Local wrestlers compete at junior high state

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Austintown’s Austin Vinion (right) sizes up his opponent during the Junior High state meet last weekend at the Covelli Centre.

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Austintown’s Austin Vinion (left) gets control of his opponent.

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Drew Fairbanks (top) prepares to turn his opponent during a match last weekend.

Three local wrestlers qualified for the OAC Junior High State Championships hosted at the Covelli Center last weekend.

The event could be the toughest tournament in Ohio. Unlike the high school state meet which has three separate divisions based upon the size of the schools, the Junior High State meet has one division for all schools. A total of 48 wrestlers in 18 weight classes qualify from eight districts around the state.

Austin Vinion (146 pounds) qualified as an alternate and got into the tournament when another wrestler was unable to compete.

Only a second-year wrestler, Vinion faced seasoned wrestlers and went 0-2 on the weekend.

Brothers Drew (102) and Brent (176) Fairbanks also competed. Brent went 0-2, while Drew went 3-2, losing to the seventh and eighth-place wrestlers in his weight class.

Austintown Wrestling Club will have three wrestlers competing in this weekend’s OAC Grade School State Championships. Aaron Means (68 pounds, Division II), Colin Roberts (68, Division III) and Brock Kimble (180, Division IV) will wrestle. Kimble won the OYWA State Wrestling Championship last month.

The Grade School State Championships have 1,312 wrestlers who qualified from all over Ohio competing in 41 age divisions and weight classes.