Austintown Fitch will be crawling with high school wrestlers this weekend.
The Falcons host the 17th annual Josh Hephner Memorial Wrestling Tournament. Twenty seven schools will bring kids in to honor the memory of Hephner who was killed in a car accident heading into his junior year of high school.
If you want to see top notch wrestling talent from all over the state, this is the place to be. Fitch Wrestling Coach Brett Powell said this is the biggest tournament in the area.
“The quality of the tournament is the fact that it’s not just all big schools,” Powell said. “It’s not just Division 1 schools. It’s Division 2 and 3.”
Powell said the tournament was set up to celebrate and remember Hephner as a wrestler, athlete and inspiration to the community. The lightweight wrestler was described by Powell as “a little ball of fire.”
“He was a great student and athlete,” Powell said. “He came from a great family.”
Powell said he’s seen quite a few state champions come out of this tournament. This reflects the quality of the tournament and the people who run it, he said.
"Some of the guys that are bringing their teams in are former Fitch Wrestlers that are now head coaches from all over the state,” Powell said. “They know what this is about. They bring them a long distance to come wrestle here. Everybody throws their best guys in the pot.“
Wrestling begins at 4:30 p.m. Friday and runs until about 9 p.m. The tournament opens back up at 9 a.m. Saturday morning running until about 2:30 pm. Finals will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday.
