NORTH CANTON: It’s not about the slip, it’s about the rebound.
For many wrestlers, the 57th annual North Canton Holiday Invitational on Saturday was about a return to the top.
While the Walsh Ironman, which was held a week ago, knocked down many a champion, coming back to the longest-running holiday tournament in the state was a return to prominence.
“My problem last week was that I wasn’t used to the cut yet,” said 126-pound Wadsworth sophomore Michael North, who was part of the team champion Grizzlies. “Getting used to it made me a lot stronger.
“Coming into this tournament, I was hungry to win, but I wasn’t as confident as I usually am because of last week at Ironman. Making it to the second day let me refuel and feel good again.”
North’s win came in a 5-3 decision over returning state placer Tyson Long of Shaker Heights.
He wasn’t the only Wadsworth wrestler determined to not only help the Grizzlies defend their team title at North Canton, but to put himself back in the limelight.
His teammate Cody Surratt repeated as champion at 160 pounds with a 3-0 win over Michigan state placer and projected state champion Kolin Leyrer of Holt.
Like North, he didn’t place at the Ironman, but ripped through North Canton.
“It is a great reset,” Surratt said. “I really wanted to place last week, but I came up a little short. It’s time for me to get back on track now. My goal is to win [the Medina Invitational, Dec. 27-28] and every tournament after that. This is a great starting point.”
Getting back on track wasn’t relegated to the championship team either as the CVCA triumvirate of Jacob Decatur (106), Matthew Cardello (120) and tournament MVP Jordan Decatur (132) went to Walsh and found themselves in the uncommon situation of looking up on the podium.
Jacob was third at Walsh, Jordan was fifth and Cardello, a two-time state placer, didn’t reach the podium.
That’s why winning North Canton was a point of emphasis this weekend as the three won a regular-season tournament for the first time together in their high school careers.
“Stuff like that is an eye-opener,” Cardello said. “You get used to being at that level, and things like that shows you how much you need to train hard, stay focused more, bounce back and stay positive.”
It was also a time to push forward and not rest on past accolades.
“It’s something we haven’t done in awhile,” Jacob said. “We were so used to it in eighth grade, but coming in high school [last season], we cherish these moments even more now.”
There was more to it than just the rise to the top.
For the Decaturs, it was a chance to repeat at a tournament that gave the two their first high school tournament together.
“To come out here and to be able to win it two times in a row with each other is probably one of the highlights of the year,” Jacob said. “Whenever I see him go out and beat a guy, it motivates me to go out there and do the same thing.”
Other area winners were Hoover’s Luke Reicosky (170) and Tuslaw’s Logan Hall (195).