Green, Smith win final placement matches during final day of OHSAA state wrestling tournament

COLUMBUS — Abby Green's hard work finally paid off.

The junior has worked for everything she earned at the OHSAA state wrestling tournament. All the camps throughout the summer, a grind through the regular season and the knowledge gained from two previous state trips came to fruition on the mats inside the Schottenstein Center on Sunday.

Green can call herself a state placer for the first time. She dominated in her last match of the weekend, pinning Vermillion's Emily Stiner seven seconds into the second period and claiming fifth place in the 140-pound girls bracket.

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"I'm feeling great," Green said. "Last year, I went 1-2 and lost out in the second day, so big improvement. I'm kind of close with the girl (Stiner) that lost to go into the fifth, so I asked her because we had to wrestle each other's opponents. So we kind of talked it out."

Personal accomplishments aside, Green's run through the tournament made history. Not just personal, but for Waverly and the Southern Ohio Conference. With her win over Stiner, Green became the first SOC wrestler ever to place at the state meet.

All Green wanted was improvement. She'd bowed out in the second consolation round a year before in the 135-pound bracket. But that one year made a significant difference.

"Whenever I won in the blood round, I knew, no matter what, I did better than I did last year," Green said. "I'm proud of myself for that. But no matter what, I was going to place and I was going to be the first Waverly kid to ever place at state wrestling. I just knew then that I made history for my school."

Division II

Cannan Smith carried a phrase with him all weekend. It was scribbled on his headgear with marker, and emblazoned across his chest on the shirt he wore for warmups. Everywhere Smith went, the phrase "Do it for Smoke" followed.

This was intentional, of course. Smith used the phrase as a tribute to his late grandfather, who recently died after battling cancer. Everything Smith did and all he achieved at the state meet was in service to Smoke.

"I kind of dedicated this season to him," Smith said. "I mean, obviously I want to get on the podium for him, the top of the podium. It didn't happen, but I knew he'd be proud of me no matter what."

While Smith didn't achieve the first-place finish he envisioned for the weekend, he still closed out the tournament on a high. The sophomore took third place in the 132-pound bracket — the second state placement of his career — after defeating Franklin's Tucker Campbell in the consolation finals.

Smith got the jump on Campbell. He'd been up 7-1 by the time he caught Campbell on the mat and pinned him for the win. Right after the pin, Smith put his "Do it for Smoke" shirt on and raised his hands to the sky in acknowledgement. It wasn't first place, but he ended his weekend with a fitting tribute to his grandfather.

"It's still awesome to say you're a two-time state placer, but I'm getting better," Smith said. "I've learned a lot from this season. It's kind of a win, it's kind of a loss because I didn't get where I wanted to be, but it's mostly a win."

Division III

Zane Trace's Zane Pickerrell and Westfall's Gage Bolt each wrapped the final legs of their tournament runs Sunday. Although both ended their final matches with losses, they each found a spot on the podium.

Pickerrell placed sixth overall in the 132-pound bracket. He lost his first match of the day to Cowin Becker of Northmor by a 4-0 decision, and he fell in the fifth-place match 2-0 to Caden Schmeltzer of Waynedale.

Bolt placed sixth as well in the 165-pound bracket. He fell in the consolation semis to Malvern's Tyson Clear by a 5-3 decision, and he lost in the fifth-place match after being pinned by Sam Mentzer of Pleasant in the second period.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Green, Smith take wins at final day of OHSAA state wrestling tournament