COLUMBUS — Even though he’s just a sophomore, Gradey Harding is becoming an old hand at the OHSAA State Wrestling Tournament.

Harding fell in the Division II 120-pound title bout Sunday evening at The Schottenstein Center 3-1 to Colyn Limbert of Medina Buckeye. Limbert led 2-0 after one period, then escaped at the start of the second period to lead Harding 3-0.

Limbert (50-3) is a senior who has committed to The University of Pittsburgh.

Last year as a freshman, Harding took fifth place and was 41-9. He seemed relaxed then, but this time around he’s been ultra dialed in to the atmosphere.

“Last year was a little more nerve-wracking because it was the first time,” he said. “This year, I had to show up.”

Harding (40-8) did just that. He picked up two major decisions in the opening and quarter final rounds.

His next match, however, was much closer. Harding needed a four-point move in the closing seconds to secure a 5-1 win over Neal Krysty of Watterson.

“I was looking to score but he was a different style of wrestler,” Harding said. “He’s got really good defense. If you shoot, he shoots right back.”

Going into the postseason, Krysty was No. 2 in the state rankings and Harding was third.

“Gradey is a fun kid to watch,” coach Matt Tyrrell said.

Harding placed second in the prestigious J.C. Gorman Invitational and third in the always tough Maumee Bay Classic.

He still has two more years to compete for the Tigers and almost certainly will add to his already impressive résumé.

“I’ve never seen a kid work like Gradey Harding … ever,” coach Brent Tyrrell added.

Griffith places third

Tiger teammate Alex Griffith has come a long way since he started wrestling. Griffith placed third Sunday afternoon, defeating Nick Bowser of Hubbard, 5-1.

“I started in sixth grade. My first tournament I forgot my shoes, my headgear, and my singlet. So, it was a rough start. I am just making leaps every year to try to get to where I want to,” he said.

He wrestled well on Saturday in his third state tournament appearance.

“I was pushing the pace on him. He didn’t seem to really want to wrestle with me, so I’m gonna push the pace on him,” he said after pinning Ethan Hill of McClain in 3:37.

Griffith also became an all-Ohioan and finished 42-6 overall. He is Galion’s all-time wins leader with 162 victories over his four years.

The senior is competing at 285 but has dropped about 20 pounds from last season.

“What got me here this year is just unfaltering determination. I knew I wanted it, and it was just a tournament. It’s special, but you can’t treat it like it’s special.”

“I’m in better shape. It’s little stuff that needs fine-tuned. Instead of being at like 75% you want it at 95%. Getting in better shape. I lost some weight, and it helped me move and push the pace. I’m not getting as tired as I normally do in past years.”

Tyrrell has seen the growth through the weight reduction of Griffith.

“He’s a great football player for us as well. Lots of mindset and training. He’s been here before, and he’s been to tournaments. We hadn’t been able to get over the edge. It’s the mental side of things behind the scenes when no one watches,” he said.

Trukovich takes fifth

Freshman Carter Trukovich finished strong with a 13-3 major decision over Daniel McGarr of Claymont to take fifth place.

Trukovich (29-4) posted a 6-4 win over Kaiden Barker of Louisville at 113. He advanced to take on Ontario’s Jacob Ohl in the consolation semifinal, where he lost a 5-1 decision Sunday morning.

Trukovich, who was a junior high state runner-up last year, also competed at the Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. and the Super 32 in Greensboro, N.C.

Building and sustaining a program requires commitment, Tyrrell said.

“It’s a combination of a lot of people putting in a lot of time behind the scenes. Getting the little kids involved. These guys were little kids at one point for us.”

Three state placers is a Galion High School record.

‘Other’ Tigers compete

Seneca East had two wrestlers competing at The Schott.

· Sophomore Nicholas Parks (36-8) dropped his opening match at 126 pounds to Fairland’s JC Graham, via pin in :33. He got pinned again in the consolations by Evan Kusmits of Akron Manchester.

