Eisenhower opened its 2012-13 wrestling season with a fourth-place team finish and two individual championships at the Eisenhower Kick-off Tournament held on Saturday at Eisenhower High School.
Jeb Fedorchuk (126 pounds, 5-0 record) and Jake Johnson (195, 5-0) were the two first-place finishers for the Knights, which finished with a total of 180 points as a team.
Falconer took first place in the tournament for the second consecutive year with 227 points, while Central Tech and Jamestown took second and third, respectively, with 188.5 and 182.5 points.
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Times Observer photo by Jonathan McAfoos
Wrapped up
Eisenhower’s Hunter Keppel and his Jamestown opponent get tied up during an early match at the Eisenhower Kick-off Wrestling Tournament held on Saturday at Eisenhower High School.
Girard, Johnsonburg, Strong Vincent and Keystone also competed in the tournament.
Eisenhower had several strong performances in addition to Fedorchuk and Johnson, including second-place finishes from Steve Haner (120, 2-2) and Louie Head (152, 4-1), as well as third-place finishes for Coty Cantrell (145, 2-2) and Robbie Wilston (160, 2-2).
"We had some individuals wrestle really well," said first-year Eisenhower coach Kiel Woodburn. "We had some bright spots. The captains pulled through and won. Louie Head, a freshman, came in and wrestled well, and he's on the right track, and (Steve) Haner kind of came from nowhere and wrestled well."
Still, Woodburn insisted that there is plenty of work to be done.
"With it being our first tournament, you could tell throughout the day that we need to get the rust off," Woodburn said. "But as the day went on, we got better. We've still got a long, long way to go. There were positives and negatives, but they're correctible negatives, which is a good thing. We know what we need to fix."
The Knights well get back on the mat on Tuesday, when they travel to Corry.
Team Results: 1. Falconer, 227 points; 2. Central Tech, 188.5 points; 3. Jamestown, 182.5 points; 4. Eisenhower, 180 points; 5. Girard, 168.5 points; 6. Strong Vincent, 126 points; 7. Keystone, 97 points; 8. Johnsonburg, 62.5 points.
Eisenhower individual results:
Alex Wolcott, 106, 0-4; Steven Haner, 120, 2-2, 2nd place; Jeb Fedorchuk, 126, 5-0, 1st place; Tyler Gourley, 132, 1-3; Joel Haight, 138, 0-4; Coty Cantrell, 145, 2-2, 3rd place; Louie Head, 152, 4-1, 2nd place; Robbie Wilston, 160, 2-2, 3rd place; Jake Johnson, 195, 5-0, 1st place; Hunter Keppel, 220, 0-4; Dylan Raines, 285, 0-4.
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Sheffield wrestling
GREENVILLE -Sheffield went 3-2 on Saturday at the Greenville Duals, "so they achieved their goal," said Sheffield coach Jack Rice.
The Wolverines finished with a winning record, which was the goal of the team, including a 42-39 opening win over Cambridge Springs.
Freshman Tanner Barr started his wrestling career with a pin in 13 seconds and finished 4-1 at 106 pounds. Another freshman, Kyle Holden, was 4-1 at 113.
"They really stepped it up this weekend," said Rice, whose Wolverines also defeated Conneaut, 42-37, and Northwestern, 39-32, losing to Meadville, 54-22, and Cochranton, 52-24.
Doug Grubbs returned with a 5-0 mark at 138 to start the season for Sheffield. Tyler Bertin was 4-1 at 195, and Ricky Prosen 3-2 at 120.
"We just lost the 220-pounder so that's the only weight we're giving up," said Rice. "We're still really young with two seniors on the team, and only one starting. Overall, I was pleased with the first (action)."
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Youngsville wrestling
ST. MARYS - Youngsville finished fourth out of seven teams, and Jaykup Durlin won the 220-pound bracket, at the St. Marys Tournament on Saturday.
"It was kind of a benchmark to see where we were at and what we need to do," said Youngsville coach Scott Ishman, whose Eagles are at North East on Tuesday.
Jeremy Lyon (170) and Stone Sivak (182) finished second. Zach Ishman, Ben Hoover, Hayden Victor, Austin Slocum and Kris Wilcox all placed fourth in their respective weight classes.
Victor, Slocum and Wilcox each earned their first varsity wins.