DIVISION I

Local contenders enjoy early wins

4 of 8 Perrysburg competitors move on at state; Clay advances 4

2/28/2014
BY DONALD EMMONS
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
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    Perrysburg’s J.P. Newton, right, scores a takedown on Noah Edwards of Twinsburg in their 152-pound match.

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  • Perrysburg’s J.P. Newton, right, scores a takedown on Noah Edwards of Twinsburg in their 152-pound match.
    Perrysburg’s J.P. Newton, right, scores a takedown on Noah Edwards of Twinsburg in their 152-pound match.

    COLUMBUS — Half of Perrysburg's eight state qualifiers earned victories their first time out on the mat at the Division I state wrestling individual tournament on Thursday at the Schottenstein Center.

    J.P. Newton, Rocco Caywood, Kadin Llewellyn, and Cale Bonner will open the second day of the three-day tournament in the winner's bracket.

    Mario Guillen, Moises Guillen, and Dan Waltermeyer bounced back from opening-round losses and earned wins to move on to the consolation quarterfinals set for today.

    "We didn't have the best first round that we wanted to have, even the [matches] we won," Perrysburg coach Sam Cotterman said. "I like the way we came back in that second round."

    Newton, a 152-pounder, dominated his match with Twinsburg's Noah Edwards. He dictated the match from the start and earned a 12-4 major decision over Edwards.

    "We had a game plan going into the match and I just wanted to keep the tempo going at my pace," said Newton, a third-place finisher at state a year ago. "

    Clay’s Matt Stencel is in serious trouble as James Love of Reynoldsburg has him in a cradle in their Division I 182-pound match. Stencel came back and won by fall.
    Clay’s Matt Stencel is in serious trouble as James Love of Reynoldsburg has him in a cradle in their Division I 182-pound match. Stencel came back and won by fall.

    Caywood, at 182 pounds, looked strong en route to scoring a 12-3 major decision over Lewis Center Olentangy's Nate Hall. A loser in two matches at state a year ago, he was determined not to relive last year's opening round disappointment.

    Caywood was confident about performing well.

    "This is big," Caywood said. "Last year I went 0-2, this year coming in and winning my first match was huge.

    "Coming in with a year of experiencing being here in front of a big crowd in a big stadium, it's just great to already have that experience. It helps you out a lot [dealing with nerves].

    "I felt in great condition. I felt I was in better condition than my opponent. I took a shot at him right at the beginning, but he scrambled out of it. But once I took him down I just knew I had to pick it up and score points."

    Llewellyn (192) experienced a tough challenge from Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller's Jerry Thornberry. However, he showed plenty of grit in pulling out a 3-1 decision.

    Bonner won his heavyweight match by displaying plenty of stamina and poise to score a 1-0 decision over Massillon Perry's Seth Maylor.

    Mario Guillen remain in contention at 106 after scoring a 4-3 decision over Lakota East's Sam Roth in a consolation match. Moises Guillen bounced back from losing his first match by defeating Green's Noah Schaub, 6-4, in a 120-pound match. Waltermeyer prevailed 9-7 over Garfield Heights' David Celinski in a 160-pound contest.

    Clay's Richie Screptock, Gavin Nelson, Nick Stencel, and Matt Stencel also made it through the first day.

    Screptock (132), made it clear he was ready to wrestle. He put an early end to his match when he pinned Olentangy Liberty's Trey Grenier at the 1:54 mark.

    Nelson held off Cincinnati St. Xavier's Ben Heyob to win at 138 pounds with a 5-2 decision.

    Nick Stencel pulled out a 3-1 decision over Hilliard Darby's Sean Black in a 160-pound match. Matt Stencel advanced to the championship quarterfinals by pinning Reynoldsburg's James Love at the 3:45 mark.

    "We're all wanting to place in the state tournament and do as well as we can, but we've got such a good group this year that we're all looking to go in the top five in the state this year," Stencel said.

    Fremont Ross' Trey Grine edged Boardman's Mario Graziani with an 8-6 decision to move on in the championship bracket.

    Springfield's Ross Lonsway (195) remains in competition after pinning Madison's Drew Schiemann at the 2:48 mark of a consolation match.

    Contact Donald Emmons at: demmons@theblade.com, 419-724-6302 or on Twitter @DemmonsBlade.