Central wins team title, sends 9 to state tourney

2/23/2014

BOWLING GREEN — Central Catholic won the team championship at the Division II district wrestling tournament Saturday night at Bowling Green’s Stroh Center, and the Fighting Irish will be sending what is believed to be record nine individuals from a school in Toledo to the state tournament.

Central — which got individual titles from cousins Josh and Alex Mossing, and from Chris Norwood and J’Quan Fisher — posted 191 points to top runner-up Lexington (115) for the team crown. Sandusky Perkins was third at 100.5, and Wauseon took fourth at 97.

“I’ve had some great kids come into our program,” said third-year Central coach Tony Guerra. “They’re hard workers and they lay it all on the line every time they step on the mat. The credit has to go to them.

“This was absolutely a great weekend. We had high hopes coming in, but district tournaments are so unpredictable. So, to get nine guys to state is an amazing feat, and I’m so proud of these guys.”

Josh Mossing took the title at 138 pounds with an 8-4 decision over Oak Harbor’s Jeremy Balboa.

“You just come out here wrestling your hardest in every single match to set yourself up for next week," he said. "You try to take everything and give away nothing. I tired to stay on my feet and score when I could.

“Getting nine guys to Columbus is huge. I’m really proud of my teammates.”

Alex Mossing, a defending state champion, followed with a crown at 152 pounds, besting Clyde’s Blake Miller 5-2.

“I feel like I’m in a good spot now,” said Alex Mossing, who missed a month of the season with an injury. "I had an infection in my shin that they had to cut open and drain out.

“This is just the next step on the way to state, which is the ultimate goal. It’s never routine. It’s still tough. You can’t take any match lightly.”

Norwood took a hard-fought 5-3 decision over Galion’s Deaken McCoy in the 220-pound final, and Fisher pinned Lexington’s Nate Temple at 3:11 of the 285-pound title match.

“This was fun to be a part of,” said Norwood, who is in his second year of wrestling. “We wrestled good this weekend, and we knew what we wanted. We didn’t come here to lose. This was no surprise.”

“He was trying to turn me, but it wasn’t going to happen,” Fisher said of setting up his pin. I got him on his back and it was only a matter of time.

"This feels great. I’ve only been wrestling for three years. I’m past pumped up.”

Irish wrestlers who placed second were Josh Venia, who lost 5-3 to Lima Shawnee’s Hunter Lucas in the 106 final; Nate Hagan, who was decisioned 3-1 by Wauseon’s Nate Hodges in the 132 final; and Richard Jackson, who dropped an 8-4 decision to Clyde’s Beau Minnick in the 145 championship match.

Central’s other two state qualifiers are Lucas Beauch, who took third at 160 pounds, and Rosendo Beltran, who took fourth at 120.

Wauseon’s other individual champion was Tre Campbell, who scored a 12-0 major decision over Eaton’s Aldin Leaker in the 160 title match.

His Indians teammate, Aaron Schuette was second at 170 pounds, losing by default to Seth Williams of Tiffin Columbian.

“I just wrestled hard and kept focused,” Campbell said. “I found out [Leaker] wasn’t good on bottom, so I just used that to my advantage. I’m really happy. Hopefully I can keep wrestling like I have been, and hopefully place at state.”

Napoleon got a title from Seth Beard, who took a 21-5 technical fall over Elida’s Blaine Hunter in the 113-pound final.

Fostoria’s Luke Leonard was a runner-up at 126 pounds, losing by fall at 3:24 of his title match against Springfield Northwestern’s Devin Rogers.

Oak Harbor’s other state qualifiers are Ben Petersen, who placed third at 145 pounds, and Rhett Petersen, who was fourth at 132.