COLUMBUS — A short stay in Columbus can be an amazing motivator.
Just ask Perry’s Chance Schlauch, West Geauga’s Brian Denamen and Madison’s Izaiah Siler. All three were making their second appearances in the Division II state wrestling tournament March 7 after going 0-2 and being sent home early in their first trips to the state meet.
This time around, all three got the job done and made sure they weren’t going to be heading back up Interstate 71 on the same day they made the trip down.
Schlauch pinned Dayton Chaminade-Julienne’s Ronald Johnson in the third period after trailing early. Denamen also trailed early before a third-period reversal and ride-out paved the way to a 10-9 decision over Tippecanoe’s Collin Isaac.
Just a few mats over, Madison’s Siler decked Wapakoneta’s Wyatt Buell in the second period, rising to his knees and clapping his hands emphatically after hearing the official smack the mat to signify the pin.
“It’s definitely fantastic,” Siler said. “Going into the match, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. To win by pin is something I wouldn’t have imagined after last year.”
Schlauch wrapped Johnson in a cradle for the third-period pin and help make up for of going 0-2 last year.
“It’s good to get the first one out of the way,” he said. “I’m ready for the rest of the tournament. … I knew I missed a chance by going 0-2 last year. I know what my goal is this year.”
West G’s Denamen had the most ghosts to exorcise. He was a state qualifier and 0-2 performer as a freshman, missed out on a state bid last year and then trailed this year’s opener, 7-0, after the first period.
Denamen reversed Isaacs with 48 seconds left and then rode him out. When the final seconds went off the clock, the massive crowd of West G fans applauded wildly just above Mat 9.
“Yeah, this feels a little better after not making it last year,” Denamen said. “Knowing I can compete here and I’m just as good as the other guys, it feels good to be out here and prove that.”
Denamen shrugged off his early 7-0 deficit, noting, “I always look at the score as if I’m down anyway. .. I had to wake up and turn it into my match in my style and not let him have his way.”
Other coverage area Division II wrestlers who won their first match and advanced to the quarterfinals on Day 2 were Chardon’s Alex Ash (157), Benedictine’s Chris Maloney (175) and Antonio Hobbs (144), Hawken’s Will Greenberg (285) and Madison’s Chase White (215).
White trailed until getting a takedown in the third, a move so emphatic his opponent took an injury timeout. White, a first-timer at the state tournament, knew he had the win in his pocket there.
“It’s so exciting, especially with all my family here,” White said. “My first time down here, it’s amazing.”
White said he had heard stories about the daunting task of walking out onto the mat for the first time in front of the huge crowd, but got good advice.
“My drill partner told me don’t get big-eyed and don’t give overwhelmed — just wrestle,” White said. “You just have to keep your confidence up and wrestle how you wrestle.”
Of the 16 coverage area wrestlers who came to Columbus in the Division II tournament, 14 of them are still alive for a state championship. Aside from the seven in the quarterfinals, eight others are still alive in the consolation bracket after winning their second matches — West G’s Caden Kaleal (120) and Zander Joltin (126), Perry’s Landon Rusnak (120) and Trent Taylor (285), Chardon’s Caden Foley (144) and Benedictine’s Devion Coffin (126).
