Jack Golla of Marysville, right, controls the foot of Olentangy Liberty’s Broc Fitzpatrick. Golla won the Division I district tournament match at 150 pounds. He placed third in the district and will compete in next weekend’s state tournament. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
Brady Seger of MHS battles through being lifted off the mat by Storm Beane of Grove City. Seger won the match, 6-4, and eventually placed third at 165-pounds during the Division I district tournament at Hilliard Darby. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
Marysville’s Ben Bickerstaff (left) hooks up with Matt Kirsop of Olentangy Berlin during the Division I district tournament. Bickerstaff finished fourth in the tournament and qualified for the state event that will begin Friday. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
Consolation rounds can perhaps be the most difficult of any sectional or district wrestling tournament.
It’s in those bouts that wrestlers fight to continue their season with either a third or fourth-place finish.
Those places earn an athlete the right to move on to the next level of competition.
Marysville High School will be sending a pair of wrestlers to the Division I state tournament with third-place finishes during district competition.
A third athlete has advanced to the state after a fourth-place spot in the district.
A 6-5 setback to Reynoldsburg’s Logan Smalley railroaded MHS’ Jack Golla’s opportunity to contend for a first or second-place spot in the 150-pound weight class.
Golla began the Division I district tournament at Hilliard Darby with a 1:27 pin over Mekhi Hargrow of Pickerington Central.
He then suffered the one-point setback at the hands of Smalley.
Golla, a senior, rallied with a pinfall over Matt Barreca of Olentangy Berlin in 1:15.
He topped Gabe Droesch of Watkins Memorial by a 3-0 verdict.
Golla then tallied a 4-2 overtime triumph against Broc Fitzpatrick of Olentangy Liberty.
That set up the third-fourth place battle between the Monarch grappler and Iain Escobar of Worthington Kilbourne, which Golla won 3-1.
MHS junior Brady Seger began the district with an 8-3 triumph over Gabe Pence of Liberty.
That was followed by a 1:52 pinfall setback to Jakob Hurley of Westland.
Seger (165) bounced back with a 2:15 pin over Othman Taha of Dublin Jerome and a 4-2 verdict over Dallas Reed of Westerville North.
The Monarch downed Grove City’s Storm Beane by a 6-4 margin.
Seger then claimed third place with a 5-3 win over Pence.
Ben Bickerstaff’s (190) tournament began with an 8-1 decision over Jack Sautter of New Albany.
That was followed by a pinfall loss in 1:36 to Teays Valley’s Camden McDaniel.
Bickerstaff, a senior, fought back for a 2:53 pin over Westerville North’s Jayden Henderson. That bout was followed by a 1:50 pin over Justin Mustard of Logan.
The Monarch senior continued on his roll when he scored a 14-5 major decision over Matt Kirsop of Olentangy Berlin.
Bickerstaff dropped the battle for third and fourth place by a 5-3 count against Ajay Locke of Lancaster.
MHS head coach Shawn Andrews said he was happy Golla, Seger and Bickerstaff were able to work their way to the state tournament.
The Monarchs will be represented by six athletes when the Division I state event begins Friday.
The state tournament will run through Sunday at The Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center.
MHS was represented by seven other wrestslers at the district.
They were freshman Ethan Heckel (106), junior Ethan Skiles (113), senior Joseph Eley (120), senior Emilio Guerrero (126), junior Zach Pfarr (132), senior Lincoln Witt (138) and sophomore Stephen Garcia (215).
Marysville High School wrestling fans react to a victory by Brady Seger during the Division I district tournament that was held at Hilliard Darby High School. MHS is sending six athletes to this coming weekend’s state tournament at The Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)