OHSAA Division I State Wrestling: Champions go down, more could soon if area has its way
At the state wrestling tournament, you’re only as good as your next match.
Especially in Division I where the brackets aren’t friends with fate.
You better be able to adjust as well.
All the talk in Division I on Friday was a quarterfinal bout of state champions between Wadsworth’s Jaxon Joy and Perrysburg’s Cole Evans at 132 pounds.
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Then Lebanon’s Jack McCall got in the way and knocked off Evans 5-3 in a match in which he never trailed.
“I look at every match the same, so nothing’s really different,” Joy said. “I’m used to it. Being a state champ helped because nothing’s new.”
That was apparent in a 22-7 win over Boston Burkhardt of Marysville.
Next up is a Maumee Bay Classic semifinal rematch between Joy and McCall that Joy won by pin.
Not that the past matters.
“The mats are different, so it feels a little different,” Joy said. “It doesn't feel the same. I feel great. I feel good. I’m on pace.”
Being a projected OHSAA state champ means nothing if you've lost to Massillon Perry
The quarterfinals will be interesting for Perry’s Emeric McBurney (106) and Wadsworth’s Jack Dinwiddie (120).
McBurney pinned Harrison's Brody Palm and will face projected state champ Ethan Timar of St. Edward.
The last time the two wrestlers squared off was at Central Regionals in freestyle, with McBurney scoring the win.
Again, not that the past matters.
“I’ve been training for this moment all year,” McBurney said. “It’s these moments. These four matches. Last year, placing sixth was cool. I want more this time.”
Wadsworth's Jack Dinwiddie won't run from OHSAA state runner-up from St. Edward
Dinwiddie comes back to state as a seventh-place finisher last season.
He had little problem with Liberty’s Prestyn Parks in a 5-1 win and will face St. Edward’s Adam Butler, who comes into the quarters on a roll after knocking out Fairmont district champ Aiden Allen 9-5.
The Eagles sophomore is a returning state runner-up and is projected to reach the finals again.
That is, unless Dinwiddie has anything to do about it.
“The first match, you get a little nervous, but it’s nice to get it out of the way, just keep moving on in the brackets," he said. "The first win really doesn’t matter. You take it one match at a time. Obviously, I want to do better than seventh.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Watch these three OHSAA Division I quarterfinals on Saturday
