North’s wrestling team will kick off the postseason at the Division I Austintown Fitch sectional tournament on Saturday.

Three Rangers were nominated for one of the top seeds in their respective weight classes, including Kolt Karovich, Rion Dancy-Toma, and Timmy Jesenovec.

Karovich, a senior 126-pounder, is 32-7 on the year while junior Dancy-Toma is 31-8 at 150 pounds. Jesenovec, a senior, has posted a 17-5 record entering the sectional tournament.

• Brackets/Results

Three girls’ wrestlers will compete in the Euclid sectional tournament on Sunday.

Sophomore Temperance Martinez earned one of the top seeds in the 115-pound weight class. She is 28-10 on the season.

• Brackets/Results
   

North’s wrestling team turned in a solid performance at the final Western Reserve Conference tournament held at Chardon High School on Saturday. 

The Rangers finished with one champion and five more wrestlers who finished among the top four at their respective weight classes. 

Senior Timmy Jesenovec was dominant in winning the 175-pound bracket. Jesenovec went 3-0 with three pins, all in the first period. His fastest fall took just 19 seconds. 

Rion Dancy-Toma placed second at 150 pounds. He finished with three pins and a major decision before falling to eventual champion Dominic Moses of Mayfield, 3-2, in his final bout of the tournament. 

Kolt Karovich finished as the runner-up at 126 pounds. He finished 4-1 with a loss to eventual champion Carter Baran of Kenston. 

Miles Sullivan (190) and Michael Belanich (285) each finished third. Ben Russ (120) and Liam Reidel (144) placed sixth.

• Full Results

Team Scores

1. Mayfield 243.5 
2. Riverside 208.5 
3. Kenston 178.5 
4. Chardon 166 
5. South 137 
6. North 119.5
 

EASTLAKE — Wrestling on its home mats, North put together a steady performance at the 2026 John Matteucci Memorial Tournament, finishing 12th overall with 72 points and placing two wrestlers on the podium.

Kolt Karovich led the Rangers’ effort at 126 pounds, working his way to a third-place finish after a strong start to the day.

“I am happy with my third-place finish,” Karovich said. “I feel I wrestled good in all my matches.”

Karovich went 2-0 in pool wrestling with two pins before his run was slowed in the semifinals by Trinity’s Derion Williams, a two-time state placer and the second-ranked wrestler at 120 pounds in Division III. The matchup gave Karovich a clear benchmark for what it takes to reach the next level.

“If I want to be a state place,” Karovich said, “then that’s the level I have to wrestle at.”

He rebounded in the third-place match, earning a 10-2 major decision over St. Edward’s Luca Palacios, leaning on an aggressive approach throughout the tournament.

“Being aggressive,” Karovich said when asked about his tactics, “and looking to put myself in the position to score.”

At 285 pounds, Michael Belanich provided North’s top finish, advancing to the championship bout and ending the day as the runner-up. Belanich went 3-1 in pool wrestling with two pins and secured his spot in the finals with a 7-2 decision over Willoughby South’s Owen Willis, who he’ll see again during Thursday’s Dual at the School.

“That win was everything to send me through,” Belanich said. “I’m very excited to wrestle him again. He was great competition.”

Belanich dropped the title match to Walsh Jesuit’s Joey Ma, the ninth-ranked heavyweight in Division I, a result that left him driven rather than discouraged.

“I was disappointed in getting second place,” Belanich said. “I really wanted to get first more than anything.”

Even so, Belanich said the finals experience will help shape the rest of his season.

“He was a very great wrestler,” Belanich said. “I learned some new things and I’m going to get back to work on Monday.”

• Full Results

Two North wrestlers placed among the top four at the Columbia Invitational Tournament on Saturday.

Seniors Timmy Jesenovec (175) and Michael Belanich (285) finished in third place in their respective weight classes.

“Overall, I was pretty happy with my performance,” Jesenovec said. “This was my first week back after I tore my pectoral muscle, so I was glad that I could come back and wrestle.”

Jesenovec drew a first-round bye, then dropped into the consolation bout after a loss to eventual tournament winner Nico Helton of Norwalk.

He then won four straight matches—three by pin and one by technical fall—to finish third.

“After that loss, I made it my goal to come back for third,” he said. “My strategy was to control the pace of the match and win quickly.”

Belanich opened the tournament with back-to-back first-period pins before dropping his semifinal bout. Back-to-back pins in the consolation bracket left Belanich in third place.

• Full Results
  
   

MIDDLEFIELD—North claimed two individual championships and had five others place among the top six at the Russ Ward Memorial Tournament at Cardinal High School on Saturday.

Kolt Karovich won the 126-pound championship while Rion Dancy-Toma finished first at 150.

“I got the job done, but I did not wrestle my best and gave up points I should not have,” said Karovich, who recorded a pair of technical falls in pool wrestling to earn the top seed in the bracket competition.

Karovich recorded a pin in 2 minutes, 39 seconds to advance to the championship round, where he defeated Berkshire’s Jacob Ulatowski, 14-10.

Dancy-Toma recorded two pins in pool wrestling and then finished the tournament with pins in both the semifinals and championship rounds.

“I feel like I wrestled pretty well, both on offense and defense,” Dancy-Tomas said. “Giving my all against really great opponents and just trying to have fun overall.”

His success started with a good defense.

“What went well would definitely have to be my shot defense and having good mat awareness,” he said. “As well as that knee pull sweep single I hit in my championship match, which I'd like to thank my coach for helping me develop and get better at.”

Dancy-Toma focused on taking the match to his opponent, and it paid off.

“I'd have to say being more aggressive, especially towards the upcoming championship match,” he said. “I was mainly on the defensive and, with great advice from my coaches, used my speed to take more shots and to be the aggressor.”

Michael Belanich placed second at 285, Nicholas Hogan placed third at 106, Xavian Santilla (113) and Cash Pemberton (215) each finished fifth, and Killian Clarke placed sixth at 132.

Full Results

North’s wrestling team opened the 2025-2026 season with a third-place finish at the Hawken Invitational Tournament over the weekend.

The Rangers scored 141.5 points with two individual champions and three other place-winners.

Michael Belanich won the 285-pound championship with a 4-0 record and four pins.

“It felt really great,” Belanich said of opening the season with a tournament win. “It feels great when all your hard work shows up.”

Belanich opened the tournament with a pair of first-period pins, then he flattened his semifinal opponent in 2 minutes, 51 seconds. He finished his championship run with a third-period pin.

“What worked well for me was just purely being stronger,” he said. “I was able to do whatever I wanted.”

Belanich entered the tournament confident he had the ability to finish atop the podium, but he knew it would take plenty of hard work.

“I was expecting to win the tournament. There wasn’t any doubt in my mind,” he said. “It helps my confidence a lot as the season starts to get going. It will motivate me even more to work harder.”

Rion Dancy-Toma won the 150-pound weight class with a 3-0 record. He recorded one pin and two major decisions on his way to the title.

Kolt Karovich placed second at 126, Nick Hogan was third at 106, and Liam Riedel placed fourth at 144.

The Rangers return to action on Dec. 19-20 when they compete in the Hudson Holiday Tournament.

• Full Results