Euclid Observer article

The following story will be featured on the Euclid Observer's website. Writer John Sheridan came to practice to take pictures for a story on the team in early January. The Euclid Observer is a free newspaper that is distributed throughout the city. Their printed paper is on hiatus until March.



Panther Wrestlers Spark a Turnaround

By John Sheridan

Last winter, the Euclid Panther wrestling squad posted a rather dismal 3-20 dual meet record. But, oh, how things have changed over the course of a year.

Following a 48-27 victory over Shaker Heights on Jan. 20, Coach Mike Turk’s matmen were sporting a very respectable 8-4 mark, 4-0 in the Lake Erie League. Their winning momentum continued in a five-team dual meet tourney at Geneva, where they chalked up triumphs over Conneaut, Bedford, and Benedictine to boost their overall record to 11-5.

The newfound success may have triggered speculation that Euclid could have an outside chance of snaring its first league title since the 1986 team ruled the old Greater Cleveland Conference. However, two major hurdles stood in the way – Maple Heights and Mentor, both traditionally very tough opponents. The Panthers were scheduled to tangle with both of those teams on Friday Jan. 28 in a league tri-meet at Mentor, starting at 6 p.m.

What’s behind the Panthers’ resurgence on the mats this season?

Well, for one thing, the team now has a solid senior leadership corps. “This is the first year that I’ve had more than one senior on the team,” explains Coach Turk, a 1994 Euclid grad who wrestled for the Panthers under Coach Tim D’Anna. “It’s nice to have experienced seniors to show the underclassmen what they have to do to win.”

As of January 22, three of this year’s seniors had won at least 23 matches. And 152-pound David Cozart, who had been sidelined by injuries, was back in the lineup and had out-dueled six of the eight opponents he’d faced.

Another reason for the surprising turnaround is that the Panthers now have a full team and seldom have to forfeit matches in any of the 14 weight classes. “This is the first time in about eight years that we’ve had a full team,” Coach Turk notes.

Heading into the last week of January, eight Panther grapplers boasted winning records:

♦ Zak Adkins (145-pound senior) – 24-3.
♦ Rynell Roper (160, junior) – 24-3.
♦ Dylan Norwood (171, senior) – 24-4.
♦ Lamar Gunter (189, senior) – 23-9.
♦ Jim Adkins (112, freshman) – 14-10.
♦ Darsheed Mustafa (130, sophomore) – 13-7.
♦ Noah Brown (215, sophomore) – 11-9.
♦ David Cozart (152, senior) – 6-2.

Perhaps the biggest reason for the team’s success this winter is the hard work that the key wrestlers have committed to. “In the off-season,” notes Coach Turk, “we had eight or nine guys participating in freestyle wrestling clubs and open tournaments. That extra work during the summer has definitely been reflected in their performance this year.”

Looking ahead to the post-season, the coach believes that Rynell Roper, Dylan Norwood, and Zak Adkins may have the best shots at qualifying for the state meet. Euclid hasn’t had a state qualifier since Myron McConnell in 2003. And the last Panther to bring home a state title was Jack DeBoe in 1986.

Norwood, the senior 171-pounder, certainly has some insight into what it takes to turn things around. He won championships in two early season invitational events – the Riverside Rumble and the Perry “Pin City” tournament. “Those were the first two tournaments he’d ever won,” explains Coach Turk. (In the Pin City event, Euclid scored 195 points to finish sixth out of 17 teams—a dramatic improvement over the previous year when the Panthers finished dead last.)

Adkins, the senior 145-pounder, pinned all five opponents that he faced in the Geneva tourney to boost his record to 29-3, including 19 pins. He was recently named a Plain Dealer “Wrestler of the Week.” His freshman brother Jim (112) suffered a broken rib during one of his matches at Geneva, yet managed to post a victory. (It wasn’t until after the match that the seriousness of the injury became apparent.)

The Adkins brothers represent the second generation of a family that helped to establish a wrestling dynasty at Richmond Heights High during the era of Coach Mike Papouras.

Roper, the junior 160-pounder, set a freshman record for most wins in a season two years ago when he compiled a 27-16 mark. Last year, he improved to 38-8, setting another team record – for most wins at any class level.

In the LEL, Coach Turk points to Maple Heights and Lorain as the teams in the driver’s seat. The Panthers lost to Maple earlier this season in a six-team dual meet event that didn’t count toward the league standings. And Lorain upended Mentor in a recent dual meet.

However the league race plays out, the coach says he’s very pleased with the progress that his matmen have been making. “But the kids know they have a lot more work to do to get to where they want to be.”

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Besides the Jan. 28 tri-meet at Mentor, the Panthers’ upcoming schedule includes a home meet against Bedford on Thursday Feb. 10 at 5:30 p.m., a dual meet at VASJ at 6 p.m. on Friday Feb. 11, and the start of the tournament trail in the Division I sectional at Maple Heights on Feb. 18-19.