by JOHN HOWLEY / sportingpumpkin.com
COLUMBUS — Logan Elm juniors Dawsen Hudson and Gavin Hoover had their state tournaments get off to a good start while sophomore Conner Green saw his season come to an end in the Division II wrestling championships.
Hudson (43-3), wrestling at 113 pounds, pinned Bishop Watterson’s Greyson Conyers (25-10) with 11 seconds in the match. Not only did it move him on to Saturday’s championship quarterfinals, it also was his 100th career win.
“That was something I’ve wanted to do for a while and it’s cool to do it here at the state tournament, too,” Hudson said.
Wrestling at 126, Hoover (48-5) got the lead with a minute left in his opener and kept Bishop Watterson’s Joe Curry (38-4) under control the rest of the way to advance.
Curry won the state title at 120 pounds last year as a freshman.
“I was a little worried, not going to lie, when I got on bottom. When I got out, I knew it was over, he was done. When I locked up that cradle, I was like oh this is it,” Hoover said. “All I’m thinking about when I’ve got that cradle is I’ve got to stay on top. Try to put him to his back, maybe is a plus, but all I’ve got to do is stay on top.”
“Dawson went out there and wrestled him tough all the way until the end, getting the pin in the last period,” LE coach Jake Daniels said. “We’re always stressing to not stop wrestling, continue to move. You could definitely tell that (Curry) was starting to get tired and frustrated that Gavin was still pushing him. They got a couple takedowns on us, but like some of his matches in the past, Gavin doesn’t quit wrestling and keeps wrestling.
“I’m proud of them both.”
D2 285 – Carter Stack (Oakwood) pin Conner Green (Logan Elm) 3:21 
D2 285 – Isaac Lehman (Napoleon) dec. Conner Green (Logan Elm) 4-0 
D2 126 – Gavin Hoover (Logan Elm) dec. Joe Curry (Bishop Watterson) 5-4 
D2 126 – Gavin Hoover (Logan Elm) dec. Joe Curry (Bishop Watterson) 5-4 
D2 113 – Dawsen Hudson (Logan Elm) pin Greyson Conyers (Bishop Watterson) 5:49 
D2 113 – Dawsen Hudson (Logan Elm) pin Greyson Conyers (Bishop Watterson) 5:49
For Green, his trip to the state as a heavyweight started against Oakwood’s Carter Stack (37-2) who got a pin at 3:21 in the match.
Coming back in the consolation bracket, Green (30-20) wrestled Napoleon’s Isaac Lehman (56-4) who scored a pair of takedowns in the third period to move on.
“He had his work cut out for him, but everybody up here is tough,” Daniels said. “The first match, the kid was really good, and it was 4-nothing when he got pinned, so it was still tight. This match was only 2-nothing and he tried a move at the end to get out and it didn’t go in his favor.
“It’s a good foundation for him to be hungry come next year to get up here. I’m proud of him. Getting up here as a sophomore is an accomplishment and now it’s get up here and get on the podium.”
The championship quarterfinals for Division II are set to start a little after 10 a.m. Saturday.
