by Michael Leonard

Sports Editor

Columbus — It wasn’t quite what Cory Stainbrook wanted, but it was still a big accomplishment.

Stainbrook earned All-Ohio honors for the second straight year, as he finished third at 103 pounds in Division II at the state wrestling tournament.

The tournament concluded March 6 at Value City Arena in Columbus.

Stainbrook had said all season his goal was to win the state title, but he seemed content that he was able to place third.

“I wanted to be in the final,” Stainbrook said. “When that didn’t happen, I’d much rather be third than sixth.”

Stainbrook finished sixth at 103 pounds as a freshman.

“That’s what I love about Cory,” said Rockets head coach Rick Charlton.

“He sets his goals high, but reasonably high. He doesn’t try to short-change himself.”

Stainbrook looked in great form early in the tournament.

In his first-round match March 4, Stainbrook dominated vs. Columbus St. Francis DeSales Payton Gutierrez before pinning him in 5 minutes, 20 seconds. On March 5, Stainbrook was equally dominant against Eaton’s Payton Ott, riding him out for a 5-0 win.

In his semifinal against Olentangy’s Trevor Fiorucci, Stainbrook appeared to be in control. A pair of early takedowns had Stainbrook leading 4-2 late in the third period.

But then disaster struck.

“I was feeling pretty good,” Stainbrook said. “He shot on me, but I sprawled and thought I stuffed. I had a boot in and throughout the match, I thought I’d be able to hold him off.”

Somehow, Fiorucci was able to execute a barrel roll from the side. The move put Stainbrook on his back for both a takedown and a three-point near fall, giving Fiorucci a 7-4 win.

“It beat me up mentally pretty bad,” Stainbrook said of the loss. “I just knew I had to take it one match at a time.”

If Stainbrook was still hurting when he wrestled the consolation semifinals, it didn’t show. He once again put on a riding exhibition against Mentor Lake Catholic’s Sean Fee and claimed a 6-0 win.

The third-place match turned out to be a rematch of the district title match for Stainbrook, as he face Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s Mike Rix.

Stainbrook went on the attack early and stayed on it, as he defeated Rix by a 9-0 margin to take third. He finished the season with a record of 38-5.

“He has worked a lot on his mental focus this year,” Charlton said of Stainbrook. “We’re going to work on his strength this coming off-season.”

Charlton said the future is bright for his team, as Streetsboro will lose only two starters to graduation this year. With Stainbrook and five other district qualifiers returning, the Rockets have a foundation to build on.

“I’d like to bring them all down here and give St. Paris Graham a run for their money,” Charlton joked. “Their expectations are higher now.”

E-mail: mleonard@recordpub.com

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