Fuller brushes away foes at Kerr

Waite's Alex Herrick, left, puts down Maumee's Mikkal Johnson in the 140-pound final. Herrick won the title with a 14-3 win.

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Southview's Alex Latham, top, controls Waite's Jacob Wilson in the 130-pound division final. Latham won 8-1.

Waite senior Scott Fuller feels right at home at the Mary E. Kerr Memorial Invitational.

Fuller won his third straight Kerr title at the Waite Field House last night and was named the tournament's most valuable wrestler.

Fuller pinned two opponents and posted a major decision to reach the final of the 119-pound weight class where he defeated Kyle Ciccarello of Lyndhurst Brush 5-2.

"This is great because it's our home tournament and our whole team is here," Fuller said. "I try to set an example for the younger wrestlers here."

Waite also placed highest among the local contingent in the 23-team tournament. The Indians, who finished fifth, had three wrestlers reach the championship finals and two took home wins.

"I kind of thought that's where we would finish," Waite coach Carmen Amenta said. "It's a tough tournament. We usually do pretty well here.

Waite's Scott Fuller puts Kyle Ciccarello of Lyndhurst Brush on his head in the 119-pound final at the Kerr Memorial at Waite. Fuller won 5-2 and was named most valuable wrestler.

"Scott likes it here. When you're on your home turf, you get more pumped up."

Waite senior Alex Herrick won by major decision at 140.

"It's always good to get a win at home in front of our fans," Herrick said.

Clay, Liberty Center, Maumee and Sylvania Southview each had two wrestlers qualify for the finals. The Cougars' Alex Latham (130) and Greg Isley (189) were victorious.

Start's Nate Brubaker (152) and Anthony Wayne's Shaun Munson (160) were other local winners.

Lorain Southview, which had two individual champs, captured the team crown.

Fuller improved his record to 20-5 despite falling behind 2-0 early to Ciccarello. But he scored a reversal in the second period and a takedown in the third to win 5-2.

"I'm a third-period wrestler," Fuller said. "I like to tire the other guy out. I did what I do best which is defensive wrestling."

Isley, a 189-pounder, pinned his way through the tournament. He recorded four pins in a total time of 16:39.

Isley also tallied the most dramatic win in the finals. Isley (22-4) trailed Liberty Center's Chad McClory 4-3 with 25 seconds left. Isley escaped, took down McClory and punctuated it with a fall with 1.7 seconds left.

Waite's Alex Herrick, left, puts down Maumee's Mikkal Johnson in the 140-pound final. Herrick won the title with a 14-3 win.

"I turned him with a power half," Isley said. "That's got to be at the top of the charts. [The four pins] makes it so sweet."

Latham (24-2) decisioned Waite's Jacob Wilson 8-1 in the 130 final.

With no score, Latham turned Wilson with a half nelson for three back points in the second period. Latham, who also won the Southview Invitational and is ranked No. 1 in the area, then got a reversal and three more back points in the third.

"Once I got him on his back, I knew I had him," Latham said. "Then I just kept hammering at him. This lets you see where you are heading into sectionals."

The Indians got another win at 145 when Herrick tallied a major decision over Maumee's Mikkal Johnson 14-3. Herrick (29-2) led 5-0 after two periods and then poured it on with three takedowns and three back points.

"We wrestle the toughest schedule in northwest Ohio, so when we get here it's a little easier," Herrick said. "I think I had a lot more gas than him."

Brubaker, a sophomore from Start, implemented a new move installed this week in practice to pin Clay's Justin Wharton.

Brubaker said he hit a broomstick for a reversal and a fall in the second period.

"We put that in this week just for this tournament," Brubaker said.

Brubaker (22-2), who pinned Wharton earlier this season, also won the St. John's Invitational.

"This is a bigger win because of the tough competition here," he said.

Munson, a senior at Anthony Wayne, had to hold on in the 160 championship to collect his 100th career win. Munson

(19-1) led 4-3 after two periods and decisioned Nathan Launer of Hilliard Davidson 6-5.

"There are a lot of tough kids here," Munson said. "It was terrific. Fantastic."

At 103, Clay's Nick Garcia, who was not seeded, reached the finals. But Garcia lost by major decision (12-2) to top-seeded Uland Ralston of Lorain Southview.

Justin Biddle of Liberty Center came in seeded sixth but reached the championship finals at 125. However, Biddle was pinned by Jasper Few of Reynoldsburg.

At 145, Joe Crabtree of Hilliard Darby got a fall over Maumee's Michael Graves, who was seeded third.

Otsego's Jacob Southwick, who was the top seed at 285, was upset 5-2 by Grove City's Cody Beatty in the final.

Contact Mark Monroe at: mmonroe@theblade.com or 419-724-6354.