Louisville Takes 3rd at North Canton Holiday Tournament – Wrestling

Louisville 168.5 (3rd Out of 31)

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The Louisville Leopards Wrestling Team competed at the North Canton Holiday Tournament Friday and Saturday at Hoover High School. Louisville finished with 168.5 total team points to claim third place out of 31 competing schools.

Team Scores     |     Louisville Results

Castro Named Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler

Senior Pablo Castro (132) was named tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler after defeating the 18th best 132 wrestler in the nation. Senior Blake Schaffer (190) and senior Cameron Brazek (285) also took first in their weight classes for the Leopards.

Seven different Louisville wrestlers placed individually for the tournament. Junior Dominic Hoffarth (138) placed 2nd and senior Brenden Severs (165) took 3rd. Senior Lacy Harvey (106) and sophomore Kolten Barker (113) both finished in 4th for LHS.

Castro Wins 132 Bout of Nationally Ranked

Castro (132) came into this weekend’s tournament ranked #1 in Division II in the State and #20 nationally. He earned first period pins against Steubenville junior Kaiden Minella and DII #14 ranked St. Vincent-St. Mary freshman Braden Dunlap to start the weekend. Castro then blanked Wheeling Park senior Nate Shelek in a 13-0 major decision in the championship semifinals.

Despite his #1 ranking in Division II, Castro was still a decided underdog in the 132 championship bout against Dublin Scioto sophomore Ty Wilson. Wilson came into the tournament ranked #2 in Division I in Ohio and just ahead of Castro nationally ranked 18th.

After a scoreless first period, Castro got on the board first earning an escape point in the second period. He then outlasted Wilson with a third period rideout to complete the upset and earn the 132 title.

Schaffer Rolls to 190 Title

Schaffer opened the tournament with a second period pin against Dublin Scioto senior Colin Sink and then defeated DIII #8 ranked Dalton senior Sean Geiser by 19-4 technical fall. Schaffer then earned a 3-1 decision over Holt senior Nathan Bremer in the semifinals and a convincing 8-1 decision over DII #9 ranked Madison Comprehensive junior Hunter Hutcheson in the finals to take the 190 title.

Tiebreaker Pin Propels Brazek to Heavyweight Crown

Brazek also started his tournament with a quick 44 second pin against Carrollton senior Cody Fritz. He followed that with a hard fought 7-6 decision over DI #18 ranked North Canton Hoover sophomore Brady Sullivan in the quarterfinals.

In the championship semifinals, Brazek and DI #9 ranked Wadsworth sophomore Aaron Ries entered overtime tied at 1-1 after each wrestler tallied an escape point. Ries went ahead 2-1 during tiebreaker I with another escape. In tiebreaker II, Brazek responded with a reverse to go ahead 3-2. He then finished off Ries with 3 seconds remaining in the period, earning victory by fall in 7:57.

Brazek edged out Holt senior Josh Terrill 2-1 in the championship final to take the heavyweight 285 title.

Hoffarth Finishes as 138 Runner-Up

Hoffarth stormed through the championship bracket to earn himself a spot in the 138 championship match. Hoffarth pinned CVCA junior Zack Ungrady to begin his run. He followed that with 15-0 technical fall victories over DI #18 ranked Lake senior Joey Minick and Holt senior Ralph Thompson. In the championship quarterfinals, he also earned an impressive and convincing 6-1 decision against DII #2 ranked St. Vincent-St. Mary senior Elliot Alessia.

Hoffarth trailed early in the championship bout after a first period takedown by Walsh Jesuit junior Boots VanDyke. However, Hoffarth registered back-to-back escapes to knot the match up at 2-2 heading into the third period. VanDyke, the #2 ranked wrestler in DI for 138, took the lead with an escape in the third period and held his advantage to the end. Hoffarth finished in second place as a result.

Severs Overcomes Early Setback To Place 3rd

Severs fell in his opening match to Wheeling Park senior Gabe Carman via a third period pin knocking him immediately down to the consolation bracket. Severs fought back winning six straight consolation matches to claim third place.

Severs pinned Nordonia sophomore Ben Predovic in his opening consolation match. He then earned major decisions against Holt junior Ty Hafke and Ripley freshman Cooper Durst, with a 6-0 shutout decision against DI #19 ranked Wadsworth junior Brenden Barlett in-between. 

Severs seemed to get stronger as the tournament went on and finished his run through consolation with back-to-back pins. He pinned New Lexington junior Hunter Rose in the first period of the consolation semifinals before pinning DII #10 ranked St. Vincent-St. Mary junior Ryan Price in 3:33 during the 165 third place matchup.

Harvey and Barker also battled back through consolation before dropping decisions in their respective third place matches. Both finished in fourth place for their weight classes.

UP NEXT: The Leopards will next host the Lake Blue Streaks on Thursday, December 23 for Alumni Night. Match is set to begin at 7:00 PM following the presenting of David Rhoad’s 2021 State Championship Ring.

COVER PHOTO BY: Jill Smith

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North Canton Holiday Tournament Team Scores

Louisville Wrestler Results from North Canton Holiday Tournament

Bold Indicates Championship Bracket Match

Non-Bold Indicates Consolation Match