February 27, 2010 in Uncategorized by northcoastNOW
February 27, 2010 in Uncategorized by Associated Press
by locofan
February 27, 2010 in Uncategorized by locofan
MAPLE HEIGHTS - The quarterfinal round proved to be a bit costly for area wrestlers Friday night at the Division III district tournament at Maple Heights.
Twelve wrestlers won their first matches to advance to the quarterfinals. However, only five of them advanced to the semifinals.
Keystone, which was fifth in the team points race with 31.5 through the first two rounds, will have three of the five wrestlers still alive in the semifinals - sophomore twins Brian (103) and William Spangler (112) and senior Casey Gawen (145).
The Spanglers weren’t as much of a surprise as Gawen, who finished fourth in his weight class last weekend at the Brooklyn sectional and had to wrestle Garfield’s Nate Fry (25-13), who won the Rootstown sectional championship.
Gawen (17-5) defeated Fry, 9-5, then came back to score a 21-5 technical fall over Chippewa’s Matson Lance (25-12) to advance to the semis.
“I knew that my sectional had a lot of tough guys, and that I was going to have to wrestle hard if I wanted to make it out,” said Gawen, who missed large portions of the regular season with various injuries. “The top four go to state, and it doesn’t really matter what their seed is, as long as you’re in that top four. All I’ve been trying to do is wrestle hard and see where it takes me.”
Gawen will take on CVCA’s Brandon Sommers, who won the Brooklyn sectional last weekend, in today’s semifinals. One more win by Gawen will guarantee him a spot in the state tournament next weekend.
“The first match was my big match,” he said. “I knew that if I won that, I’d be set. I’d have an easier route to state. I really wasn’t thinking about losing. I was focused on trying to win that one and take it from there.”
The Spanglers each dominated their matches Friday, but William had to wait a little while longer to compete in his first match.
William went out to the mat for his first-round match, but was surprised to find out his opponent, Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas freshman Dominic Fisher, did not make weight.
Tournament officials scrambled to locate the fifth-place finisher from the Rootstown sectional, Liberty sophomore Matt Pontuti, who was in the stands. Because Pontuti had to weigh in and get into uniform, William’s match was delayed for more than 40 minutes.
“It kind of made me mad because I was in my zone and I just wanted to wrestle,” William said. “I was mad because I had to wait for my first match. I didn’t like that.”
So he took out his frustrations on Pontuti (8-19), pinning him in just 39 seconds. Then he scored an 11-2 major decision over Tuslaw’s Dion Perez to advance to the semis.
“It wasn’t hard to get back (into the zone),” said William (38-3), who missed qualifying for state last season by one match. “I just wanted to go in there and do what I do instead of letting them do what they do. Now, I’m one match closer to the ultimate goal, which is state. Now I can concentrate on my next match and go from there.”
He will wrestle Rootstown sectional champion Vinnie Pizzuto (14-3) in his semifinal match.
Brian Spangler had a little less drama in his run to the semifinals. Coming off a third-place finish at Brooklyn, Brian (33-2) pinned Beachwood’s Aaron Friedman in 3:18, then pinned Waterloo’s Jarrod McClellan (the Rootstown sectional champ) in 3:17.
“I felt good out there,” said Brian, who placed fourth at state as a freshman. “I’ve just got to open up my moves a little bit more. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do that in these next two matches.
“I just kept pounding them on the head and waited to see if something opened up. That was my strategy, and it worked pretty well.”
Brian will wrestle Manchester sophomore Kyle Ferguson (40-5), the Northwestern sectional champion, in his semifinal match.
Joining the Keystone trio in the semifinals are Oberlin junior Mason Bremke (189) and Black River senior Nate Orrick (215).
Bremke, who won the Brooklyn sectional championship last weekend, started right back where he left off, pinning Waterloo’s Brandon Brenes (15-19) in 1:25, then holding off Tuslaw’s Treg Grubb (36-9), 13-10, to reach the semifinals.
“There’s a reason why (Grubb’s) not ranked very much below me,” said Bremke (38-11), Oberlin’s lone representative at districts. “I just tried my best and came out on top. It’s all heart. It’s not about who’s bigger or who’s stronger, it’s who wants it more.”
