by JOHN HOWLEY / sportingpumpkin.com
COLUMBUS — Teays Valley advanced both girls to Saturday in the Second Annual Girls Wrestling State Tournament while both of their boys saw their seasons end in the 87th version of the boys championships.
Senior Ava Miller won her opening round match and freshman Sky Zoellick came back to win in the consolation bracket to stay alive.
On the boys’ side, freshman Carson Hix and sophomore Josh Zimmer suffered a pair of losses.
Competing at 110 pounds, Miller (35-7) started her tournament with a pin of Wauseon’s Kaelynn Hartsock (28-15) in the second round.
“It was a little slow in the beginning – I think the nerves were at her a little bit. Second period, she gets out and then she went to work,” TV coach Todd Nace said. “Once she got the girl down, she was going to take her.”
For Miller, it’s her fourth state championship having made it twice when the coaches’ association ran it and now both times the OHSAA has sanctioned the event.
“I was really proud of the way she handled herself. She’s become pro at this,” Nace said. “I think that’s showing even the guys that you come up here four years in-a-row and your expectations are different and you’re going to fight harder.”
Zoellick (39-10) started her tournament at 140 pounds getting pinned late in the first round by Waverly’s Abby Green (39-5).
She came back in the consolation bracket to fight off Mapleton’s Taren Kramer (38-15) and move on with a pin at 2:53.
“It was hard — I almost gave up but never give up. She was tough but I got her,” Zoellick said.
“One thing with Sky is that no matters who she wrestles, she has her own style. As a coach, sometimes it is very frustrating, but you always know she has a chance,” TV assistant Chad Havens said. “I think in that match there she just proved that if there’s time on the clock, Sky has a chance to win.
“Honestly, it was just not wanting to lose that match.”
For the boys competing in the Division I tournament, the Vikings had a couple of young wrestlers getting some experience.
Hix (29-13), competing in the 113-pound weight class, was pinned in the first round of his opening match against Massillon Perry’s Liston Seibert (36-6) and then lost his consolation match by pin in the second round to Adam Gelman (33-6) from Sycamore.
Zimmer (32-9), competing at 120 pounds, opened with Alex Denkins (37-7) from Perryburg and lost a 9-5 decision.
In the consolation match, he gave up some late points to David Rocha (42-8) from Riverside to send the match to an extra period where he ended up losing 10-8.
“This year it’s a new group. We had nine or 10 kids who weren’t even in the varsity lineup last year. Connor is one of them, obviously, being a freshman and making it out here,” Nace said. “Now we’ve got his name on the board, people are going to see that and he’s going to be energized. I think he’ll be excited about being in the room and getting bigger and stronger.
“Josh was behind Gunner (Havens) last year. He was probably supposed to be at 13 and did us a favor by going to 20 and didn’t make it to the state,” Nace said. “This year he was fighting through some things and that was his goal was to get here. He’s disappointed in himself that he didn’t win that match when he was winning. I think he just got lost where the scoring was so he kind of lost his bearings on the match a little bit.
“We love these kids a lot and they’re going to be back and going to be leaders.”
Miller will be wrestling in the girls’ championship quarterfinals which start at 11:30 and Zoellick is back on the mat in the second round of consolation matches that start at 2:15.
