Buckeye Jr. High Dominates 50th Annual WABC Kaderly MS Classic
Buckeye Jr. High wrestling delivered a commanding team performance at the 50th Annual WABC Kaderly MS Classic on Saturday at Waynedale High School, winning the tournament by more than 80 points. After finishing second a year ago, the Bucks controlled the event from the opening rounds to finish well ahead of runner-up New Philadelphia, with West Holmes taking third, Massillon fourth and host Waynedale fifth.
The Bucks were powered by three individual champions at the lower weights. At 92 pounds, Greyson Zoul set the tone with a title, followed by 98-pound champion Shane McKee. At 104 pounds, Hayden Wagner capped a dominant day by becoming a two-time Kaderly Classic champion, underscoring Buckeye’s strength at the lightweights and helping the team build an insurmountable lead in the standings.
Wagner put together one of the tournament’s most impressive individual runs. He opened the day with three consecutive pins to surge into the finals, then closed out his championship with a one-sided technical fall. The combination of bonus-point wins and a second straight Kaderly crown earned Wagner Buckeye’s Hammer of the Tournament honor, recognizing his dominant performance and ability to separate from the field at 104.
Buckeye also received a big boost from 116-pounder Danny Dozanti, who wrestled up a weight class and still battled his way to the finals. Dozanti recorded two technical falls in the early rounds and added a quick pin in the semifinals before dropping a hard-fought bout in the championship match. For his effort, versatility and willingness to take on bigger opponents, Dozanti was named the team’s Hustler of the Waynedale Tournament.
Depth throughout the lineup separated the Bucks from the rest of the field. In addition to the three champions, Buckeye collected two runner-up finishes from Dozanti at 116 and Lucas Naso at 122 pounds. The Bucks also stacked the podium with third-place efforts by Levi Maxworthy at 80, Brody Geyer at 86, Landon Piovarchy at 110 and Carter Gentry at 172. Fourth-place finishes from Neil Neitenbach at 98 and Hayden Piovarchy at 128, along with fifth from Nick Sprinkle at 160 and sixth from heavyweight Jayson Earls at 245, ensured Buckeye was scoring points in nearly every weight class.
With the Kaderly Classic title secured in dominant fashion, the young Bucks now turn their attention to a busy upcoming stretch. Buckeye is scheduled to face conference opponents Bay and Parma Greenbriar in a tri-meet Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Buckeye Jr. High, where the program is hoping for a strong home crowd. The team will then travel to Liberty Center this weekend for another challenging tournament, looking to build on the momentum established at Waynedale.
