Firebird grapplers show promise at state meet

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by Michael Leonard

Sports Editor

Columbus -- St. Peter Chanel's contingent of wrestlers at the Division III state meet consisted of two seniors, one sophomore and four freshmen.

With such youth in Columbus, it's clear the Firebirds' best days are ahead of them. But their current form isn't bad either.

Chanel earned at top 10 finish in the Division III team race March 1 at Value City Arena in Columbus. The Firebirds finished in 10th place with 37 team points. Troy Christian defended its team title with 162 points.

Chanel coach Graham Coghill said this year's state meets would be a huge boon for his young squad.

"I'm very excited about what we can do over the next few years," Coghill said.

"The nice thing about freshman is that you've got three more years to work with them," Coghill added. "The experience is invaluable just getting down here and wrestling."

The young guns may have made up the bulk of Chanel's team, but it was a senior who was the Firebirds' top placer. After missing state last season, senior 140-pounder Andrew Schafer was on a mission to get back to the podium.

Schafer started well with a 3-1 win over Jamestown Greenview's Branden Pike, but he was bounced in the quarterfinals thanks to a 9-5 loss to Bellaire's Robbie Chilson.

Once in the consolation bracket, however, Schafer proved unstoppable. He beat Edgerton's Joshua Goebel 6-3, downed Marion Pleasant's Scott McDaniel 7-1 and squeezed past Arcadia's Lee Schumaker 7-6 to reach the third-place match. Schafer then closed his high school career with a third-place victory over Troy Christian's Chris Burns 7-3.

"After I lost, all I wanted to do was get to third place," Schafer said. "I ran into two really tough kids, but it feels good to finish this way."

While Schafer earned his second podium finish, Chanel's other senior deserves credit for even wrestling at states as heavyweight Mike McElligott revealed he had been wrestling with a torn ACL for about a month.

McElligott aggravated the injury in his first match at states -- a 10-9 win over Greenwich South Central's Nick Hamilton. McElligott was limping throughout his second match with Specerville's Tyler Obringer. After Obringer pinned McElligott in 1:02, McElligot chose to default his final match to Greenview's Josh Reynolds.

"I would have been happier had Mike McElligott been healthy," Coghill said. "He just had no power because of that leg. If he was healthy, I think he could have made the finals."

Chanel only had one wrestler reach the semifinals and that was sophomore 119-pounder Mike Kovach.

"Last year, I went 0-2 at states," Kovach said. "This year, my goal is to be in the finals. I want it a little more this year."

Kovach started well, pinning St. Clairsville's Dillon Nolte in 3:34 and sticking Blanchester's Alex Pano in 4:40.

However, Kovach ran into a tough opponent in the semifinals in West Jefferson's Jimmy Householder. The two-time state placer was able to show off his riding skills and beat Kovach 10-3.

Kovach rebounded with a 4-2 win over Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's Brandon Sommers, but had to settle for fourth place after a tight 4-3 loss to Cincinnati Madeira's Johnny Carpenter.

Among the four freshmen Chanel brought to states, 152-pounder Cody Walters had the best tournament by finishing in seventh place. He bested Shadyside's Johnny Merriman 3-1 in the seventh-place match.

"My goal was to place in the top five, but this is good," Walters said.

Chanel's three other freshmen all finished off the podium as 103-pounder Cody Tschatz went 0-2, 125-pounder went 0-2 and 130-pounder Danny Collier went 1-2.

Coghill said his young team showed a lot of character during what at times was a tough season.

"I lost three kids to injury this season, not counting Mike [McElligott]," Coghill said. "When you lose three kids on a 16-man team, it's tough. We're also expecting some good freshmen to come into the program. We should be stronger next season."

E-mail: mleonard@recordpub.com

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