SHELBY — For those wrestlers making their state tournament debut this weekend, walking out of the bullpen and onto the Value City Arena floor at Ohio State’s Jerome Schottenstein Center can be a sensory overload.
The lights are bright, there is a whirl of activity as 10 matches are being contested at any one time and many of the arena’s 18,000-plus seats are filled.
Shelby’s Brahm Ginter remembers that feeling well. He was the deer in the headlights last March when he qualified for the Division II state meet for the first time.
This time around, Ginter knows what awaits him when the state meet kicks off Thursday afternoon and concludes Saturday. The senior earned a return trip to Columbus with a runner-up finish at 170 pounds at last week’s Norwalk district meet.
“It’s a little overwhelming, but exciting, too,” said Ginter, who reined in his emotions to finish seventh at 160 pounds last year. “I know what it’s like down there and that definitely helps. I have an advantage over those who are making it for the first time.
“The first match is definitely the hardest. If you can win that first match, it sets you up better for the rest of the weekend.”
A senior, Ginter is one of 10 area wrestlers who will be in action this weekend. Ashland’s Jake Visintine (132 pounds) and Josh Bever (220) qualified in Division I, while Ontario’s Carter Kroll (120) and Colton Turnbaugh (145) and Lexington’s A.J. Adams (285) will join Ginter in the Division II field. Crestview’s Clay Eagle (120), Dakota Blanton (126) and Colton Campbell (195) and Mapleton’s Beau Lefever (145) made it in Division III.
Like Ginter, Ashland’s Bever and Crestview’s Blanton are state meet veterans. Bever finished seventh at 195 in Division II last year before the Arrows moved up to Division I this year. Blanton was a two-time state qualifier for South Central before transferring to Crestview.
Ontario’s Kroll and Turnbaugh and Lexington’s Adams all are making their first state appearances. Adams was a district runner-up at Norwalk, while both Kroll and Turnbaugh finished fourth.
A freshman, Kroll is the son of Ontario coach Kevin Kroll. Turnbaugh, the son of Ontario assistant and 1999 state champ Wes Turnbaugh, is a sophomore but missed almost all of his freshman season after suffering serious burns in a house fire last year.
“To be a freshman and be going to state, it feels awesome,” the younger Kroll said. “I just want to keep it going and have some fun when I get down to Columbus.
“I knew I had it in me. I just had to wrestle with confidence and let it rip.”
For Turnbaugh, the last year has been a kaleidoscope of tragedy and triumph. He went from burn victim to state qualifier in little more than 12 months.
“I never imagined I would be standing here,” Turnbaugh said last week. “I lost my whole freshman season and now I’m going to state.”
Like Turnbaugh, Lexington’s Adams will be trying to make up for lost time. The senior was an academic casualty last year and missed out on the tournament.
“Last year I ran into some grade troubles, so I didn’t get to wrestle in the postseason,” Adams said. “I basically didn’t have a summer. I was wrestling and lifting three and sometimes four times a day, six days a week.
“Now I’ve got to go and get a medal there.”
