EC Wrestling Team Finishes 12th Place, Shriver Takes 2nd In Mercer VFW Tournament

Sophomore Logan Shriver placed 2nd overall in his 107-pound weight class at the Mercer VFW Wrestling Tournament last week to help boost the Wolverines wrestling team to its 12th place overall finish.

Shriver, a second year wrestler, secured a place in the championship match after he earned a 5-1 decision victory over Lexi Doerflinger (Slippery Rock) in the semifinals.

Also earning a spot on a podium was sophomore Derek Allen, whom finished 3rd overall in the 114-pound weight class. Allen finished 3-1 in the tournament.

Allen pinned Cymba Sines (Mercer) in the quarterfinals but was pinned by Logan Powell (Clarion) in the semifinals. Allen responded by pinning both Blade Matthews (Sharpsville) in the consolation semifinals and Garrett Spangler (North Star) in the Third Place match.

Both Shriver and Allen were defeated by state ranked wrestlers according to head coach John Fleming.  Shriver fell by maj dec. to Kyle Lantz (Cochranton), 10-0.

133-pound Freshman Gavin McClure finished 3-2 in the tournament, securing all victories via the pin fall.

“Gavin is doing well,” says Fleming. “He is young, and has room for improvement.”

172-pound Senior Mike Swesey earned an opening round victory in the 172-pound weight class and finished 2-3 in the tournament.

Swesey will be honored Wednesday night as part of senior night for the Ellwood City Wrestling team prior to their match versus Highlands. Swesey is the lone senior on a young Wolverines squad.

Swesey, who plans to attend the Marines after graduation, is a hard worker according to Fleming.

In addition to the 7:00 p.m. varsity match on Wednesday, there will be three youth matches on display as part of the last home match for Ellwood City.

“This is a way to introduce the youngsters to the varsity program and give them a spot under the lights,” says Fleming. “It’s good for our program to promote the youth.”

Wednesday match is the last varsity match before a Buckeye Local Panther Classic Tournament on Saturday wraps up the regular season. District 7 and CLass AA playoffs begin February 18th.

FULL STANDINGS FROM MERCER VFW TOURNAMENT – VIEW FULL ELLWOOD CITY RESULTS:
(1) Sharpsville 195.0, (2) Clarion 146.0, (3) Sheffield 128.5, (4) Chartiers-Houston 111.0, (5) Slippery Rock 97.0, (6) North Star 90.0, (7) Coudersport 86.0, (8) Cochranton 77.0, (9) Cambridge Springs 76.5, (10) Sharon 76.0, (11) Youngsville 66.0, (12) Ellwood City 61.0, (13) Mercer 51.5, (14) Knoch 46.0