Tribune Chronicle / Joe Simon Georgio Poullas of Canfield, top, wrestles Austintown Fitch’s Michael Ferree in the 160-pound championship match Saturday at the Eastern Ohio Wrestling League Tournament. Poullas won, 15-0.

AUSTINTOWN — The final outcome seemed predictable, but the feat itself was as unthinkable as any in the 50-year history of the Eastern Ohio Wrestling League Tournament.

Two wrestlers claimed their fourth consecutive EOWL title on Saturday at Austintown Fitch High School — an accomplishment that had never happened before in the same year. In fact, only five other wrestlers prior to Saturday had ever won four straight championships. Considering there are currently 25 schools in the league and the tournament is five decades old, two in one day is quite the achievement.

It only seemed appropriate one of the most historic moments in EOWL history occurred during the 50th annual tournament.

The first three were much more difficult, but seniors Andrew Fairbanks of Austintown Fitch and Georgio Poullas of Canfield made the fourth one look easy. The two state-ranked wrestlers dominated the competition, with Fairbanks securing a pin in his 138-pound championship match and Poullas earning a technical fall, 15-0, at 160 pounds.

“I was a little jittery in the semifinals,” said Fairbanks, a returning state qualifier. “Once I got into the finals, I was pretty confident. Every year I’ve had a tougher match in the semis than I have in the finals.”

There weren’t many difficult ones this time around — for him or Poullas, both of whom were heavily favored entering the tournament.

Fairbanks’ closest match was an 8-0 victory in a quarterfinal bout, while Poullas, a returning Division II state champion, pinned his first three opponents before shutting out Michael Ferree of Fitch in the championship. Fairbanks pinned Brailyn Lightner of Alliance in 3 minutes, 23 seconds to claim his title.

Poullas, ranked eighth in the nation by InterMat.com, improved to 30-0 and is projected to win a second state title by multiple publications. Still, he never looked ahead to claiming a fourth championship.

“I don’t take it each tournament at a time, I take it each match at a time,” said Poullas, the first Canfield wrestler to win four titles. “The next match you have is the most important match to lead up to being able to win it four times. It’s a one-match kind of deal, and every match you have to think of it as the (title) match. That’s how you’ve got to think.”

That kind of mindset is rare, but it’s one Cardinals coach Dean Conley has come to expect from Poullas. Conley explained how the Cleveland State University recruit spends all summer working out, practicing and traveling across the country to some of the nation’s most difficult tournaments.

“He has a laundry list of success and is just having a super year,” Conley said of Poullas, who also won the Ironman Tournament earlier this season, widely regarded as the toughest amateur event in the nation. “This (wrestling) is the most important thing in his life. He wins his title and then sits on the bench and cheers (his teammates) on. That’s just the kid that he is. We’ve been spoiled for four years, and we have to stop and appreciate what he’s actually been able to do. Four titles in this league is incredible.”

The reason Fairbanks was able do match that feat is because he brings a similar work ethic, according to Fitch coach John Burd.

Fairbanks, now 38-5 on the year, has been wrestling since he was in elementary school. His experience allows for a tactical approach in which he can use an array of of moves, along with the knowledge of how to position himself, to be in the right spots to defend the opposition and counter with the appropriate attack.

“He’s a very smart, level-headed kid,” Burd said. “He works extremely hard. He’s been wrestling since he was young. He wrestles year round. He trains year round. He’s very methodical, very strategic. He just understands the sport, understands positioning and he does what he needs to do to be successful.”

CANFIELD PULLS IT OFF: Poullas’ fourth title was part of a great night for Canfield. The Cardinals also won the EOWL team title by edging Fitch, 211 to 207.5. Canfield trailed Fitch, 194.5 to 188, entering the final round, but the Cardinals went 6-3 in the championship round, while Fitch went 4-7.

The victory came just three days after the Cardinals narrowly lost a controversial match in the regional final of the State Dual Team Tournament. Only having a day to prepare for the league tournament, and facing a deep, talented field, Conley wasn’t fully confident the Cardinals could win it.

“And I still wasn’t (confident) until after the 195-pound weight class,” said Conley of when Tyler Stein’s victory over Alex King sealed the league title. “I’m exhausted. I feel like I wrestled every one of those matches myself. My kids would be mad at me if they heard me say that, but oh my gosh. What a team effort.”

OTHER WINNERS: The EOWL is made up of four divisions and gives trophies to each divisional champion. Canfield won D-I, with Alliance taking D-II with 177 points (third overall) and Girard claiming D-III at 134, tying for fourth overall with Beaver Local. Pymatuning Valley won D-IV, placing seventh overall with 106.5 points.