Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
After reaching the podium at the state tournament in each of his four seasons wrestling in high school, Waite senior Phoenix Contos is ready to compete at the collegiate level.
But before making the decision on where he’ll attend college, Contos reflected on a superb career that saw him compete at a high level against some of the best Ohio has to offer.
Contos started his career off at Genoa High School, finishing fourth at 126 pounds in Division III. After transferring to Waite, he was second (126), second (126) and sixth (132), respectively, in Division I.
At the state tournament two weeks ago, Contos, seeded fourth in the bracket, won his first two matches easily, pinning Louisville’s Kaiden Barker in 5:10 and defeating Harrison’s Gavin Boner by technical fall, 19-3.
In the semifinals, Contos lost to the No. 1 seed, Massillon Perry’s Mason Rohr, 4-1, via sudden victory. (Rohr won the state title in the next round, defeating Cleveland St. Edward senior Khimari Manns, 5-1.)
Contos was sent to the consolation bracket, and he lost two more close matches to finish sixth.
He fell, 5-2, to Perrysburg’s Urijah Lopez, then lost, 6-3, via sudden victory to Brecksville’s Cayden Pluhar in the fifth-place match.
It wasn’t an easy road this season for Contos, who will graduate with a career record of 168-19.
“This year, I dealt with a lot of adversity (but) I managed to make it to the state tournament and get on the podium,” he said.
Contos has come a long way, making the change from wrestling at a smaller school to competing at a much larger one.
“I started off at Genoa, which is a Division III school, and has a lot easier brackets than Division I. From my freshman year to sophomore year, (going) from Division III to Division I, everything was super hard. The score was super close in every match my sophomore year,” he said. “That training was the hardest I’d ever trained. I knew it was going to be super hard changing divisions. The kids in Division I are super tough and know how to wrestle. From my freshman year to my senior year, I grew up and had some tough losses and some great victories as well.
“Wrestling has been life-changing for me. If I didn’t have wrestling, I wouldn’t have anything to do with my time. My family is built into wrestling. I tried the last four years to win the state championship. I fell short, which is okay. Now it’s on to the next stage of my life, college wrestling. I’m going to keep moving forward, and my next goal is winning an NCAA championship.”
Wrestling is in Contos’ blood, as he’s come from a successful lineage of wrestlers that have gone on to successful careers in coaching.
His father, Kevin, placed third at the state tournament for Maumee, and is an assistant coach with the teams with head coach Russ Jennings. Phoenix’s Uncle Shawn was the first four-time individual champion in City League history when he wrestled at St. John’s and also placed third at state.
Phoenix's grandfather, Mark Contos, was the coach at Rogers before also coaching at Start, Maumee and Southview. His brother, Kevin, won a state title for Genoa in 2019 and helped lead the Comets to the team title.
“Family, that’s a big thing with me. I have a super big last name with wrestling, not just in Ohio but around the whole country. Everyone knows the Contoses for being tough, hard-headed and stubborn,” Phoenix Contos said. “My Uncle Shawn coached at Penn State and has been all over the country. He coaches me from an online perspective.
"My father, my grandfather and my head coach all pushed me. My brother was a state champion. I knew I had to go out there and wrestle and show people who I am. I would not have done as well as I could’ve without my dad and my brother,” he said.
Contos is proud of his roots.
“I transferred from Genoa to Waite without knowing anything about Waite. I never expected to go to school there. When I transferred, I didn’t know who to talk to, but as time passed, people were introducing themselves to me. I fit in really well at Waite,” he said. “My supporters are my family and the people at Waite. To wrestle at Waite is the best thing I could’ve hoped for. My coaches, Russ Jennings, and my dad, they coached me and turned me into who I am today by training me hard. I tried to pay them back by placing at state three times at Waite. I practice with Bryce Jennings, and he’s one of my best friends — he pushes me, he’s a great person, and I wouldn’t have won a lot of matches if not for the hard times and the losses.
“It’s special to be a Waite Indian.”
