Local wrestlers from left, Lincoln Heard and Erryl Will of Marysville and Jonathan Alder’s Reece Chapman, were scheduled to compete in the state tournament this weekend at The Ohio State University. The tournament has been postponed due to the coronavirus scare. (File photos)
High school wrestlers will not be contending for state honors this weekend.
All Ohio High School Athletic Association events were announced on Thursday afternoon as being postponed on an indefinite basis.
The action was taken as a result of the coronavirus fear.
The state wrestling tournament was scheduled to begin today at The Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center.
Reece Chapman, Jonathan Alder’s 106-pounder, was scheduled to begin the Division II tournament at 4:15 p.m.
Marysville wrestlers Lincoln Heard (138) and Erryl Will (152) were scheduled to begin competing at 5:35 p.m.
“I’m not feeling great about this right now,” said MHS head coach Shawn Andrews. “I feel badly for our two guys and for all the seniors across the state who had circled these dates and worked so hard to get to the state tournament.”
Earlier in the week, the OHSAA announced the state tournament would proceed as normal on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this week.
Restrictions were put in place in which each wrestler could have only four family members attend the tournament.
All coaches were to be allowed two family members in attendance.
All of that changed Thursday afternoon when the OHSAA announced that all winter sports tournament events, including boys and girls basketball and ice hockey, were indefinitely postponed.
“I think the state is being very careful not to use the word ‘canceled,’” said Andrews. “However, I think that’s just a matter of semantics.
“The state wrestling tournament would be a logistical nightmare if there was an attempt to reschedule it.”
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