Marysville’s Desi Lee gets her hand raised following a first period pin over Harrison’s Jessica Edwards Friday night.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff)
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Several area athletes were among the participants on Friday for the first day of the Ohio High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament at Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center.
Triad’s Awesom Mitchell got things started the right way with a win over Bryce Wickline of Westfall in the Division III 175-pound match.
After taking a 5-0 lead after one period, Mitchell increased the lead to 6-0 in the second period.
Late in the first period Mtichell scored a two-point takedown and added three more markers with a near fall.
The only point of the second period came on an escape by Mitchell.
The third period lasted just one minute as Mitchell dropped Wickline to the mat and quickly earned the victory by pin.
While not participating in last year’s tournament, Mitchell and head coach Derek Sharp were in attendance so Mitchell could get a feel of what the atmosphere would be like should he qualify this year.
“I was a little more nervous than I should have been,” Mitchell said of his first-ever state appearance. “But it is a cool experience.”
Mitchell spent the early moments of the first period getting a feel as to how Wickline would wrestle.
“I wanted to see how he would wrestle,” he said. “He got a little tired near the end.”
Once the lead was secured Mitchell wanted to make sure he would not make a mistake that gave the momentum to his opponent.
“I didn’t want to make moves that I didn’t need to do,” he said.
But Mitchell found the opening he needed in the third period to get the pin at the 5:05 mark of the match.
“Last year we had him get the taste of the environment,” Triad head coach Derek Sharp said. “We did not do much different than we’ve done all year and I feel he was locked in.”
“At the end of the day it really was just another match,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell returns to the mat today in a championship quarterfinal against Brandon Bruce-Bey of Trinity.
A pair of Jonathan Alder wrestlers continued to upside in Division II.
Ethan Kuhns, competing at 144, battled Johnny Beltz of Alliance.
Kuhns, a junior, fell behind 4-2 early in the second period but after earning five near-fall markers was able to take an 11-6 lead into the third period.
Nearly matching what Mitchell did in his match, Kuhns needed just one minute of the third period to earn the win by pin.
It was Kuhns’ third year to be part of the Alder wrestling program, but after his freshman season he did not want to continue.
“I lost more matches than I won,” Kuhns said. “In talking with my dad he told me I would regret it.”
That led to making to the state tournament this year.
“It is a crazy atmosphere, but I got my head in the right position,” Kuhns said, “I kept pushing the pace and be aggressive.”
He could sense the pin was going to happen in the third period.
“I felt it would come so I pushed even more,” Kuhns said.
“It is great for him to come here and get his first state tournament win,” head coach Tony Watson said. “Ethan will do what is needed no matter what.”
Kuhns’ teammate, Anthony Kroninger, was making a second straight visit to the state mats.
Kroninger also won his match against Dillon Badin of Medina Buckeye, earning a pin at the 1:15 mark of the second period of his 165-pound match.
“I was nervous last year being it was the first to be here,” Kroninger said, “I was better experienced and the nerves went away this year.”
The nerves were even more reduced when Badin was working to get into the upper body of Kroninger, which he feels his best style of wrestling.
“I was able to catch him in the second period,” Kroninger said. “I got him in a cradle and that was it.”
In the championship quarterfinal today, Kuhns will meet Benico Torres of Wauseon and Kroninger will battle Kaylon McKinney of Perkins.
Unfortunately, Kroninger’s brother, Dom, was not able to complete the trifecta for the Pioneers as he lost 7-4 to Garrett Dillon-Rine of New Philadelphia.
Kroninger fell behind 2-0 in the first period and could not make the comeback.
He dropped to the consolation round and faced Nick Bowser of Hubbard. In a boys Division II consolation match, Kroninger was pinned in 33 seconds by Bowser.
Marysville’s trio took to the match for the start of the Division I boys brackets.
Boston Burkhardt fell short against Moeller’s Stone Busler in the form of a 3-2 loss. The 144-pound Monarch saw his time at the Schott come to an end after a 10-4 decision loss to Wadworth’s Jack Dinwiddle.
Marysville’s 175-pounder Carson Mize took care of business scoring a plethora of points. His performance led to a 17-5 triumph over Toledo St. John’s Logan Morehouse in their first match.
Marysville’s 285-pounder Gage Counts survived to the second day of competition. The Monarch fell short in his first match to Riverside’s Antonio Bottiggi in the form of a 5-2 decision. The heavyweight stayed the course in his consolation match defeating Avon Lake’s Clay Broadhurst with a 3-0 decision.
Marysville had five of its six wrestlers advance into the championship quarterfinals on Friday in the Ohio High School Athletic Association girls state wrestling tournament.
Cami Leng (115 pounds), Addi Lyon (135), Cara Leng (140), Lori Grimes (170) and Desi Lee (235) each won their first-round matches on the mats of Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center.
Lauren Mobley (125) lost her opening match, but captured a win in the consolation round to remain in contention.
All six will be competing Saturday morning.
Cami Leng needed just 35 seconds to pin Caroline Davis of Fremont Ross for her win.
Also winning by pin were Grimes, who defeated Cameron Sherman of Cardington-Lincoln at the 5:11 mark, and Lee, who bested Jessica Edwards of Harrison in 1:04.
Lyon earned a 2-0 victory over Lilly Kinsel of Harrison while Cara Leng downed Leslie Sullivan of Luthern West by the count of 8-0.
Mobley lost 6-4 to Alora Strausser of Kettering Alter, but came back with an 8-3 win over Erin Scully of Bishop Watterson in the consolation round.
Ava Ater of Jonathan Alder lost a first-round Division II match to Raegan Briggs of Harrison by pin in 53 seconds. But she returned in the consolation round to defeat Laila Wentz of Chesapeake by pin in 3:58.