Louisville Wins 4th Straight Sectional Title with 8 Individual Champions – Wrestling

Louisville 290 (1st Out of 12)

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The Louisville Leopards Wrestling Team competed individually at the DII West Branch Sectional Tournament Saturday at West Branch High School. The Leopards racked up 290 team points to claim first place out of 12 competing teams. 

Louisville was dominate en route to their fourth consecutive sectional title. Sectional Runner-Up Canfield finished 116 points behind the Leopards with 174 team points and host West Branch took third with 163.5 total team points.

Leopards Crown Record 8 Sectional Champions

Louisville crowned a team record 8 sectional champions for the second straight year. Champions from the early session included sophomore Dylan Rhoads (106), senior Dan Adams (113), senior Garett Lautzenheiser (126), junior Pablo Castro (132), and senior Davin Rhoads (138). Champions from the evening session included senior Dan Kennedy (152), junior Brenden Severs (182), and junior Cameron Brazek (285).

It is a clean sweep for Lautzenheiser, who is now a 4-time sectional champion. Kennedy also claimed his third sectional title in 4 years to go along with finishing as a sectional runner-up his sophomore season. Other two-time sectional champs include Adams, Castro, Davin Rhoads, and Severs. Castro won his first title last year in 106 as a member of Brecksville-Broadview Heights in Division I. Rhoads returned to the podium as a sectional champion for the first time since winning 120 his freshman year.

Louisville Sends 12 Wrestlers to District

Altogether 12 of the Leopards 13 wrestlers qualified for districts, which is the second most all-time only behind last year when 13 qualified. Sectional Runner-Ups included freshman Josiah Leonard (145) and junior Noah Peterson (195). Juniors Lacy Harvey (120) and Justice Bolyard (170) also battled back through the consolation bracket to each claim third and punch their ticket to the district tournament.

Lautzenheiser Records Record 5 Second Pin

As Division II’s top rated wrestler in 126, no one was really surprised that Lautzenheiser finished with his fourth consecutive sectional title. Nor was anyone surprised that he recorded falls in all three of his matches on Saturday. Yet, Lautzenheiser continued to stun us all.

In his semifinal matchup, Lautzenheiser pinned Hoban’s Sean Listerman in only 5 seconds to set a new team record. Lautzenheiser had a 7 second pin in last year’s DII Northwest Sectional against Norton’s Jesse Farmer in the championship semifinals. That was the previous fastest mark, also tied with Brazek who recorded a 7 second pin against River Valley’s Ryan Weber in his 285 championship semifinal match at the Barnesville Doan Ford Wrestling Invitational earlier this season.

According to OHSAA Wrestling records, Lautzenheiser’s 5 second pin ties him for the 21st fastest fall all-time with 28 other Ohio wrestlers who accomplished the same feat. There are also 16 additional wrestlers who pinned their opponent in 4 seconds and 4 other wrestlers who hold the fastest mark in the state with 3 second pins. These include the following:

• :03 – Chase Sumner, Ada, 138 lbs. (12/23/2016)
• :03 – Dylan Anderson, Vincent Warren (12/12/2015)
• :03 – Zane Nelson, Apple Creek Waynedale (2011)
• :03 – Burt Kennedy, Pomeroy Meigs, 189 lbs. (02/09/1991)

Castro Follows With 19 Second Pin

Lautzenheiser’s momentum from the record-setting fall transferred to his teammate Castro. Right after Lautzenheiser put down his opponent in 126, Castro pinned Field’s Hunter Long in only 19 seconds of his 132 championship semifinal. 

There were a few other notable Louisville quick pins from Saturday’s sectional. In the first Leopard match of the day, Rhoads set the tone early with a 23 second pin of Girard’s Cody Carpenter. Harvey also took down Hoban’s Gabe Vance by fall in only 29 seconds during the 120 third place match.

UP NEXT: The advancing Leopards will next compete at the DII Perry District Tournament on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6. Action is slated to begin at 1:00 PM Friday from Lake County Perry High School.

DII West Branch Sectional Tournament Pictures

Cover Photo Taken By The Louisville Herald

View the Herald’s Facebook Page and The Herald’s Website for more high-quality photos of all Louisville Leopards Athletics!

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DII West Branch Sectional Team Scores

Louisville Individual Sectional Tournament Results