Cory Frank Just Misses Opportunity For State, But Proves He Has Heart

Heart.

There are a number of definitions of this, although after the Lorain District wrestling tournament, Webster’s may want to add another: Cory Frank.

Frank, a senior at Avon Lake won't be going to Columbus for the OHSAA  championships. But the fact he was even able to come back after a mere hour of rest on the final day, and earn alternate status, is something that many of the coaches and wrestlers at Lorain High were awed about.

"That kid has a lot of guts to be back out there, I tip my hat to him," said one Toledo area coach.

You see, Frank, injured his shoulder during a match on Saturday, and re-injured it during his bout with Sandusky's Mike Brown during the district finals on Sunday, yet kept pushing through it.

That put him in the fifth place match against Copley's Karl Hiss.

Considering he barely could move and his shoulders were wrapped in ice, he could have defaulted like many in his situation would do. Instead, he had the trainers and coaches work on it, and rested until he would hit the mats again. 

"It definitely took heart," Frank said. "He beat me by a point last year, and I really wanted that one. I was coming after him."

Frank won 2-1 in overtime.

While placing is a feat in itself, what makes Franks efforts even more incredible considering the pain he was in, is what he was told by a trainer on Saturday. He had a separated shoulder.

"It slid out of place and the trainer said it was separated," Frank said. "But I could still work with it, and I decided to work through it. But during the Sandusky match the other one slide out of place, and I couldn't do anything else. Honestly I was in so much pain I was about to pass out, but I pushed through it."

Frank pinned his first opponent of the tournament, Kory Knox of Findley, in 4:43, and seemed poised to become the Shoremen's first mat man heading to state in two years.

Then he met Jake Crowley of Wadsworth.

It was a match that Frank would love to have back, as Crowley frustrated him, not by his moves but in the fact he was dirty, first bending Franks fingers back, and then biting into his shoulder.

"He was pulling on my head gear, he bit me, he was choking me and everything that was illegal and the ref wasn't calling any of it," Frank said. "I shouldn't have said anything to the ref, and learned I can't put it in their hands; I have to do better."

Frank finished his year with a 38-5 slate, which is an amazing feat in itself considering there were those two years ago who thought he might never wrestle again, after they found a benign tumor on his shoulder bone.

"He is hurting with that shoulder, but gave it everything he could," Avon Lake coach Ken Weaver said. "I was pleased with the improvement he made all year. It's tough when you wrestle with a banged up shoulder. We came within a point of making state, but he was all heart. You can't ask for more."