Sports
Avon's Zeman Finishes Second At State
Junior wrestler at 145 pounds finishes as state runner-up; finishes with 43-3 record.
The fielded two wrestlers at this past weekend’s OHSAA Division II State Wrestling Championships and came away with a second-place finish.
Junior Zane Zeman (40-2 record entering state) was one of the grapplers at 145 pounds expected to contend in a talented weight class that included Holy Name junior Jim Klosz (44-2), Tiffin Columbian freshman Seth Williams (45-4), undefeated sophomore Bo Jordan of St. Paris Graham Local (42-0), Millersburg West Holmes junior Justin Stitzlein (40-3), and Walsh Jesuit senior John Novak (17-7).
Zeman opened the tournament with a 6-4 decision over Dayton Oakwood freshman Alex Kooser, and followed up with a 21-5 tech. fall win over Stitzlein to move on to the championship semifinals.
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In the semifinals, Zeman topped Novak via a 13-6 decision to advance to the title match against Jordan. Jordan would pin Zeman at 3:24, giving the Eagle junior second place.
Avon’s other wrestler, senior Ayoub Kirresh (38-12), did not enjoy the same success as Zeman. Kirresh lost his only two matches – one by pin, the other by technical fall. In his first bout, junior Case Garrison of St. Paris Graham Local pinned Kirresh at 1:19. In his second match, Steubenville’s Shawn McGhee Jr. stopped the Avon grappler by a 18-3 tech. fall to end the senior’s day.
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Coach Mark Porter’s team finished in 23rd place with 19.5 points, well-behind winner St. Paris Graham Local (230.5 points). Walsh Jesuit (108), Oak Harbor (96.5), Padua (55), and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (53) round out the top five.
The championships, held at the Jerome Schottenstein Center at The Ohio State University in Columbus, enjoyed a five-session attendance total of 61,856. In the championship finals, over 14,000 (14,121 actual) saw 14 wrestlers crowned champion. In total, 95 schools and 224 wrestlers participated in 14 weight classes.
TEAM RESULTS
How they finished: 1. St. Paris Graham Local 230.5 points; 2. Walsh Jesuit 108; 3. Oak Harbor 96.5; 4. Padua 55; 5. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary 53.
Area notables: T11. Medina Highland 37; 14. Aurora 32; 23. Avon 19.5; 24. Kenston 19; T30. Holy Name 15; T48. Lake Catholic 9; T56. Ravenna 5; T61. Streetsboro 4; T70. West Geauga 2.