These Marysville High School wrestlers will compete in the Central District Coaches Association All-Star tournament on Tuesday at Worthington Kilbourne. They are from left, Madison Sharpe, Josh Melms, Lincoln Heard and Erryl Will. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
History will be made Tuesday evening when a number of local wrestlers face off against opponents at Worthington Kilbourne High School.
Action will begin at 7 p.m for the annual Central District Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star tournament.
The 2019 All-Star tournament will, for the first time, feature girls matches.
Madison Sharp of Marysville will be the first Lady Monarch to ever compete in the tournament.
She will face Cali Lang of Big Walnut in a 106-pound bout.
There will be four girls matches contested during the tournament that is used annually as a kickoff to each new season.
“As girls wrestling continues to grow, this is an opportunity to showcase those participants and that is important,” said MHS coach Shawn Andrews. “This year the state association is sponsoring a girls state tournament.
“Events like this and the girls state tournament will continue to help grow women’s wrestling,” he said. “There are a few schools in the state which are sponsoring girls teams this year and I would look for those numbers to grow in the next several years.
“We are excited for Madison to have the chance to compete in this event,” said Andrews. “She wrestled more than 25 varsity matches last year, so I am excited to see her compete against other girls throughout the season.”
The Monarchs will also have three boys competing in the tournament.
Josh Melms will wrestle in the 132-pound weight class against Crae Muzykoski of Licking Valley.
Lincoln Heard will battle Austin Amens of Northmor in 145-pound action.
Erryl Will will go up against Joey Grigsby of Madison-Plains in a 152-pound match.
“It’s nice to have our guys recognized by the coaches in the area to participate in this event,” said Andrews. “That being said, we don’t put a ton of stock in it determining how our season will go.
“The matches are only three, one-minute periods with no opportunity for overtime. This event falls in between our two scrimmages and serves as an opportunity to get some feedback on where we are early in the season.”
Several additional local wrestlers are scheduled to compete. They are as follows:
North Union
-Casey Clark (113) will face Jacob Hutsler of Lancaster;
-Skylar Cowgill will battle Nick Copley of Dublin Coffman in a 182-pound match;
-Caleb Isler (145) will wrestle Gabe Shannon (Mt. Vernon).
Fairbanks
-Billy Reed-Bodey (285) will encounter Donovan Hardin of Dublin Scioto at 285;
-Aiden Groves (152) will face Noah Ratliff of Reynoldsburg;
-Tanner Conway (170) will compete against David Soghomonyan of Upper Arlington.
Jonathan Alder
-Josh Proper (120) will tangle against Davante Cooper of Dublin Coffman;
-Michael Boggs will meet Groveport-Madison’s Jake Nelson at 220;
-Landon Carsey will compete at 126 against Westland’s Bryson Palmer;
-Braiden Leisure will face Titan Johnson of Lancaster at 145;
-Nick Finke will wrestle Jakob Hurley of Westland at 152;
-Reece Chapman will compete against Zack Kapper of Watkins Memorial at 106.