Bremke will take on Northwestern junior Kurtis Schaefer (44-3) in the semifinals today.
“Kurt Schaefer, he’s tough, but I’m going to give him what I got,” he said. “He hasn’t wrestled me yet. You try your best, and it’s all in your mind. If you tell yourself over and over, ‘I’m gonna beat this kid,’ you believe that it can happen.”
Orrick (28-13), the Northwestern sectional runner-up last weekend, edged Wellsville’s Bubba Dowling, 3-1, in the first round, then defeated Bettsville sectional champ Drew Skleres from Pymatuning Valley, 5-1, to reach the semis.
Orrick will face Loudonville’s Brent Allerding, who pinned Wellington senior Josh Roberts in 5:42, in the semifinals. Allerding finished third in Orrick’s weight class at Northwestern.
Roberts was one of the many casualties the area faced in the quarterfinals. He, junior Jordan Bockmore (130) and senior Chris Coker (140) gave the Dukes three first-round winners out of five, but all three were sent to the consolation round.
Bockmore (34-9) was defeated by Jackson-Milton’s Johnny Matacic, 7-4, in the quarterfinals, while Coker (14-17), who upset Grand Valley’s R.J. Riley with a first-round pinfall in 3:46, was pinned in 1:59 by Tuslaw’s Zane Nelson.
Keystone also tasted some quarterfinal defeat. Senior heavyweight Anthony Chizmadia (35-6) was pinned by Manchester’s Kyle Kelly (42-2) in 1:59.
Defending state qualifier Ethan Garofolo from Columbia will have to fight the hard way to get back to Columbus. The senior 215-pounder (40-7) was handed a 14-5 major decision by Chippewa’s Justin Schafrath in the quarterfinals.
Elyria Catholic had two wrestlers qualify for the quarterfinals - juniors Josh Taylor (135) and Cory Campbell (152) - but both were sent to the consolation bracket.
Taylor, who took fourth at Brooklyn, upset Bettsville sectional champ Eric Meisel (Hawken), 10-3, in the first round. However, Taylor (32-8) then lost a hard-fought 6-4 match to Garfield’s Josh Lawrence in the quarters.
Campbell (19-3), still battling back from knee surgery two months ago, pinned Loudonville’s Tyler McCaskey in 1:20, then dropped a tough 10-7 decision to Rootstown sectional champ Nico Francis (27-2) in the quarters.
The first round of consolations did not begin until after 10 p.m. Friday night and were not completed by press time.
Wrestling will resume today at 10 a.m. with the second round of consolations. The championship round will begin at 6:30 p.m. The top four finishers in each weight class will advance to the state tournament.
Contact Dan Gilles at 329-7135 or dangilles73@gmail.com.
(through first two rounds)
1. Chanel 80, 2. CVCA 65, 3. Tuslaw 43.5, 4. Manchester 35, 5. Keystone 31.5, 6. (tie) Cuyahoga Heights, Loudonville 30.5, 8. (tie) Jackson-Milton, Rootstown, 26, 10. Northwestern 24, 11. Waynedale 24, 12. (tie) Chippewa, Garfield 22, 14. Kirtland 21.5, 15. Beachwood 21, 16. Independence 20, 17, Norwayne 17, 18. Triway 15.5, 19. Brooklyn 15, 20. Orrville 13, 21. (tie) Girard, VASJ, Waterloo 11, 24. Wellington 10, 25. Oberlin 9, 26. Hillsdale 8.5, 27. Pymatuning Valley 8, 28. (tie) Black River, Fairport Harding 7, 30. (tie) Cardinal, Elyria Catholic 6, 32. (tie) Fairview, Hawken, Liberty 4, 35. Brookfield 3.5, 36. Columbia 3, 37. Cleveland Central Catholic 2.
103 - Kyle Ferguson (Manchester) vs. Brian Spangler (Keystone); Nathan Tomasello (CVCA) vs. Jeff Powell (Tuslaw).
112 - Vinnie Pizzuto (Jackson-Milton) vs. William Spangler (Keystone); Alex Dronzek (Beachwood) vs. Scott Spreng (Loudonville).
