with 58 seconds left in the period and then overpowered West Geauga freshman Austin Wheatley in the quarterfinal, winning 6-0 to become a semifinalist.
The 150-pound Crestwood senior returned on Friday with a thrilling 4-2 overtime victory against Revere junior Aidan Jones to earn a berth to the finals, coming back from an 0-2 deficit in the first period.
“He was down 2-0 and he ended up getting a few penalty points to even the match and that was where Drake really caught that second wind and got the winning takedown in overtime,” said Coach Wrobel. “Throughout the match, especially in the first period he had some situations where he was able to score but the kid outmaneuvered him.”
Rennecker claimed the 150-pound title when he pinned senior Jaden Hedrick from Crestview with 29 seconds left in the second period.
In the 215-pound bracket, McIntyre went 4-1 to finish in third place.
On Thursday, after receiving a bye, the Red Devils’ senior advanced to the second round by beating Chardon junior Logan Webster 5-2 then advanced to the semifinal bout when he beat senior Ben Conley of Fairview 9-2 in the quarterfinal.
McIntyre suffered his first loss on Friday when Keystone junior Jordan Folmer beat him 6-0 in the semifinal. According to Coach Wrobel, Folmer’s technique was too strong for McIntyre to bring him down but it was an improvement from his last match against Folmer, when the two grappled at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III district tournament last year, with Folmer pinning McIntyre.
“I was happy with the way he wrestled and obviously we need to tighten some things up. But in the end I like to see Gavin in those types of matches because that is what he is going to need in a few months when it comes time for the postseason,” Coach Wrobel added.
McIntyre rebounded in the consolation semifinal, winning 3-1 against West Geauga freshman Blake Welker and took third place when he beat senior Demitry Navarro 5-2 from Madison in the consolation championship bout.
For a Crestwood squad that is freshmen-heavy, the Red Devils’ senior trio set the tone with a dominating performance.
“All three of them have been through the gauntlet the last few years and know what the expectations are and have been making improvements,” Coach Wrobel said. “Those guys are definite leaders and they know what the expectations are for the program and they are good role models and leaders for the youngsters that are coming up behind them”
The Red Devils will return to the mat for the Portage County Tournament at Ravenna High School on Saturday at 10 a.m.