· Teammate Will Bischoff (47-8) at 150 pounds, fell to Pleasant’s Daxton Chase via pin at 3:22. Chase, a three-time state placer, is 46-1.

Bischoff, a senior, finished with a tough 9-8 overtime loss to Caleb Greenwood of Beachwood.

He led for much of the match before Greenwood scored late to force extra time. Greenwood then scored an escape to get the sudden victory.

Golden Knights place

Northmor standout Cowin Becker dropped a 15-0 decision to Legacy Christian’s Dillon Campbell in the semifinals. Becker (50-4) dropped a 4-1 decision to Joey Romano of Lake Catholic to finish in fourth place.

The Golden Knight junior, one of several brothers to earn wrestling fame in the program, finished sixth last year.

· Carson Campbell at 157 dropped a 15-0 decision to Tristan McKibben of Rootstown in the consolation round. He lost 10-3 to Marcus Medina of Edison and finished fourth. His record is 47-9.

· Sophomore Ethan Amens placed eighth after losing to Evan Natale of Sandy Valley via pinfall in 2:28. He concluded the season at 40-12.

Tough starts

· Mohawk’s Evan England (39-8) also fell in the first round at 150. England then lost by pinfall in 3:11 to T.J. Wilson 12 of Tusky Valley and dropped a 4-3 decision to KJ Gustin of Miami East.

· Carter Thomas (106) and Brady Carr (113) of Northmor both lost opening matches and fell into the consolation round. Thomas ends up 32-19 while Carr closes his season at 37-10.

Thomas beat Versailles’ Trent Huber 11-8 before losing via pin in 3:26 to Mason Hermes of Milan Edison. Carr dropped a 5-0 decision to Carson Taylor of Covington.

Depinet on podium

· Freshman Kiera Depinet, Seneca East’s 135-pounder, made it to the podium in the Girls Division, placing fourth.

Depinet (43-3) pinned Lebanon’s Andi Addis in 3:37 in her first match. After a 13-8 loss to Sophia Antonio of North Royalton, she recorded two pins in the consolation rounds in 2:18 and 2:12.

She pinned Madison Burns of Howland in 1:34 on Sunday morning, before facing Marie Nina Kim of Columbus Academy for third place. Kim prevailed with a pin at 2:09.

Area wrestlers

· Pleasant’s Daxton Chase (48-2) earned his way to the 150-pound finals with an 18-5 major decision over fifth-ranked T.J. Wilson (55-4) of Tusky Valley.

But Chase lost to Reese Stephen of Barnesville 5-1 in the championship.

· River Valley senior Porter Rick (50-7) won the seventh-place match of the 190-pound class in Division II.

Rick beat Bloom-Carroll’s Tristan Britch (42-8) via pin in 2:24, reversing a loss he suffered to Britch in the sectionals. It was his first state appearance.

· Elgin junior Quinten Harrison (39-9) also earned a seventh-place medal with a 9-5 win over Bram McCourt of Dalton (29-15).

· Sam Mentzer of Pleasant pinned Gage Bolt of Westfall in 2:28 to get fifth place at 165. He is 47-9.

· Elgin sophomore Hallie Winslow (29-5) fell in 58 seconds to Harrison’s Reagan Briggs in the girls 120-pound division. Winslow placed fourth.

Highland’s Cael Gilmore also dropped the title match at 144 to Brogan Tucker of Graham Local, 8-3. As a sophomore, he finished second.

Top teams

Graham Local narrowly won the Division II team championship over Medina Buckeye. Galion finished eighth with 47 points.

In Division III Northmor tied Genoa for 14th place with 35.5 points. Milan Edison, Barnesville, and Legacy Christian were the top three schools.

Cleveland St. Edward easily won the Division I team crown. Olentangy Orange took home team honors in the girls division.

The top 8 placers in each weight class earn all-Ohio honors and a spot on the podium. For full results and team standings go to https://www.baumspage.com/wr/index.php