PLYMOUTH, Ohio — Colton Campbell and his Crestview teammates have found their stride.
Campbell won a 182-pound championship and the Cougars finished third in the team standings at the Division III sectional tournament at Plymouth High School.
A junior, Campbell was one of five Crestview wrestlers to earn a spot in next week’s district tournament at Toledo Waite. In all, 10 Cougars placed at sectionals.
“We’re peaking at the right time,” Crestview coach Steve Haverdill said. “We lost five go-to matches and four of them were freshmen.”
Crestview captured a Firelands Conference championship last weekend, the program’s first since 2011. Campbell won a conference title, his first individual tournament championship since the eighth grade.
“My freshman year and last year, I was a little overwhelmed in finals matches,” Campbell said. “It feels pretty good to win a sectional. All the hard work in the off-season is paying off.”
Campbell beat Joey Kasper of team champ Milan Edison 3-1 in the finals Saturday evening. He improved to 30-12 on the season.
“As a freshman and sophomore, he would go to finals matches and then run into some senior stud,” Haverdill said. “It became a mental block.
“He’s starting to realize his potential.”
Campbell comes by it honestly. His older brother, Logan, placed third at state at 182 pounds in 2014.
“I was living under Logan’s shadow,” said Campbell, a three-time district qualifier. “I’ve gotten a lot more confident.”
The area’s only other sectional champ was Clear Fork’s Rick Thomas. The senior pinned his way to the 170-pound title, improving to 30-9.
Thomas won the 195-pound championship at the season-opening Coke Classic at Madison.
“I’ve gradually moved down,” Thomas said. “Next week I hope to finish in the top four and get to state.”
District Qualifiers: Ten other area wrestlers punched their ticket to next week’s district meet.
Crestview’s Cade Rogers was runner-up at 170, while Lane Fry was second at 285. Chris Loughman was third at 195 and Chandler Prise was fourth at 220.
Clear Fork’s Mike Morganstern (113), Trey Back (120) and John Witschi (160) all finished third.
Plymouth’s Seth Bailey was second at 220 and Josh Dove was fourth at 160.
Lucas’ Logan Knipp, who also plays basketball, took fourth at 170.
“We only see him in the wrestling room once or twice a week,” Lucas coach Jeremiah Dauch said. “He’s finished in the top four in every tournament. I knew he had it in him.”
