Circleville senior Trentt Fulgham is slated to make his first appearance in the state wrestling championships, scheduled from Friday through Sunday inside Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.
Fulgham finished fourth last weekend in a Division II district tournament held at Steubenville High School to qualify.
The senior heavyweight pinned Bidwell River Valley’s Landon Goheen in 40 seconds and Claymont’s Wyatt Shaw in 3:40 before falling in a semifinal match.
He rallied in a consolation semifinal to pin New Philadelphia’s Garrett Dillon-Rine in 3:23 and clinch a spot in the state tournament.
Fulgham (40-7) is slated to face Medina Buckeye senior Todd Allen (36-3), who finished seventh in the event in 2022 and won a state championship in 2021, on Friday in a Division II championship preliminary match.
Question: How do you feel you wrestled last weekend at the district tournament and chat with us about winning your match to qualify for the state tournament?
Answer: When it comes to districts you can’t afford to take it easy on anyone, because everyone there had to earn their spot in the tournament. When I won the match to qualify for state, I was still in shock and I felt joy, but it didn’t click that I had made it to state until I shook the opponent coach’s hand and then like every positive emotion hit me at once and I couldn’t stop smiling after.
Question: What are your keys to success on the mat with your style of wrestling?
Answer: When it comes to my style of wrestling the key things are keeping your composure, precision and set-ups, because if I get too mad then I’ll lose focus and control and if I put my hand or head or leg in the wrong place then it could mess up the entire move and I could get pinned. Set-ups are the biggest thing in wrestling, because no one is going to give you anything in this sport and you have to execute your moves then.
Question: Talk to us about your practice and training routine and how it has pushed you to become a better grappler?
Answer: When it comes to my practice and training, I have to thank all of my coach’s cause David Morgan, who is our middle school coach, and my two assistant coaches, Chad and Nate, will wrestle with me and push me beyond my limits and they all wrestle differently, so it always gives me great practice for any kind of wrestler. Coach Brooks is the one who makes everything possible by planning for practice and where practice is going to be at and bringing new people for me to wrestle. He brought in a wrestler, Luke, who is No. 10 in Division I, and he came in and wrestled with me the week of MSL tournament. During the past two weeks, I’ve gone to Westfall to wrestle their heavyweight (Hunter Probasco). Seeing different wrestlers, different styles and putting the work in every day makes me a better wrestler.
Question: What are your expectations for the state tournament?
Answer: You have to go into every tournament expecting to win, so for that to become a reality I need to erase every limit I think I have, because no matter who I wrestle they are in the top 16 in the state. If I make one mistake then that could be it for me, so there can be no taking it slow or trying something new that I’ve never tried before. I have to go in with the thought that if I have to knock this guy out to win this match then that’s what I’m going to have to do.
Coming to Circleville this September!