Monarch Jack Golla secures a T-Bar tilt against Thomas Worthington’s 150-pounder Michael Blain, eventually defeating the Cardinal by a 6-1 decision in the final period.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff)
—
Marysville 132-pounder Zach Pfarr (left) is belly-to-back with Thomas Worthington’s Channing Thornton in the first period.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff)
—
MHS heavyweight Andrew Bentz (top) attempts to pin Cardinals’ Logan Gardner in the first period before the referee called for blood time. Bentz capped off the dual meet with a pin in the second period.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff)
—
Marysville claimed another Ohio Capital Conference wrestling win with a 66-12 verdict against Cardinal Division opponent Thomas Worthington.
“It’s always good to get a conference win,” Monarch head coach Shawn Andrews said. “Some of our young guys stepped up and wrestled very well.”
Starting from the lightest weight, the Monarchs went on two scoring runs.
They began with 106-pounder Ethan Heckel, who earned the first six points for Marysville after pinning JJ Dodt in the final period.
“That was a nice, close match,” Andrews said regarding Heckel’s performance. “It’s a good win for him.”
The series continued as Thomas Worthington opted to forfeit at 113 pounds to Monarch Gage Riley.
That put the Blue and Red ahead 12-0.
The next matchup went all the way to the third period as sophomore Juice Kennedy defeated Seedean Poppy by a 4-2 decision. As a result, MHS held a 15-0 advantage.
Marysville secured another pin at 126 pounds when Boston Burkhart defeated Charlie Erickson, giving the Monarchs a 21-0 lead on the scoreboard.
“Burkhart filled in at 126 and it was a nice win for him as a freshman,” Andrews said.
The Monarchs suffered their first individual loss of the night with Cardinal Channing Thornton pinning MHS 132-pounder Zach Pfarr in the third period.
The Monarchs, however, once again went on a long scoring surge, starting at 138 pounds.
Marysville’s Lincoln Witt wasted no time taking down his opponent. He picked up three back points before finally pinning Carter Jones in the first period.
Marysville 144-pounder Riley Miller also came out strong against Jonas Brofford.
He scored six points before finally pinning Brofford in the first period.
Jack Golla (150) claimed a 6-1 victory over Michael Blain, putting Marysville’s lead at 36-6.
Erryl Will (157) of Marysville produced a flurry of takedowns — 12 points worth — before finally pinning Xavier Therenin in the final moments of the first period.
Brady Seger (165) continued the scoring series with another pin against Isaiah Bowers in the third period.
Colton Powers, MHS’ 175-pounder, produced a pin against Jaden Fields in the second period.
That stretched the Monarchs’ margin to 54-6.
Ben Bickerstaff of Marysville claimed the 190-pound victory by pinning Chris Earliwine in the first period.
The pinfall came after Bickerstaff notched a takedown and two near-fall points.
Marysville dropped its second match at 215 pounds.
Stephen Garcia was pinned by Brayden Jamison in the final period.
Monarch heavyweight Andrew Bentz closed out the night.
He capped the team victory with a first-period pin over Logan Gardner.
“It’s always good to compete in these conference meets,” Andrews said. “We are just trying to build week-to-week.”
During several matches, many Monarchs showed their ability to scramble on the mat. When things looked bleak, they proved they could withstand the challenge.
“One of the things we keep talking about in practice is wrestling through positions,” Andrews said. “If you get the takedown, wrestle through for a near-fall or, if you get taken down, wrestle through back to your feet.”
With the postseason coming down the road, Andrews feels the Monarchs are much better now than in December.
“We want to be better in February than we are now,” he said. “The first goal is the conference championship, but these guys have higher expectations than that.”
After a stellar year on the gridiron, some of the Monarch football players also play vital roles on the mat.
With little time to really get rest between the fall and winter seasons, Andrews is just happy to see local athletes compete in both sports.
“There are some parts of society that tell them to just focus on one sport,” he said.
“Those guys show that you can absolutely do both and be successful at both.”