COLUMBUS — Two Seneca East wrestlers made their presence felt at this year’s Division III state wrestling tournament.
Hunter Lacy, competing at 106 pounds, entered the tournament at the Jerome Schottenstein Center with an unblemished record.
But a matchup with Delta’s Adam Mattin resulted in a somewhat controversial 4-3 loss. The referee called Lacy for two separate fouls, an eye poke, and a finger twist.
Lacy returned Sunday and faced Milan Edison’s Adam Hermes in the consolation semifinals and lost 6-4. He rebounded nicely and took fifth place with a 4-0 decision over Caiden Heller of Waynedale.
He finished with a record of 36-2 on the season.
Sophomore teammate Nathan Parks finished a stellar 41-8 season at 120 pounds. Parks lost in the first round to Landen Duncan of Southington Chalker by a 5-2 decision. He then fell to Covington’s Michael Hagen 12-5 in the first consolation round.
Jace Margraf of Mohawk captured a narrow 2-1 win over Clayton Smith of Utica. He then fell to Smithville’s Michael Harris in the consolation round by the same score.
Margraf’s season ended in the next round with a 3-1 decision at the hands of highly touted Cade Peterson of Oak Harbor.
“He really just snatched his leg. We were being pretty aggressive and trying to get a takedown ourselves. He just got in our legs because we were out of position,” Mohawk head coach Brad Rice said.
“From where he likes to wrestle, he likes to get the underhook and the kid did a really nice job of burying his head in there so we couldn’t get to his legs. We were trying to get some space. The kid did a really good job of closing the gap and getting his hands.”
Rice said the results don’t define Margraf’s season, which ended at 43-9.
“Whether he placed here or not doesn’t really change how proud I am of him. I know he’s sad and disappointed, but it doesn’t change the character of who he is,” he said. “It just shows how tough this tournament is.”
Northmor’s two wrestlers put on a fine showing as well in placing.
Northmor freshman Cowin Becker (47-10) lost 4-3 to Covington sophomore Jericho Quinter (34-6) on Saturday.
He came back to place seventh place in the 113-pound class courtesy of a 4-1 decision over Brady Funk of Mogadore.
“It’s the greatest feeling ever,” he said after defeating Toledo Christian’s Zachary LaPlante, 7-4.
“My regular season I worked hard, but when it came to post-season, I worked even harder. These kids are all super good. In the tournaments they’re all fighting, like you are, to get to the top of that podium.”
Becker followed older brothers Conan and Conor to the state tournament, adding to the legacy at Northmor. Conor claimed a state title in 2019.
“A lot of thanks to coach (Scott) Carr and coach (Jamie) Baldridge. They coach you every single practice, every single tournament, telling you what you can do better. That’s why the Northmor program is so good. We’re always pushing each other.”
Golden Knights senior Niko Christo (45-5) lost to Remington Bauer of Edison 6-5 but turned in a stunning victory over Cody Coontz of Rootstown.
Down 10-5 and nursing an injured right shoulder during the match, Christo turned his opponent and got the pin at the 4:41 mark.
“I took a shot. It made me scream a little bit. I was in trouble, but I didn’t give up,” Christo said. “After this, I’ll keep trying to get higher and higher.”
Christo (45-6) defeated Bauer in a Sunday rematch by a 6-4 decision to take fifth place. Prior to that he lost to Tate Geiser of Dalton 11-4.
The 4-time state qualifier improved from his 8th place finish last year.
Carr praised the efforts of the veteran grappler and the Northmor program.
“They put in the time, and they put in the work. I try to guide them the best I can. They’re the ones out there doing the sprints, and going to camp and doing the extra stuff, the lifting,” he said. “They get themselves ready and prepare themselves for moments like this.”
Carr had two seniors who were injured and were unable to compete.
Galion’s Landon Campbell lost his first match Saturday but picked up a pair of consolation bracket wins later in the day competing in Division II.
The stellar 190-pounder was pinned by Dylan Fishback of Aurora in 46 seconds.
“He’s the man,” said the sophomore who came in at 41-2. Fishback is the defending state champion, is 37-0 and wrestling for another state title.
“I’ve been putting in the extra work after practices this year and putting my mindset in the right place,” Campbell said.
Tigers head coach Brent Tyrrell said his young wrestler continues to improve.
“He’s a 16-year-old sophomore and he’s developing. His off-season wrestling will take him a long way. Keep working on our neutral game, on our feet. He’s a very good mat wrestler, a very good athlete,” Tyrrell said. “The future is very bright.”
He returned to compete Sunday against Carson Miller of Granville and lost 5-1 to finish sixth. Earlier he was beaten by Madison’s Hunter Hutcheson 8-4.
Teammate Alex Griffith, competing at 285, lost an 11-1 major decision to Todd Allen of Medina Buckeye in the consolation round.