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Poland's Audi records lone pin by local wrestler on Day 1 in Columbus
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Poland’s Mike Audi rolls over Tye Smith of Washington Court House for the pin in their match in the 170-pound weight class of the Division II state wrestling tournament Thursday in Columbus. Audi was one of eight local wrestlers to advance on Day 1 of competition and the only local to record a pinfall.
By ERIC MAUK
COLUMBUS
Eight area wrestlers survived the opening day of the 2014 Ohio High School Athletic Association State Wrestling Tournament with their championship dreams intact, scoring first-round victories that advanced them to today’s quarterfinals.
But the paths those elite eight took to the second round during Thursday’s action at the Schottenstein Center on the campus of the Ohio State University were as diverse and different as the snowflakes that swirled outside the arena.
Some, like Poland senior Mike Audi and fellow district champion Korey Frost of Canfield, breezed into the second round with decisive victories, while others had to scratch and claw to the final seconds to punch their tickets for today. And in the case of Wellsville junior Seth Bloor, he only had to work for about 60 seconds before his foe, Dan Jones of Columbus Academy, retired with an injury.
Audi advanced to the second round of the 170-pound bracket in Division II with a decisive pin of Washington Court House junior Tye Smith, in what would be the only pinfall recorded by an area wrestler in the first round. Frost advanced by using a third-period near fall to cement an 8-1 victory over Marengo Highland’s Mike Stewart, while 152-pound district champ David-Brian Whisler of Howland had to fight off a late surge from Andrew Dunn of Hamilton Ross to claim a 7-5 win.
Whisler had a 6-1 lead after two periods but tired down the stretch, owing to some extra workout time he needed to put in after getting to Columbus in order to get under the 152-pound weight limit.
“I was definitely tired from making this weight,” Whisler admitted. “He [Dunn] could probably see that I was getting tired at the end and he probably thought he could get me but I held him off and got the win. I had to work out a little harder than normal to be at this weight, and it’s tough but now I can get some fluids and recover for tomorrow.”
West Branch senior heavyweight Logan Sharp and Beaver Local’s Daniel Hasson called upon all their reserves to eke out first-round wins — which are important since the early wins earn the victors nearly 24 hours to recover for their next bouts.
Sharp scored the only point of his match with a third-period escape, then fought off a last-ditch takedown attempt by Franklin’s Chase Henderson to claim a 1-0 win, while the 138-pound Hasson preserved a 6-5 win over Wilmington’s Zach Johnson in similar fashion, fending off a shot with 10 seconds to go in the match.
“He [Johnson] was a tough guy and to ride him at the end was hard,” Hasson said. “It took a lot of ‘hold on,’ but I wanted it a little more. There was no room to breathe in this match. It really came down to who was in better shape. We worked hard and did a lot of conditioning this year and it really paid off today.”
Canfield freshman Georgio Poullas used a late escape to score a 6-5 win in the freshman’s first-ever state match. Poullas was down 3-2 after two periods to Fostoria’s 126-pound Luke Leonard but bounced back to go up 5-3 before a late reversal knotted the score, setting the stage for a reversal that moved him into the quarters.
Girard’s Nick Cardiero rounded out the eight area winners on the opening day, getting a boost from two early takedowns to stop Centerburg’s Jared Pack 6-2 in the first round of the Division III 170-pound bracket. It was the senior’s first match at the state tournament, but he didn’t let the unfamiliar surroundings get to him in his first match.
“It’s cool to be here, it’s such a huge arena and it was a thrill to walk out here, but I was having fun with it, I was trying to stay loose and it worked well,” Cardiero said. “I felt good, I felt confident. Once I got that first takedown, that really helped settle me down mentally. Going into the second period with a 2-0 lead was a big lift. Once I got the second takedown to go 4-0, I felt in control.”
Of the nine wrestlers who fell in their first-round matches, Jackson-Milton’s Mitch Tikkanen and Boardman’s Mario Graziani won their first consolation matches to stay alive in the tournament. Graziani nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the day as he fell to 38-1 Trey Grine of Fremont Ross in the Division I 145-pound bracket, losing when Grine scored a two-point reversal with two seconds left in the match.
Wrestling continues today at the Schottenstein Center, with sessions beginning at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The final rounds will take place on Saturday.