119 - Josh Decatur (CVCA) vs. Zack Nelson (Tuslaw); Brett Fortune (Northwestern) vs. Cody Tschantz (Chanel).
125 - Alec Jacober (Beachwood) vs. Seth Powers (CVCA); Tanner Lawrence (Garfield) vs. Jeremy Walden (Chanel).
130 - Johnny Matacic (Jackson-Milton) vs. Angelo Colombo (Independence); Shane Brown (Manchester) vs. Mike Kovach (Chanel).
135 - Dan Collier (Chanel) vs. Zak Vargo (CVCA); Jim Dankle (Cuyahoga Heights) vs. Josh Lawrence (Garfield).
140 - J.C. Giffin (Fairport Harbor) vs. Brett Snyder (Rootstown); Seth Heldenbrand (Hillsdale) vs. Zane Nelson (Tuslaw).
145 - Casey Gawen (Keystone) vs. Brandon Sommers (CVCA); Zach Noernberg (Cuyahoga Heights) vs. Joey Kiefer (Chanel).
152 - Zebulun Beam (Waynedale) vs. Nico Francis (Girard); Cole Drake (Triway) vs. Cody Walters (Chanel).
160 - Dennis Raber (Orrville) vs. Dylan Bender (Loudonville); Bryson Hall (Chippewa) vs. Pat Meade (Cuyahoga Heights).
171 - Phil Wellington (VASJ) vs. Alex Utley (CVCA); Nick Zele (Kirtland) vs. Garrett Linton (Rootstown).
189 - Royal Brettrager (Kirtland) vs. Jonathan Beam (Waynedale); Kurtis Schaefer (Northwestern) vs. Mason Bremke (Oberlin).
215 - Brent Allerding (Loudonville) vs. Nate Orrick (Black River); Kennedy Smith (Chanel) vs. Justin Schafrath (Chippewa).
285 - Kyle Kelly (Manchester) vs. Ajun Sessions (Brooklyn); Greg Dailey (Independence) vs. Jordan Richards (Norwayne).
by locofan
February 27, 2010 in Uncategorized by locofan
ASHLAND - Of the 41 area wrestlers who began Friday with hopes of reaching the Division I state tournament, seven remained on the fast track to Columbus after Friday’s opening rounds of the Ashland district tournament.
The other 34 will have their work cut out for them, having to make their way through the consolation bracket in order to get to state.
One of those on the fast track is Avon Lake’s Kevin Brunner. The 130-pound senior scored a 9-7 decision over Medina’s Matt Hammer to advance to the district semifinals.
A year ago, Brunner placed fifth at districts after losing his first match. He entered the tournament determined to take the next step and is confident about his chances after Friday night.
“I feel real good about how I wrestled in my first two matches,” he said. “I’ve got two chances at making it out and into state. I was a little worried in my second match but once I got the turn on him I felt comfortable and in control.
“I don’t feel any pressure right now going into (today). If I wrestle how I know I can, I should be OK.”
Elyria, which brought seven wrestlers to the tournament, scored a couple of upsets early but was unable to capitalize on them the second time around.
In the 112-pound class, fourth-seeded Brandon Egnor of Elyria knocked out top-seeded Ryan Roth of Sandusky Perkins 11-7. At 125 pounds, the Pioneers’ Eli Garcia came away with a 5-4 decision over top-seeded Sam Postich of Bowling Green.
Unfortunately for the Pioneers, both Garcia and Egnor dropped their second matches to fall into the consolation bracket.
“They both wrestled great opening matches,” said Elyria coach Erik Burnett. “In his second match, Eli dropped his guard and it cost him (pin 4:53). That’s a tough way to learn a lesson but I expect he will bounce back from it (today).
“Egnor wrestled a decent second match against the Medina kid but he’s also got to learn from what’s going on here. He did some good things in his match, but not enough to get the win.”
Amherst saw three of its five wrestlers win their first match but none could repeat the result the second time around.
Even though Matt Zvosec (140), Devan Price (145) and Alex Basinski (171) missed the semifinals, Amherst coach Brian Cesear thinks all of his wrestlers have a shot to advance in day two.
“We lost a couple of close ones out there but we should be able to make some noise (today),” Cesear said. “Wrestling is a lot of adjusting on the fly to what is happening at that moment.
