AKRON, Ohio (Feb. 22, 2025) -- The Pirates have moved on in the Buckeye State postseason with a three-man team. Rocky River competed in DII sectional tournament action Saturday, and the Wrestling Raiders qualified three athletes into district-tournament slots. Seniors Dylan Heffron, junior London Hover, and senior Lincoln Krish qualified at 157, 215, and 175 pounds, respectively.
Heffron, who will be returning to the district state as a two-time qualifier, breezed past a pair of underclassmen in his first two bouts. The No. 3 seed then registered a key 12-8 win over No. 2 Tarrell Robinson, a junior from Akron East who had lost just once all season (15-1 heading into Saturday). The triumph over Robinson sent Heffron into a final against No. 1 Ian Bee of Tallmadge.
Bee had his "A" game and took down the Cleveland West Conference champion 150-pounder in that championship match. Bee earned a pin in 1:39. Earlier in the day, eventual-runner-up Heffron had clocked his 40th win of the season; he heads into next week's district tournament with a season record of 41-5.
Hover was the four-seed at 215. He logged a win by fall in his first bout but was then pinned by Akron Hoban sophomore Brayton Feister, who would go on to win the bracket. In the wrestle-back, he rattled off three straight wins, including one over No. 3 Drew Essex (Norton), to make it all the way to the third-place match before falling. So, Hover went 4-2 on the day and took fourth.
Krish, a district qualifier as an alternate last season, was the No. 2 seed at 175. And the Pirate Greybeard acted accordingly. He recorded three straight second-minute pins in making the championship final against No. 1 Christopher Maloney of Benedictine. Maloney, the Bengals' all-time leader in wins who was a state placer in 2024 (fourth at 175), earned a pin in the title bout to run his season mark to 39-3.
Krish now advances to the district level after the runner-up finish. Top four finishers from Saturday's sectional -- held at Akron c High School -- advance to the DII Northeast District Tournament as automatic qualifiers. Fifth-place finishers move on as alternates.
In 2024, Rocky River took 11th place with 53.5 team points in a sectional meet that saw the team send forth two automatic qualifiers and one alternate. On Saturday in Akron, River earned 72 points and took ninth in a field of 15 teams. Cuyahoga Valley (184 points) edged Benedictine (181.5) and St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (173.5) for first place. Cuyahoga Valley qualified nine grapplers through Saturday's event.
The Pirates also won bouts at 157 (John Ellsworth 2-2) and 190 (Charlie Uhler 1-2).
The Wrestling Raiders will send their qualifying triumvirate to the Feb. 28-March 1 DII Northeast District Tournament at Kenston High School in Chagrin Falls. Athletes from 52 schools will compete on the mats at Kenston.
by Skip Snow
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