COLUMBUS, Ohio — LeConte Merrell and Drake Barnett felt right at home during the three-day roller coaster ride that is the state tournament.
The showcase event was the continuation of a regular season punctuated by peaks and valleys for both area wrestlers.
Madison’s Merrell capped his abbreviated season with a 56-second pin of Mogadore Field’s Cory Simpson to take seventh place at 132 pounds in Division II. The junior was ineligible for the first half of the season and didn’t return to the lineup until after the first of the year.
Galion’s Barnett put the finishing touches on a season that almost never was with a 10-5 decision over Harrison Central’s Antony Risley, matching Merrell with a seventh-place finish at 160 pounds in Division III. The senior suffered a torn labrum early in the year and was told by doctors his career was likely over. He went through several weeks of rehab and was cleared to return after seeking a second opinion from a shoulder specialist.
Both Merrell and Barnett were 3-2 in Columbus, following identical paths to the podium. They each opened with a win Thursday before falling in the quarterfinals Friday morning. They came back with wins in the consolation quarterfinals, assuring All-Ohio finishes, then fell in the consolation semifinals Saturday night.
“It’s pretty sweet. Placing at state was one of my goals,” Merrell said Friday. “It has been up-and-down. Losing isn’t fun, but I reached the podium.”
Barnett agreed.
“I said before the season started that being a state placer was my goal,” Barnett said Friday night. “But to be honest, I wasn’t sure I could do it because there was just so much being thrown at me with injuries and weight issues.”
A spot on the podium nearly slipped through Barnett’s fingers in the consolation quarterfinals, a 7-6 win over Bloomdale Elmwood’s Noah Baker. Barnett led 6-4 only to give up a late takedown. Baker was penalized a point for an illegal slam with just three seconds left in the third period.
“I had to win or else I wasn’t placing. That’s just so much pressure,” Barnett said. “I was able to wrestle a lot more relaxed after that because whether you finish seventh or eighth or fifth or sixth, does it matter? It is still placing at state.”
Controversy: Madison heavyweight Sean Williams left the Schottenstein Center on Friday believing he would wrestle for seventh place Saturday. When the Madison contingent arrived Saturday morning, they were informed Williams had been penalized for flagrant misconduct after his final match Friday, a loss to Buckeye Valley’s Wes Cochran.
Williams was pinned in his opening match Thursday before winning back-to-back matches Friday.
“It’s hard to block out what happened, especially after the pin in front of all those people,” Williams said. “I was thinking the next match could be my last. I thought back to all the work I put in during the off-season before I went out there.”
Close Call: The area’s fourth state representative, Ontario 138-pounder Taylor Komives, nearly earned a spot on the podium as well. Komives fell to Upper Sandusky’s Thurston Dyer in the consolation quarterfinals 3-1 in sudden victory overtime.