“We had some wrestlers tonight make some moves on state qualifiers and they will take that knowledge with them into (today). They will correct what they did wrong tonight and mix it with the things they did right.”
No consolation matches were wrestled, so there’s a possibility that both Southview and Admiral King will wrestle their final matches today.
Uland Ralston (119) and Narcisco Inchaurregui (125) of Southview both won their opening two matches to advance to the semifinals. Both will have at least two chances to advance to state.
Admiral King’s Amon Willis (215) and Caleb Bordon (heavyweight) won their opening matches but fell in their second matches to drop into the consolation bracket. One more loss by each of the Admirals will mark the end of the school’s wrestling program.
Two area wrestlers from St. Edward were still alive. Anthony Salupo (145) of Westlake won both of his matches to advance to the semifinals. Chris Cvetic (189) of Westlake won his first match but fell in his second to drop into the consolation bracket.
In the team standings, perennial state champion St. Edward is the front-runner with 117 points. Southview is the top local team and sits in seventh place with 21 points.
The tournament resumes this morning at Ashland High School. Doors will open at 9 a.m. for session two, which starts at 10 a.m. Session three doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the finals start at 6:30 p.m.
Contact Hans Schneider at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.
1. St. Edward (SE) 117, 2. Wadsworth (WW) 99, 3. Clay (CY) 58 , 4. Brecksville (BR) 50.5, 5. Medina (M) 31.5, 6. Copley (C) 22, 7. Southview (SV) 21, 8. Barberton (BN) 19.5, 9.(tie) Sandusky (SY) 18, St. John’s Jesuit (SJ), 18. Other area schools: 11. Olmsted Falls (OF) 17.5, 13. North Olmsted (NO) 16.5, 14. Elyria (E) 15.5, 19. Avon Lake (AL) 12, 21. Westlake (WE) 11, 26. Amherst (A) 8 , 27. Admiral King (AK) 6, 32. North Ridgeville (NR) 2, 36. Midview (MV) 0.
103 - Dean Heil (SE) vs. Nick Garcia (CY); Michael Evans (MA) vs. Sonny Shump (BN).
112 - Cobey Fehr (BN) vs. Yousef Abdel Salam (LW); Mike Griffith (M) vs. Edgar Bright (SE).
119 - Uland Ralston (SV) vs. Kagan Squire (WW); Davion Cagston (SY) vs. Mitch Baran (BK).
125 - Gus Sako (SE) vs. Alexander Marzec (DS); Narcisco Inchaurregui (SV) vs. Jacob Conine (CY).
130 - Matt Hammer (M) vs. Kevin Brunner (AL); Garret Manley (SF) vs. Jamie Clark (SE).
135 - Nick Ramsey (LW) vs. Louden Gordon (WW); Mark Martin (SE) vs. Mark Orth (CY).
140 - Nate Ball (WW) vs. Connor Dempsey (WE); Jon Garrison (CO) vs. Matt VanCuren (SE).
145 - Corey Greenwade (SJ) vs. Brad Squire (WW); Jerrel Valliant (SY) vs. Anthony Salupo (SE).
152 - Chaz McGrain (OF) vs. Teddy Hammer (M); Dominic Adounader (SE) vs. Clay Wenger (WW).
160 - Sheldon Brandenburg (WW) vs. Josh Linden (BR); Nick Sulzer (SE) vs. Chico Cloyne (CY).
171 - Michael Alexander (FY) vs. James Suvak (SE); Sam Wheeler (CY) vs. Nate Brubaker (TS).
189 - Tylor Trautwein (FR) vs. Chriss Kelly (NO); Kevin Schoen (SJ) vs. Caleb Busson (WW).
215 - Spencer Willot (BR) vs. Caleb Curtis (BW); Nick Tavanello (WW) vs. Micah Carter (SP).
HVY - Greg Kuhar (SE) vs. Ben Buzzelli (WW); Billy Vaughan (BK) vs. Jason Snoderly (CY).
February 27, 2010 in Uncategorized by northcoastNOW
by Obituaries
February 27, 2010 in Uncategorized by Obituaries
February 27, 2010 in Uncategorized by Associated Press
COLUMBUS - Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich praised a western Ohio lawmaker last February who had a plan to repeal Ohio’s income tax over 10 years.
