While the rest of the world was focused on Christmas cards, bowl games and dodging snowflakes, the Lakewood Rangers wrestling team was keeping busy winning trophies and racking up victories against some of the regions top competititors.

Lakewood opened up the season at the 28th Annual Knight of Columbus Tournament at Avon Lake High School. The Rangers finished fourth in the 12-team events with 195 points, just two points behind third place Avon Lake. Chagrin Falls Kenston was the tournament champion with 245.5 points.

A pair of Rangers brought home individual championship from the Knight of Columbus Tournament. Senior Pat Duffy was the champion at 135 pounds and Junior Peti Tapolyai was victorious in the 145 pound weight class. Lakewood had 12 wrestlers place in the tournament including three freshman Yousef Abdel-Salem (112), Mick Wooley (171), and Nick Ramsey (130) who were getting their first taste of varsity competition.

Lakewood returned home from the Battle of Waterloo Pool Tournament on December 15 believing they had won the 17 team event. However, the major winter storm that hit eastern Ohio forced the final matches to be wrestled out of order. So when the final scores were complied the following Monday, the Rangers finished second with 272.5 points. East Liverpool won the event with 275 points. The Rangers and the East Liverpool Potters each had three individual champions in a field that included traditional wrestling powers Uniontown Lake and Toledo St. John’s. Duffy (135) won his second event of the season. Abdel-Salem (112) and sophomore Dahoud Hamidah (152) also won individual championships.

The dual meet portion of the schedule opened on December 20 when Lakewood hosted Brunswick and Avon Lake. Despite the familiar surroundings the Rangers struggled in the dual meets losing to Brunswick, 45-19, and to Avon Lake, 39-26. Against the Brunswick Blue Devils, Lakewood scored on pins by Duffy (135) and junior Tony Sclimenti (140), on a major decision by senior Gahad Suleiman (215), and on a decision by Christian Cerda-Smith (119). The highlights of the Avon Lake match were pins by Suleman at 1 minute 25 seconds of the first period and by Nick Ramsey (130) with 22 seconds remaining in the second period.

The Rangers rounded out the 2007 portion of their schedule with a sixth place finish in the 15 team Lorain Southview Classic. Lakewood finished with 151 points, just a half-point behind fifth place Avon Lake. Lisbon Beaver Local High School took home the team title with 254.5 points. Duffy (135) sealed his third individual championship of the season with a first period pin of Southview’s Jimmy Gyorfi.

The remainder of the schedule has the Rangers visiting Parma on Thursday for a dual meet before returning home on January 17 for a tri-meet with Medina and Maple Heights. Later in the month of January, Lakewood will also take part in the Midpark and Willard touraments.