Ten area wrestlers to state

A total of 10 Morrow County wrestlers will be competing at The Ohio State University’s Jerome Schottenstein Center this weekend after qualifying for the state meet.

On Saturday, in Division III, five Northmor grapplers advanced to state, as did three Highland wrestlers in Division II. Sunday saw one girl each from Cardington and Highland move on out of their regional.

Division III at Heath

Cowin Becker earned a district title for Northmor at 132 pounds, winning all four of his matches convincingly to improve to 49-1 on the season.

Becker recorded a quick pin, as well as decisions of 9-2 and 5-0, to advance to the finals, where he cruised past Zane Pickerrell of Zane Trace by a 12-0 major decision to earn his championship.

He will open state meet competition against Coldwater senior Austin Hamilton (33-14).

One more Northmor wrestler got second place and three finished third in the meet. Overall, the Golden Knights placed second out of 59 teams with 104.5 points.

Sophomore Brady Carr (37-8) took second place at 113 pounds. In his first three matches, he picked up a pair of pins, as well as a 4-2 decision over Gavin Bolock of Union Local, to advance to the finals. He would fall in that final match to be the runner-up in his class.

His first state meet opponent will be sophomore Stephen Patterson of Waynedale (42-5).

Carter Thomas (31-17) went 4-1 at 106 pounds to advance to state as a freshman. Thomas won his first two matches by pin before falling by major decision in the semifinals. In the consolation bracket, he earned decisions of 1-0 and 5-3 to make to to the state meet, where he will open against Monroeville freshman Owen Patchen (43-11).

At 120 pounds, sophomore Ethan Amens (38-9) had four wins in claiming third place. After winning twice by pin, he was topped by major decision in the semis. He would respond with wins by pin and decision to place third. He will open the state meet against Trinity junior Xavier Pierson (33-7).

Carson Campbell (45-7), a sophomore wrestling at 157, also moved on to state as a sophomore. After winning his first outing by pin, he was edged 4-2 in overtime to fall to the consolation bracket. There, he won four straight matches to take third place, recording a pin, technical fall and a pair of decisions to qualify for state. He will open there against Grant Bomer, a junior from Lakota with a 37-8 record.

Three more freshman wrestlers competed for Northmor in Collin Beck (126, 11-19), James Eichler (175, 8-20) and Rodney Acord (215, 16-21).

Cardington tied for 32nd place with 14 points. The Pirates were led by sophomore Wyatt Denney (33-6), who placed sixth at 165 pounds. Denney won his first match, but fell in his second. In the consolation bracket, he won two straight to clinch a spot on the podium, but then lost twice to wind up sixth. All six of his matches ended in pin.

Also, freshman Dylan Compton (36-14) won one match at 113 pounds.

Mount Gilead tallied six points to tie for 40th place. At 165 pounds, senior Gabe Simpson (30-17) went 2-2. Freshman Rocco Castricone (19-18) competed at 106 pounds.

Division II at Wilmington

The Highland boys’ wrestling team places seventh out of 48 teams at the Division II wrestling meet hosted by Wilmington and advanced three of their six competing grapplers to the state meet.

Junior Konnor Blaney (43-9) took second place in the 106-pound weight class and will open against Girard senior Cody Carpenter (37-6) in the first round of state competition. Blaney won his first three district matches, claiming a technical fall, major decision and pin. However, he would lose by fall in the finals to wind up second.

At 144 pounds, sophomore Cael Gilmore (45-4) also was second. He picked up wins by fall in each of his first three matches, but lost in that same manner in the finals. His first match at state will be against Salem junior Joey Kana (46-8).

Freshman Casey Clark (42-8) took fourth at 126 pounds to move on to state. He opened his tournament with wins by pin and decision before losing by decision in the semifinals. He clinched a spot in the state meet with a decision victory, but was then topped by major decision in the battle for third place. His state meet will open with a contest against Leroy Steagall of Indian Valley, a senior with a 37-5 record.

Also placing was senior Brendan Lester (33-18), who took sixth at 120 pounds. Lester won his first match before dropping his second. In the consolation bracket, he earned a pair of pins, but then lost two straight to place sixth.

At 113 pounds, freshman Brady Byler (31-16) earned one win, as did junior Liam DeLaney (33-14) at 150.

Girls’ Regional at Olentangy Orange

Highland tied for 29th with 24 points on Sunday at Olentangy Orange and advanced sophomore Emma Bolton (29-12) to the state meet. After losing her first match, Bolton won four straight bouts, all by pin, to earn a berth in the state meet. She fell by decision in the third-place match to finish fourth and will open the state meet against junior Zayna Muntaser (43-2).

A number of other Scot wrestlers also took part in the regional meet. Senior Madalynn Morrison (11-14) won one match at 235 pounds, as did freshman Chloe Perdas (11-25) at 145 pounds. Also competing were freshman Mia Arick (140, 12-23), senior Brianna Tuggle (125, 22-14) and senior Iliana Men-Hartley (120, 15-21).

Cardington’s lone wrestler at the regional, junior Cameron Sherman (23-5), scored all 18 of her team’s points and finished fourth in the 170-pound weight class. The Pirates tied for 35th in the meet.

Sherman split her two championship bracket matches, but then claimed three straight wins before falling by decision in the third place match. Her first state contest will be against Marysville junior Lori Grimes (41-10).

Rob Hamilton can be reached at 419-946-3010, ext. 1807. Connect with him on Twitter at @SportsMCS