First Posted: 3/13/2015
COLUMBUS — Making it to the third day is the goal.
Wrestlers who are still competing after the second day of the state wrestling tournament at Ohio State’s Jerome Schottenstein Center are guaranteed to bring home the hardware.
Five area wrestlers will get the opportunity to compete today and earn themselves a spot on the awards podium.
Three of those local competitors will be wrestling for state championships.
Lima Central Catholic will have two wrestlers vying for state titles tonight. Hunter Lucas (113) and Jack Huffman (182) both won their respective semifinal bouts and will wrestle for Division III state titles.
Lucas won a hard-fought 7-5 decision over Shadyside’s Greg Quinn in his semifinal match Friday to advance to today’s Division III state championship match. Lucas (27-2) will face Dayton Christian’s Tommy Hoskins (52-2).
Last season, Lucas finished fourth in the 106-pound weight class in Division II, while attending Shawnee.
“I feel great,” Lucas said. “Six more minutes to go and I have a chance to be on top of the podium. I just need to keep my mind right. I just have to go out there and fight the full six minutes for it.
“I’ve come here ever since I was little to watch the state finals. It’s a good feeling, but I just want to stay focused and not let it get to me. …I’m ready.”
Lucas will get an opportunity to avenge a loss to Hoskins that he suffered in the district championship match last weekend at Troy.
“We talk a lot about the mental state – if you lose a match; and that’s what happened,” LCC coach Nick Sanchez said. “It’s a great opportunity – we have a rematch with him (Hoskins) in the finals. We’ll go back to the drawing board and make some adjustments and just make it happen.”
Huffman (48-6) recorded a dramatic 14-12 win over Coshocton’s Dom Johns in his semifinal match on Friday. Last season, Huffman placed seventh in the 195-pound weight class.
“It really is a dream come true,” Huffman said. “I don’t think I’d be as happy if we wouldn’t have put all the work in that we did. I’m thankful for everything. My dad, he’s been through everything with me. He drove me all over the country and paid for tournaments, camps and everything. …It feels so good.”
Sanchez keeps preaching to his wrestlers the importance of staying focused.
“We have six more minutes. We’ve done 18 (minutes) of what we need. So, obviously it’s a great feeling, but we have to stay composed and keep our mind right. …We have to finish the job,” he said.
Delphos St. John’s Wes Buettner won his D-III semifinal match at 195 pounds, 1-0 over Atwater Waterloo’s Will Bolanz. Buettner (46-4) advances to tonight’s state title match and will face Middletown Madison’s Nick Svarda (41-3). Buettner was a state-qualifier last season at 170 pounds.
For Buettner, making it to the state finals has been a dream of his for a very long time.
“This has been my goal all through high school.” Buettner said. “It hasn’t hit me right now, but it probably will tomorrow.”
For Buettner, heading into the state championship match is extra special. His father, Keith, is an assistant coach at St. John’s. Keith also was a state-qualifier in the mid-1980s at St. John’s.
“It’s awesome,” Wes said. “(Head) coach (Derek) Sterling and I have a really close bond. But, with my dad there is a different type of bond. He’s the one who’s guided me the entire way.”
Wapakoneta’s Landon Hall (47-6) was pinned by Urbana’s Jack Harris in his D-II semifinal 182-pound match on Friday. If Hall wins his opening match today, then he will compete in the third-place match later on.
Wapakoneta’s Tyler Copeland battled back in the consolations, earning a chance to keep climbing up the steps of the podium.
In Copeland’s Division II quarterfinal consolation match Friday night at 132 pounds, he defeated Lisbon Beaver’s Jason Keyes 7-3. Copeland (51-6) is assured at least a top-six finish. If Copeland wins his opening match today, he will compete in the third-place match.
Elida’s Blaine Hunter (113) found himself wrestling back after suffering a 9-0 loss to Parma Padua Franciscan’s Tony Decesare in Friday’s quarterfinals in Division II.
In Hunter’s second-round match in consolations, he was defeated by Newark Licking Valley’s Gunnar Carpenter, 10-6 and was eliminated from the tournament.
Other area wrestlers who lost Friday and were eliminated from the state tournament included Ada’s Austin Windle (170, D-III); Bluffton’s Blake Sampson (285, D-III); Paulding’s Adam Deatrick (182, D-III) and Wapakoneta’s Heath Newman (170, D-II).
