TROY — A trio of talented Legacy Christian Academy freshmen wrestlers qualified to the state tournament along with a solid Greeneview senior at the Division III district wrestling championships at Hobart Arena, and a trio of Beavercreek wrestlers booked their trips to Columbus as well in Division I, on March 2.
LCA freshmen Camron Lacure, Gavin Brown and Matt Ellis will be competing in Columbus. Lacure and Brown claimed district championships in their respective 120- and 126-pound weight classes, and Ellis placed third at 106 to also advance.
Greeneview senior Devan Hendricks won his third-place match at 145 pounds to also advance.
The top-4 finishers in each division and weight class qualify to compete in the annual state championship meet in Columbus.
Lacure needed overtime to defeat Wayne Trace’s Hunter Long, 6-4. Long injured his ankle on a Lacure takedown with 42 seconds left in the OT period, and could not continue.
“It was an intense match. I knew I had to get a takedown, I had to play smart. I knew he’d be coming at me as hard as I was coming at him. He’s a good kid, I just had to stay focused and get my two (points),” Lacure said.
Brown also needed extra time for his district win. He defeated defending state champion Ethan Turner of Troy Christian 2-1 in an ultimate tiebreaker. Turner had narrowly beaten Brown during the regular season.
“I came in here wanting to make a statement, and I think I got it,” Brown said. “This season has been really fun. Six freshmen, we weren’t really expected to do much. But we’ve wrestled a really tough schedule, so now we have a chance to show everyone just how good we are.”
Knights teammate Ellis also advanced. He was given a forfeit win over Miami East’s female qualifier, Olivia Shore, who did not wrestle in the third-place match.
Greeneview’s Devan Hendricks led throughout his third-place match at 145 pounds for a 7-1 win over Devon Meyers of Brookville. Hendricks, making his third trip to the state tournament, was still stinging from a 3-2 decision to 145-pound runner up Ryan Whitten of Troy Christian.
“This time, he wrestled me differently. He knew my gameplan. I’ve just gotta change my strategy up a little bit and find a way to make up those points,” Hendricks said.
Three Beavercreek wrestlers qualified to the state tournament in Division I, with top-4 finishes at Kettering’s Trent Arena. Junior Gavin Bell finished as a runner-up at 152 pounds to move on, while seniors John Hammond (182 pounds) and Bradley Smith (220) each finished fourth.
Legacy’s Logan Attisano (113 pounds), and Beavercreek wrestlers Kyah Patrick (120) and Austin Stevenson (195) each finished fifth in their respective weight classes. The three will go to Columbus as alternates, filling in case another wrestler from their weight class is unable to compete.
The 2019 Individual State Wrestling Championships wil take place March 7-9 at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, on the Ohio State University campus, in Columbus.
