Marysville’s Tyler Bates puts a cross-face on Jake Evans of Elyria during an opening round match of the Division I state wrestling tournament on Thursday. Bates won, 3-1, with a late takedown.
(Journal-Tribune by Kevin Behrens)
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A last-second takedown and a shoulder that held up under the strain of competition highlighted a strong day for Marysville High School’s wrestlers on Thursday.
The Monarchs tallied four opening-round victories during the Division I state wrestling tournament at The Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center.
Tyler Bates, MHS’ senior 160-pounder, trailed 1-0 during the third period of his bout against Elyria’s Jake Evans.
The match was deadlocked at 0-0 after the first two periods.
Bates couldn’t score due to the fact that Evans kept his legs tied up for a good deal of the time.
Evans took a 1-0 edge with a third-period escape and then kept blocking Bates’ efforts for a takedown.
Bates earned a point on a stalling call to tie the match, 1-1.
He then earned a takedown near the out-of-bounds marker with one second on the timer.
Bates said he was aware that time was running out on the match.
“I tried to push the pace toward the end,” he said. “I got the stalling call (on Evans) and I knew I had to be quick.
“I felt he would quit, so I just kept pushing it.”
Bates (33-14) entered today’s championship quarterfinals against North Canton Hoover’s Luke Reicosky (47-6).
Tyler Connolly, the Monarchs’ junior 285-pounder, went into his opening battle against Jacob Padilla of Huber Heights Wayne with a bad shoulder.
Connolly dislocated his right shoulder during last week’s district tournament.
No one was really able to tell as he edged Padilla, 2-1.
“My shoulder is good,” said Connolly. “I just went out and confidently wrestled. I didn’t feel any pain.”
The Monarch grappler scored an escape during the second period for a 1-0 lead.
Padilla did the same in the third set to tie the match.
Connolly earned the victory when Padilla was whistled for stalling during the final seconds of regulation.
Connolly (39-10) was set to face Wadsworth’s Jordan Earnest (45-1) in the championship quarterfinals today.
Walker Heard (145) and Jacob Marsh (152) also earned opening-round victories.
Heard (32-8), a junior, scored all the points he would need with an escape and takedown during the second period.
He advanced in the winner’s bracket with a 3-1 victory over Medina’s Ryan Wissel.
Marsh, a senior, was wrestling simultaneously on another mat and took a 7-3 verdict from Boston Dubocq of Findlay.
Marsh tallied three points on a near fall during the third period and was never seriously challenged.
Heard and Marsh joined Bates and Connolly in today’s championship quarterfinals.
Heard was set to go up against Sam Dover (36-8) of Lakewood St. Ed, while Marsh was scheduled to battle Drew Wiechers of Centerville, who took a 35-3 record into the bout.
The season came to an end for one Monarch wrestler.
Ethan Smeagel, MHS’ junior 220-pounder, was pinned by Massillon Perry’s Adam Luster in 2:23.
That put Smeagel into the consolation bracket later in the evening.
He was put to the mat in 2:28 by Springfield’s Joe Cochran to end his campaign with a 25-12 mark.
“You always want to get all of your guys to the second day of the tournament,” said Marysville head coach Shawn Andrews.
Of MHS’ remaining grapplers, the coach said, “We have to keep wrestling better with each round.”
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