By Rob Hamilton
Highland’s Zach Baker finished fifth in the Division II 220-pound weight class on Saturday at the state wrestling tournament.
Baker went 1-1 on Saturday at the Schottenstein Center to claim fifth. In his first match of the day, he led Jack DelGarbino of Girard late, but gave up a takedown. DelGarbino then got back points in the final seconds to win 9-5.
However, the Scot senior rebounded to easily win in his fifth-place match, quickly taking Austin Norris of Jefferson Area down, putting him on his back and earning a pin in only 41 seconds to close out his high school career with a spot on the podium.
In Division III, Northmor’s Conan Becker lost a pair of hard-fought matches to wind up in sixth place. Against Brian Persinger of Wooster Triway, the score was tied at 5-5 late, but during a scramble, Becker was taken to his back and pinned at the 4:34 mark. Then, in his fifth-place match against Troy Christian’s Jared Ford, while trailing 4-3 late, he was put on his back again for a five-point move, as Ford claimed a 9-3 decision.
Sports Editor’s Note: A full state meet story with pictures will be posted Monday and appear in Wednesday’s print edition.
