Streetsboro Rockets’ wrestling Coach Mark Skonieczny said that he believes his squad’s time to win the Metro Athletic Conference tournament is coming sooner than later. Streetsboro inched closer to the top of the pack by netting second place with a team score of 170.0 points and crowning four champions last Saturday at Woodridge High School in Peninsula.
“I had some freshmen that performed very well,” said the third-year coach. “I went in with more freshmen in that lineup than anything and we still were right there. We went 6-1 in the duals and finished second with a young team and 70% of my team bumped up a weight class to wrestle in this tournament.”
Streetsboro will begin its postseason in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II sectional tournament at West Branch High School in Beloit on Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m.
The Rockets advanced eight wrestlers to the championship round and went four-for-eight in the final bouts to finish 32.5 points behind tournament champion Woodridge.
Streetsboro’s first champion was junior 106-pound Johnny Bollinger, who persevered through a bruised shoulder to go 3-0 and win the league title.
After advancing to the semifinal with a bye, Bollinger earned a championship berth by defeating freshman Brody Finegan from Norton by a 20-4 technical fall and capped off his day by besting Akron Coventry sophomore Travis Chapman 7-4 in sudden overtime.
“In the third period, Johnny turned him and got a four-count,” noted Skonieczny. “That kid got out, so the match was tied 4-4 and went into overtime and Johnny took a shot. He had to take a shot to win it, took him down and won the match. I know he is a 108-pound kid, but he is a tough kid.”
Reigning OHSAA Division II 106-pound state champion Jarreau Walker captured his third consecutive league title, going 3-0 to win the 113-pound bracket.
“In his first match, his pin was within 10 seconds, and he had another quick pin in the finals,” said Skonieczny. “He was voted conference wrestler of the year by the coaches and won his third conference title. This was just about Jarreau making his weight and having some fun.”
Walker received a bye in the first round and pinned freshman Ethan Rose from Akron Coventry at the 1:50 mark of the first period of the semifinal and sealed his league title when he pinned Woodridge sophomore Logan Wojchiekwoski with 1:06 remaining in the first period of the championship bout.
Junior 165-pound Jerry Benci wrapped up a title by posting a 3-0 record.
“He was 157 pounds all year and he battled then when our 165-pounder broke his foot,” said Skonieczny. “We did not have a back-up 165-pounder, but we had a back-up 157 so I asked Jerry if he would bump up a weight class and give it everything you got and without hesitation he said, ‘Whatever you want me to do coach.’”
Benci received a bye in the first round of the bracket and netted a spot in the championship when he pinned senior Noah Parker from Woodridge with 19 seconds remaining in the second period of the semifinal match.
Benci clinched the 165-pound league title when he defeated Norton sophomore Hunter Ule by a 17-8 major decision, avenging a loss he suffered against Ule in a dual meet several weeks ago.
“Jerry went out and attacked him and he snapped on him, body-faked him, shot into his legs, Jerry drove him off the mat multiple times,” added Skoneiczny. “He went after this kid and broke him. Jerry was up by six with about 10-12 seconds left and took him down again, he wanted to finish that match on top of that kid. I can’t say enough about how he performed over the weekend.”
Streetsboro’s final champion of the weekend was freshman Avery Conroy, who tallied a 3-0 record to win the 175-pound weight class in his MAC tournament debut.
“This kid is just a freshman and believes nobody can beat him,” said Skoneiczny. “He is still 14-years-old but he is the guy you don’t want to face, because he will catch you. He has six minutes to pin you regardless of the score.”
Conroy triumphed against Field freshman Owen Evans by pinning him at the 1:24 mark of the first period of his first-round bout, then pinned sophomore Parker Pearce from Norton with 36 remaining in the first period of the semifinal.
The Rockets’ freshman wrapped up a league title when he pinned Woodridge sophomore Freddie Pettit at the 1:11 mark of the first period in the final.
Junior 120-pound Jayden Kittle went 2-1 to take second place, sophomore Brayden Kittle compiled a 2-1 record take second place in the 126-pound weight class, freshman 138-pound Colin Scalia posted a 2-1 record to finish as the runner-up and senior Cam Rogowski recorded a 2-1 record to take second place in the 150-pound bracket.
