National championship hopes came to an end for Lorain native and Elyria High graduate Danny Mitcheff on Friday night at the sold-out Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska, wrestling for Kent State.

Mitcheff lost in the quarterfinals to defending national champion Michigan State’s Franklin Gomez, 5-2. Scoreless after one period, Mitcheff got caught in a second-period cradle and trailed 3-0 after two periods. Gomez then escaped early in the third before Mitcheff scored the only takedown of the match.

Mitcheff went 2-0 on Thursday and advanced to the quarterfinals during day one.
Mitcheff (32-3) dominated Stanford’s Justin Paulsen, scoring a 12-1 major decision. Mitcheff jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first period with a single leg takedown and a two-point turn on an arm bar. He added a takedown in the second and two more in third.

Despite not being able to fulfill his dreams of a national championship, Mitcheff can still make All-American status.

swalker@MorningJournal.com