CVC wrestling: Perry rides persistent work ethic to fourth straight league title
Jan. 27—Standing off to the side of the gymnasium at Independence High School, Perry wrestling coach Dave Rowan marveled at what he had just witnessed.
Junior Chris Bezzeg, down 9-3 to Jefferson's Jonathan Bissell, had just turned the tables on the eighth-ranked Division II 138-pounder in the state for a 12-11 win and Chagrin Valley Conference title, and Rowan couldn't help but to have been impressed.
"That kid doesn't stop wrestling," Rowan said. "He don't care who you are, what your record is, what your ranking is. He's just coming at you."
And that, folks, is the Perry wrestling team's mantra in a nutshell and a big reason why the young Pirates — with only two seniors in their starting lineup — left Independence on Jan. 26 with their fourth straight league title.
Paced by Bezzeg's performance and a championship at 113 by freshman Landon Rusnak, Perry piled up 271 points to come out on top in the 25-team tournament. Madison was second with 255, West Geauga was third with 169 and Trinity was fourth with 168.8.
Chris Bezzeg of @Perry_Pirates with a 12-11 win over @JAFalcons Jonathan Bissell for the 138 pound @CVC_Athletics title. pic.twitter.com/KT8S3ayfvw
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) January 27, 2024
Perry (Lake Division), West Geauga (Chagrin Division) and Trinity (Metro Division) were crowned divisional champions.
"I always tell them I don't care who you are wrestling, good or bad," Rowan said, "what ranking you've got ... just keep wrestling. We focus on getting the best out of the kids and keep wrestling."
Coach Dave Rowan of @Perry_Pirates is proud of his team's @CVC_Athletics title pic.twitter.com/oNMmDDxOMU
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) January 27, 2024
In all actuality, Perry had the team championship wrapped up before the final round began, accumulating 257 points a that juncture, well ahead of Madison (227), West G (179) and the rest of the field. But that didn't stop the Pirates from continuing to pile up the points.
Rusnak, a freshman, took a 9-5 decision over Cuyahoga Heights for the 113-pound title, and then Bezzeg stunned the crowd by fighting off his back on two Bissell cradles to win with a takedown in the third.
"It's just conditioning," Bezzeg, a junior, said. "We practice like that in the room all the time. It's like 90 degrees up there. We jsut keep going and going. We embrace that grind."
Chris Bezzeg of @Perry_Pirates battles back from a 9-3 deficit to win a @CVC_Athletics title today. pic.twitter.com/H8N7rUaWeG
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) January 27, 2024
Those were Perry's only champions, but the Pirates flooded the podium in the post-tournament awards ceremony. Riley Rowan (126), Chance Schlaugh (144) and Domenick LaMacchia (165) placed second) while Cooper Schlauch (106), Antonius Bertone (175) and Trent Taylor (190) placed third. In all, 12 of Perry's 14 entries placed in the top six.
In one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament, Crestwood's JP Wrobel decisioned Riley Rowan, 1-0, for the 126-pound championship. Wrobel escaped in the second period and then rode Rowan out in the third. Rowan entered the tournament as the third-ranked Division III 126-pounder in the state, while was fourth via borofanohio.net.
Landon Rusnak of @Wrestling_Perry with the reversal and backs for a 6-1 lead in the @CVC_Athletics finals at 113. pic.twitter.com/FbbaEgIEbk
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) January 27, 2024
Perry got off to a late start when the football team went undefeated for a Division V state championship. The bad news for those still in Perry's path is the Pirates are just now hitting a stride.
"I would say just now it's starting to come together," Rowan said. "I was just telling Coach Bezzeg this is the first week we've come alive and are starting to wrestle the way I want them to wrestle. ... We're always going to ratchet up. We're never satisfied."
Second-place Madison was led by Noah Blough's title at 165. He pinned Perry's LaMacchia in 39 seconds to win a CVC title to go with the WRC crown he won a year ago as a junior. The Blue Streaks also got a title from Addison Trisket at 144 via a 4-3 win over Perry's Chance Schlauch.
Noah Blough of @MadisonWrestler talks about his @CVC_Athletics title to go with the WRC crown he win last year. pic.twitter.com/7KszqU4SPj
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) January 27, 2024
"We were at a dual last year and I won that one and then he beat me at Maumee Bay," Blough said of his history with LaMacchia. "This is the next one and I got my revenge. ... I feel pretty good winning the CVC for the first time in my last year of high school."
Third-place West Geauga was led by Zander Joltin's 5-3 win over Lakeside's Jacob Strailey for the 132-pound crown. Joltin trailed, 3-2, before he got a reversal to take the lead for good. Aside from Joltin, the Wolverines got second-place finishes from Ethan Bartlett at 150, Brian Denamen at 157 and Blake Welker at 215.
Zander Joltin of @WestGAthletics discusses being a 2-time @CVC_Athletics champ and his team's performance this weekend. pic.twitter.com/fugmNXyDFC
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) January 27, 2024
"This is one of my favorite tournaments of the year," Joltin said. "In the down position, I always look for an opening. I saw and leg and I took it (for the key reversal)."
Jolton said his team, which has only one senior, is only going to get better as the season wears on.
"It's been awesome," the two-time league champion said. "Great coaches, a great cast and we're young. It's awesome what we accomplished this weekend."
Two time @CVC_Athletics champ Will Greenberg @HawkenAthletics discusses his performance and the importance of cardio to him. pic.twitter.com/1Ie4uUeLz9
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) January 27, 2024
Another two-time champion is Hawken heavyweight Will Greenberg. After escaping in the second period against Harvey's Marvin Guerra in the title bout, Greenberg rode out Guerra in the third for the win. He then went out to the hallway and ran sprints to increase the cardio that helped him ride out Guerra with the match on the line.
Will Greenberg of @HawkenAthletics wins a @CVC_Athletics heavyweight title with a dominating ride out in the third for a 1-0 win — then goes and runs sprints for more cardio. pic.twitter.com/5aprvxWTgu
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) January 27, 2024
"If you're going to do well lin the postseason, you've got to be able to ride someone out," Greenberg said. "I'm not the biggest guy out there. I'm not the tallest. But that (cardio) is to my advantage. I'm always going and pushing the pace."
Other individual league champions were Trinity's Derion Williams (106), Trinity's Xavier Pearson (120), Crestwood's JP Wrobel (126), Crestwood's Drake Rennecker (150), Edgewood's Kyle Vencil (157), Trinity's Brandon Bruce-Bey (175), Jefferson's Matt Webster (190) and Lakeside's Abi Ortiz (215).
