Recordpub.com - Ravenna dominates PTC Tournament finals Ravens win third straight title, Woodridge takes second

By Michael Leonard

Gateway News Sports Editor

ROOTSTOWN -- All season long, the Portage Trail Conference race appeared to be a battle between Ravenna and everyone else.

When the smoke cleared following the conclusion of the PTC Wrestling Tournament on Saturday at Rootstown High School, the Ravens had confirmed their dominance.

Five weight-class championships led the Ravens to 218.5 points, good for their third consecutive PTC Tournament title and their third straight Metro Division title.

Woodridge put up a fight for the team title, but didn't have enough firepower to catch the Ravens. The Bulldogs finished with 194 points, good for second place overall and their third consecutive County Division title.

Norton (150.5 points), Streetsboro (137.5) and Crestwood (137) rounded out the top five.

Ravens coach Mike Whitmore was very happy with his team's effort.

"I think we went out and showed we were the best team here," Whitmore said. "(Woodridge) is tough, but our seniors really wanted this one. They went out and really wanted to end their careers on a high note."

All five of Ravenna's champions were seniors, beginning with 125-pounder Scott Meyer, who scored a 19-3 technical fall over Coventry's Ian Burley.

"I finally got healthy, and it's the right time for me to be healthy," Meyer said. "The goal is to be a state champion."

At 140 pounds, Ravenna's Isaac Dukes seemed to toy with Coventry's Colton May on his way to a 16-1 technical fall.

Whitmore called 152-pounder Tony Karaffa "my MVP" after he defeated Woodridge's Pat Rado 5-3 in the semifinals and won a tight 5-4 decision over Springfield's Jerry Boso in the final.

"I had to wrestle solid against Boso, and he wasn't giving anything up early," Karaffa said. "Finally, in the third period, I got him."

Ravenna got a big win at 171 pounds to seal the title, as Brandon Boggs put Woodridge's Andy Jenkins on his back in the first period and held on for a 6-2 win.

Heavyweight Brad Hager put the icing on the cake for the Ravens with a 12-6 win over Norton's Joe Rutherford.

While his team fell short of the overall title, Woodridge coach Mike Massey said his squad's performance was far from a disappointment.

"I'm proud of these guys," Massey said. "Every kid wrestled as hard as they could today. Ravenna's got a great team. I heard Mike (Whitmore) say that everyone was missing some people, but we're as healthy as can be."

Woodridge's second-place effort was aided by a 6-2 record in the final session, although only one Bulldog brought home gold.

That honor came from 160-pounder Jeremy Hathaway, who survived a wild first two periods with Mogadore's Shayne Stewart before scoring the pin at 5:55.

"It was a battle the first time I faced Stewart," Hathaway said. "He's a tough kid, but I knew he might slow down in the third period. I train hard, so I never run out of energy."

Norton and Southeast each had two champions. The Panthers got titles from 103-pounder Josh Beddow, who pinned Crestwood's Paige Nemec in 5:15, and 145-pounder Drew Leonard, who bested Streetsboro's Joe Rydzinski 14-6.

Meanwhile, Southeast got titles from 112-pounder Chris Hylton, who beat Mogadore's Joe Bailes 10-7, and 119-pounder Brent Ford, who pinned Garfield's Travis Harbert in 5:34.

Streetsboro's fourth-place finish overall was enough to give the Rockets second place outright in the County Division. The Rockets also got their first league champion since Todd Densmore in 2005 when 135-pounder John Fraley beat Ravenna's Randy Carpenter 2-0.

A switch in the Kent Roosevelt lineup that allowed Phillip Smith to move to 215 proved to be a good move. Smith ended up winning the 215-pound title with an 18-3 win over Field's Josh Bovino.

Other champions included Coventry's Randy Henline at 130 pounds and Springfield's Mike Talbert at 189 pounds.