Watching Brush senior Devon Range wrestle, it's easy to be impressed by his power and agility on the mat. But what's happening under the hood of this 135-pound dynamo is equally intriguing. "I'm taking AP physics now and we're learning about forces, friction and levers, and that helps a ton," he said. "I know how much I weigh. I...
Watching Brush senior Devon Range wrestle, it's easy to be impressed by his power and agility on the mat. But what's happening under the hood of this 135-pound dynamo is equally intriguing.
"I'm taking AP physics now and we're learning about forces, friction and levers, and that helps a ton," he said. "I know how much I weigh. I know how much they weigh because they're the same weight class. And if I put this much weight here, they're going to go over. I like to be able to know where I need to put pressure, how much and in what direction."
Range, who recently scored a 32 on his ACT, said he wants to study architecture in college.
"I've like logic, I like order, I like art and it seems to combine everything," he said.
Range, who placed fifth at state last year, recently changed his outlook on his quest to become a rare third-generation state champion, following in the footsteps of his grandfather (David Range II, 1963, Garfield Heights) and father (David Range III, 1986, Cleveland Heights).
"This whole season I've been trying to win it because I wanted to do it for the family," he said. "But pretty recently, I've thought about it more. I realized I have to do it because I want it, not because my family wants it. I know that sounds egocentric, but it has to be for me, now."
Battle brewing: It doesn't have the glamour of Wadsworth-St. Edward, but there's another Medina-Cuyahoga battle brewing at the district tournaments this weekend. Highland and Padua are among the best teams at the often-overlooked Marion Harding Division II district.
Highland and Padua will battle defending district champion Oak Harbor at Harding, and the local pair could finish top-five at the state tournament next week.
At the Medina sectional last week, Highland beat Padua, 244.5-226, for first place. Both teams have three returning state-placers, and both have built solid lineups around their trio. Highland has 11 district qualifiers and Padua has eight.
"I have to give high marks to Padua," Highland coach Paul Casey said. "We were pretty confident we would do well, and every time we turned around, Padua was still there chasing us. Padua took the lead at 135 in the final round. It's great to have that kind of sectional.
"We have to not get too overconfident and go out there and wrestle like we did last week. We're trying to build like we did throughout the course of the season."
Dan Mirman (135 pounds) was a state runner-up for Highland last year and Tyler Bloniak (152) and Adam Kluk (160) placed.
Padua features returning state-placers Brent Fickel (130), Collan DaFonseca (135) and Andrew Romanchik (140), plus standout Bobby Mason at 112.
"The room is a really good battle," Padua coach Dave Morell said. "They've learned to compete hard and make each other better. When you're wrestling against Fickel, who is tall, or Collan, who is short, every day, it makes them better. It's really intense in the room, and there's good camaraderie."
Girl power: There's a good chance tonight's 103-pound quarterfinals at Firestone could feature a match between Conneaut sophomore Alesha Zappitella (33-10) and Crestwood freshman Connor Nemec (29-7). Nemec has plenty of experience wrestling girls. He grew up sparring against his sister, Paige, who last year became Ohio's first female state qualifier as a Crestwood senior. Paige was a senior 103-pounder last year and went 1-2 at state.
Zappitella is a pinner. At the Lake Catholic sectional last week, Zappitella pinned in the quarterfinals in 48 seconds and the semifinals in 38 seconds.
The Big Three in DIII: Defending Division III state champion Monroeville suffered a big hit when returning state qualifiers Cal Clark and Brent Wilken did not wrestle at the sectional because of injuries. Wrestling analyst Josh Lowe said Monroeville can still score 80 to 85 points at state next week with its trio of three-time state champs, Hunter Stieber, Cam Tessari and Chris Phillips. That's why St. Peter Chanel and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy need to get as many wrestlers out as possible this week. Lowe said both local schools are capable of scoring 100 points at state if they have eight to 10 state qualifiers.
Get back:Mayfield senior Dan McNulty (125) is a two-time state-placer, but last year wasn't one of them, and he's looking to get back on the stand and improve on fifth- and fourth-place finishes his freshman and sophomore years.
"I'm not as pressured this year. I feel like I want to be out on the mat instead of just having to be out on the mat," he said.
McNulty's sectional win at Willoughby South last week was his first tournament championship this season.
"He's more focused this year," teammate Tylan Coleman said. "He's definitely trained hard."
Final rankings:St. Edward (Division I), St. Paris Graham (Division II) and Chanel (Division III) were poll champions in the final Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association state poll. In Division I, Wadsworth was ranked second, Brecksville sixth, Elyria seventh and Mayfield ninth. Walsh Jesuit was third in Division II and Padua 10th. CVCA was third in Division III.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: twarsinskey@plaind.com, 216-999-4661
Source: http://highschoolsports.cleveland.com/news/article/-7671881024740252647
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