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30 Sports Oakville Beaver Some conditions apply. Expires 24/02/2009 SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2009 Four local wrestlers strike gold at Halton meet By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Zack Falcioni got an early start in wrestling, but that doesn't mean it came naturally. "I started really young but the first year I got my ass kicked," the Grade 10 Holy Trinity student said, a few minutes after winning the 51-kilogram division at the Halton high school championships Wednesday in Burlington. Fortunately for Falcioni, he never had far to go to get pointers or to practice. His dad, Ed, is a former university wrestler and his coach, and there are mats set up in the base"I've got a bit of ment of their house. an anger issue. That access to training has (Wrestling) lets helped him progress quickly from me release it in a his shaky beginnings. Last year positive way." he won the national cadet (16and-under) championship and Holy Trinity's last weekend he was second at the Zack Falcioni Ontario juvenile championships in St. Catharines. But to see the 15-year-old pacing back and forth at the edge of the mat for nearly 20 minutes prior to his match, he looks like a nervous kid about to confront the schoolyard bully. That's hardly the case, though. "I've got a bit of an anger issue," Falcioni said. "(Wrestling) lets me release it in a positive way. And it helps with mental toughness." Falcioni squared off against a familiar opponent in Wednesday's final, E.C. Drury's Ranbir Hans. He estimates they've met at least five times with each wrestler earning at least couple of victories, though lately Falcioni has had the edge. Hans had a six-inch height advantage but that's something Falcioni is learning to contend with. "Lately I've wrestled a couple of tall guys and it taught me how to counter," he said. "You have to tie them up and if you look at attacking, you can't go to your knees." Falcioni won a tight 1-0 decision in the opening round. Up 1-0 in the second round, he locked ankles with his opponent and rolled him twice to take a commanding 5-0 lead. Though Hans came back to score three points, he didn't have nearly enough time to overcome the five-point NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER KING PIN: King's Christian Collegiate wrestler Zach Ohi grimaces as he attempts to flip Georgetown opponent Drew Gilchrist during the Halton championships Wednesday in Burlington. deficit. Falcioni may not see Hans again at next Friday's Golden Horseshoe meet in Milton. He's looking to drop down a weight class in hopes of increasing his chances at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) tournament. Falcioni's teammate Alex Cicilla is looking to make OFSAA for the first time. He claimed Halton gold in the 72 kg division in a very close decision over Christ the King's Eric Oni. Despite tying the opening round 4-4, Cicilla got the decision and then sealed the victory with a 4-2 win in the second round. "He was tough and really strong," said Cicilla, who took up wrestling last year. "He had good technique so I just tried to defend against him." Abbey Park rookie Matt Sheen took first in the 47.5 kg class. He had never considered wrestling until a friend went to Abbey Park in Grade 8 to try out some of the sports the school offered. "He got me convinced to try it," he said. "I just try my best and work as hard as I can to win." Abbey Park's Shannon Nieweglowski also claimed a gold medal. She won the 64 kg division, which had one of the largest fields in girls' action. Teammate Yvonne Lavigle took the bronze medal, a showing that helped Abbey Park finish second in the girls' division. White Oaks was third. Top local finishers · Gold: Alex Cicilla, Holy Trinity; Matt Sheen, Abbey Park; Zack Falciani, Holy Trinity; Shannon Nieweglowski, Abbey Park. · Silver: Chris Plessi, Holy Trinity; Tony Anton, King's Christian. · Bronze: Tomasz Majka, King's Christian; Abi Ramazan, White Oaks; Jessica Forbes, Abbey Park; Yvonne Lavigle, Abbey Park. · Fourth: Calvin Moes, King's Christian; Vladimir Kluev, Abbey Park; Nick Jenkins, Abbey Park; Joey Kim, King's Christian. Winter OGSA Skills Clinics - 700 Third Line (Arkema building) Age groups and times available on our website On-Site Registration available from 9am - 12pm Bring Your Glove and Play or GIRLS SOFTBALL SEASON STARTS THIS WEEK ND TH S WEEKEND Blades jump on Caps early in opener Facing the young Brampton Capitals in the opening round of the Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs, the Oakville Blades made sure to jump on their opponents early. Jeremy Welsh scored 1:32 into the first period and Dustin Alcock added two more goals before the end of the frame, leading the Blades to a 5-1 victory over the Capitals in Game 1 of the teams' MacKinnon Division quarter-final series Wednesday at Joshua's Creek Arenas. The series was scheduled to resume last night (Thursday) in Brampton. Game 3 is slated for tomorrow (Saturday) in Oakville, with the start time switched to 7:30 p.m. Luke Moodie and Ryan Murphy also scored Wednesday for Oakville, which outshot the Capitals 5219. Murphy (two assists) and Alcock (one helper) both finished with three-point nights. Matt Hache made 18 saves to earn the win. REGISTER NOW ONLINE WWW.OGSA.MYSPORTSITE.COM OGSA needs sponsors and coaches for more information call 905-825-5848 SOFTBALL - The Fun Starts Now