But Kasich has been careful not to embrace the timeline laid out in the tax plan pushed by state Rep. John Adams since he announced his candidacy for governor in June. And now that the bill is under fire at the Statehouse, both men are taking pains to distance Kasich from it.
Kasich served in Congress for 18 years beginning in 1983, presiding over the House Budget Committee when it balanced the federal budget for the first time in decades. He later went to work as a managing director for Lehman Brothers in New York.
Repealing the income tax is still central to Kasich’s platform in the race to unseat Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland this fall, but he said he doesn’t know how long it will take.
Declining to commit to a particular timeline has relieved Kasich of having to answer tough questions about the income tax repeal. When nonpartisan legislative analysts attached a $12 billion price tag to Adams’ proposal in January, for example, Kasich declined to speculate precisely how he would make up for such losses over the next decade if elected. He said the bill contained a timetable and his plan did not.
But the 10-year timetable already had been attached to Adams’ plan for nearly a year when Kasich praised the lawmaker during a Lincoln Day dinner last winter. Kasich had appeared at a fundraiser for Adams, also a Republican, in October 2008, the lawmaker said, so he presumably knew the details of his proposal when he spoke.
“I believe Adams is right,” he told Auglaize County Republicans while speaking in Adams’ home district. “I don’t think you can get rid of the income tax in a couple years, it’s gonna take a long time.”
He called Adams, a two-term legislator from Sidney, “a forward-thinking state representative who happens to share the view that I have that in order to improve Ohio’s economic situation … we have to figure out a way to get rid of the income tax.”
This week, House Democrats intent on discrediting Kasich on the tax repeal issue continued hearings on Adams’ bill that they hoped would highlight the devastating budget consequences of eliminating Ohio’s income tax. It is the state’s second largest source of revenue behind sales taxes.
Adams has emphasized during the hearings that it’s his plan, not Kasich’s. Kasich’s campaign has distributed those comments to the press to drive home the point that headline-grabbing attacks on the bill can’t fairly be attached to their candidate.
Auglaize County Republican Chairman Wayne York said he did not recall Kasich specifically addressing Adams’ timeline one way or the other during the dinner last winter.
“John Kasich spent a lot of time talking abut his time in Washington,” York said. “I remember the main thrust of it was his making good progress out there in bringing deficits down. He spent most of his time talking about how that was done and parallels to the governorship.”
Adams said his bill was first introduced in April 2008. He said he picked the 10-year phase-in after consulting with conservative policy experts at the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions and the American Legislative Exchange Council.
“We chose 10 years because we thought if we picked 15 years it might never happen and if it was five years it might be seen as too aggressive,” Adams told The Associated Press.
Strickland campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith said she would not be surprised if Kasich steps back from the issue.
“Now that people have focused on his plan to repeal the income tax and how it would blow a massive hole in the state budget, he may try to distance himself,” she said. “But the fact is he has consistently supported it from Day One of his campaign.”
February 27, 2010 in Uncategorized by northcoastNOW
AVON LAKE - Owners of all-electric homes - including about 300 Avon Lake homeowners - can breathe a sigh of relief as their old discounted rates have been restored.
For now.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio announced Friday that it would move at its meeting Wednesday to restore the full discount to FirstEnergy customers in all-electric homes. PUCO will then come up with a long-term solution.
In a statement, Gov. Ted Strickland rebuked PUCO and the Consumers’ Council.
“While FirstEnergy was looking out for its own bottom line, the PUCO acknowledged this issue didn’t get the attention it deserved among other considerations and, until yesterday, the Consumers’ Counsel failed to stand up for these homeowners,” Strickland said.
“I am deeply disappointed that the system failed Ohio’s all-electric homeowners. What happened here is completely contradictory to what we have been able to accomplish in Ohio by passing an electricity reform bill to keep electricity rates from exploding like they have in other states. ”
Avon Lake City Council member David Kos was thrilled to hear about the latest development.
“It’s outstanding,” he said. “It was all we were looking for. There were customers who might not have been able to handle another month with bills two to three times what they were.”
