High School Wrestling: Avon Lake dominates, rolls to fourth straight Southwestern Conference title

EATON TWP. — Coming off of three straight Southwestern Conference titles, Avon Lake had only one thing on its mind Saturday ... continuing its domination.The Shoremen did just that, finishing a whopping 96.5 points ahead of runner-up Elyria to capture their fourth consecutive conference championship and second straight SWC tournament title."It doesn't mean much to me, but it means a whole lot to these kids," Avon Lake coach Scott Sedlick said. "They are awesome kids, and Brayden Patterson reminded me many times that he was the first and only class to win four times."Patterson, a senior, was one of five Shoremen to win his weight class Saturday, pinning all three of his opponents on the way to his second straight SWC title."I just kept moving and stuck to what I know best," Patterson said. "I knew what I was here to do. Winning the conference with this team is such a great bonding experience, I'll never forget it. It just feels like this is what we're meant to do, it's a responsibility of ours, and hopefully they do it next year without us (seniors)."There is no reason to doubt Avon Lake's dominance will continue, as the Shoremen also won the junior varsity conference tournament Friday night."It means a lot that these guys are constantly teaching the underclassmen how to be winners," Sedlick said. "It makes my job a lot easier when I've got kids that are leaders and kids that are wrestling each other and getting better. I can only teach so many kids at one time, so when I look over and see kids coaching each other, that's when I know I've got something."The other Avon Lake champions were Nate Grieger at 120, Luke Peace at 165, Aide Omoijuanfo at 175 and Landen Kunzelman at 190. It was Grieger's third SWC title.Elyria was led by junior Bennett Wachter, who picked up his 100th career win and earn his second straight SWC title in the final with a technical fall victory over Olmsted Falls' Matthew Sheehan."I didn't even know it was happening," Wachter said. "My coaches and teammates didn't even tell me, but it's not too important, it's just a stepping stone. Winning the conference just gets me ready for the state tournament."Likely the biggest matchup of the day came in the 144 final, with Elyria's Blake Cancel, ranked ninth in the state in Division I by borofanohio.net, taking on Avon's Tony Mrosko, ranked 11th in Division I.Mrosko, a senior, came away with the upset, securing a 10-2 major decision victory to capture his second conference title (he also won as a sophomore in 2024). Cancel was attempting to become the 11th wrestler to win four SWC championships in the 89-year history of the league."I knew it would be a hard match," Mrosko said. "But I knew in my mind that I believed in myself more than he did. I knew I wanted it more and I deserved it more. I was going to go out there and impose my will, I didn't care what happened, and my body followed my mind."Wachter wasn't the only wrestler to pick up his 100th victory Saturday, as he was joined by Avon Lake's Lademann, who got his in the quarterfinals against Elyria's Kullen Koos, and Midview's Carrson Morris, who earned his in his home gym by defeating Amherst's Chase Chandler in the 126 final. It was Morris' second straight SWC title."I don't know how to explain it, it's a lot to take in," Morris said. "I'm really glad I got to do it, it's just an amazing moment for me in my life, I don't even know what to say."The top three was rounded out by Avon, who secured the spot with a strong finish to the tournament as Eian Englehart became a three-time SWC champion by winning the 215 title and Derek Weitzel wrapped up the tournament by winning the heavyweight championship.Contact Will Cunningham at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.TEAM STANDINGS: 1. Avon Lake 228, 2. Elyria 131.5, 3. Avon 122.5, 4. Olmsted Falls 112.5, 5. Berea-Midpark 97, 6. North Ridgeville 85.5, 7. Amherst 82.5, 8. Midview 61.106 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Bennett Wachter (Elyria) tech. fall Matthew Sheehan (Olmsted Falls), 19-2. THIRD: Jax Percival (Amherst) dec. Henry Valerino (Avon Lake), 1-0.113 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Dominic Nofel (Berea-Midpark) dec. Owen Brockmore (North Ridgeville), 3-2. THIRD: Aaden Feliciano (Elyria) pinned Lucas Mazzarella (Olmsted Falls), :24.120 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Nate Grieger (Avon Lake) maj. dec. Marlon Charley (Elyria), 16-6. THIRD: Arik Korfhage (Berea-Midpark) dec. Trae Thompson (Amherst), 9-6.126 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Carrson Morris (Midview) maj. dec. Chaser Chandler (Amherst) 14-3. THIRD: Brady Hexter (Olmsted Falls) dec. Conall Gannon (Avon Lake), 6-3.132 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Logan Rottari (North Ridgeville) dec. Caden Bristlow (Avon Lake), 10-5. THIRD: Brandon DeBlasis (Berea-Midpark) pinned Owen Costlow (Midview), 4:11.138 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Pierre Greenhill (North Ridgeville) pinned Kaeden Lademann (Avon Lake), 4:35. THIRD: Dylan DeVincent (Berea-Midpark) tech. fall Kullen Koos (Elyria), 15-0.144 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Tony Mrosko (Avon) maj. dec. Blake Cancel (Elyria), 10-2. THIRD: Abe Gill (Avon Lake) pinned Liam McDowell (Olmsted Falls), 2:15.150 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Brayden Patterson (Avon Lake) pinned Gatlin Hassler (Elyria), 3:21. THIRD: Kane Sparks (Avon) maj. dec. Jon Florczyk (North Ridgeville), 12-1.157 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Xaviere Harden (Berea-Midpark) pinned Ambrose Ieropoli (Avon Lake), 2:28. THIRD: Julian Recko (Olmsted Falls) maj. dec. Blake Bernath (Elyria), 16-8.165 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Luke Peace (Avon Lake) pinned Jack Schumacher (Avon), 1:07. THIRD: Logan Clark (Olmsted Falls) pinned Braden Lehman (Midview), :48.175 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Aide Omoijuanfo (Avon Lake) maj. dec. Isaac Vasquez (Amherst), 17-3. THIRD: Brian Taylor (North Ridgeville) dec. Sebastian Vidalon (Avon), 5-4.190 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Landen Kunzelman (Avon Lake) dec. Lucas Hewett (Olmsted Falls), 6-5. THIRD: Evan Branham (Avon) pinned Mateo Rodriguez (Midview), 1:56.215 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Eian Englehart (Avon) pinned Pablo Secin (Avon Lake), 3:22. THIRD: Xaiden Natal (Elyria) dec. Jordan Hatfield (Amherst), 5-1.285 — CHAMPIONSHIP: Derek Weitzel (Avon) dec. Nathaniel Scheffler (Olmsted Falls), 3-0. THIRD: Joshua Hartman (Berea-Midpark) pinned Javiaun Bush (Amherst), 2:30.