Kos said he will be interested to see where PUCO and FirstEnergy go from here.
“We knew the discounts might be ending,” Kos said. “What we felt was wrong was how rates were raised all at once and snuck in the back door.”
February 27, 2010 in Uncategorized by northcoastNOW
LORAIN - About 100 people trudged through cold and snow to celebrate Latino social service organization El Centro’s announcement Friday that it has raised $1.01 million toward renovating a new building.
“It’s not about a building,” said El Centro Executive Director Victor Leandry. “Because of the programs we offer, we need our building. Because of the services we offer, we need our building.”
El Centro’s current 3,300-square-foot building on 1888 E. 31st St. is more than 100 years old and can no longer handle the nearly 3,000 people helped each year by the nonprofit organization.
El Centro employees and board members had a celebration at the Principe de Paz church in Lorain, where they updated clients, residents and business and civic leaders on where they stood in the capital campaign to raise the $1.5 million needed to renovate the new building.
The group then headed to the new location at 2800 Pearl Ave. to see the unveiling of a banner on the former bank building declaring it the new El Centro headquarters.
Clients are thrilled the project, in the works since 2007, may finally be at hand. Fundraising began in 2008.
Gladys Rivera, 75, of Lorain, said she’s excited about El Centro being able to expand into 11,000 square feet once the building is renovated. Rivera comes to El Centro every Thursday for a senior program.
“I’m really glad,” Rivera said. “It’s a dream come true. The people are so nice. When I come here, it’s like I change my life.”
Rivera also said she hopes the new building will have multiple rooms for playing games.
In December, El Centro learned it will receive $584,400 in federal stimulus money. Donations also have been given by the Nord Family Foundation, the Stocker Foundation, FirstMerit Bank and National City Bank. El Centro employees and board members have donated $17,000 of their own money as well.
In addition to a senior program, El Centro offers money management, housing, translation, family violence prevention, employment and youth leadership programs, and several services including tax preparation assistance.
El Centro focuses on the more than 14,000 Latinos living in Lorain, but 25 percent of their clients are from other ethnic groups.
“Other people need our help and this is how we are,” Leandry said. “We will continue to help everyone who needs us.”
Leandry, who was visibly emotional as he spoke to the crowd about community support, said El Centro is continuing its capital campaign to raise the money needed to complete the project and said they are already ahead of schedule.
“The $1.5 million won’t mean anything if we don’t have the support of the community,” he said.
El Centro has the support of Angela Torres, 73, of Lorain, who has been coming there for three years.
“I think it’s one of the best things to do,” she said. “We really need a new (building). I like to be here. It’s good. They treat us really well.”
Anyone interested in services offered by El Centro can call (440) 277-8235 or visit www.lorainelcentro.com.
February 27, 2010 in Uncategorized by northcoastNOW
LORAIN - All but four families were allowed to move back into the Westgate Gardens apartments Friday after a fire Thursday left at least 30 people out in the cold, sent three residents to the hospital and caused $350,000 in damage, according to fire officials.
Representatives from PK Management, which runs the building, spent the day cleaning the units and helping residents return.
Those four families, which include the family who lived in the apartment where the fire started and those who lived in nearby units that also suffered damage, will stay in hotels for at least a week while PK Management repairs their apartments.
Repairs to the unit where the fire started will likely take longer. The fire was caused by a 4-year-old boy who dropped a lit candle on his bed, Assistant Lorain Fire Chief Gary Burls said.
“The occupant tried to extinguish (the fire) to no avail, then exited and called 911,” he said.
As smoke began to spread through the building, residents who made it safely outside returned with ladders to help those on the second and third floors escape. Witnesses said parents passed children through windows into the arms of neighbors waiting outside the building, and two women were seen lowering a baby from a second-floor window in a blanket. That child, a 7-month-old boy, fell out when he was a few feet above ground and was taken to Community Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and released Thursday night.
The two women who lowered the baby down also were taken to the hospital after they jumped from a window to safety, and were both treated and released.
Damage to the 12-unit apartment building, 2943 Leavitt Road, is estimated at $250,000 and damage to the contents is estimated at $100,000, Burls said.
Staff writer Adam Wright contributed to this story.
