by JOHN HOWLEY / sportingpumpkin.com
COLUMBUS — The state wrestling championships wrapped up Sunday for the last three area wrestlers as they determined their final spot on the awards podium.
Seniors Gage Bolt and Ava Miller finish sixth in the state while junior Gavin Hoover has earned a seventh-place medal.
Miller leaves a legacy
Teays Valley’s Ava Miller was competing in the 110-pound division for the second OHSAA girls state championships.
She began her Sunday wrestling Charley Jones from New Richmond.
Miller got her semifinal match off to a good start scoring a takedown 20 seconds into the match, but Jones tied the match with a reversal 20 seconds later.
In the second round, Jones got a takedown a minute in and advanced with a pin at the match’s 2:07 mark. (Jones went on to win third-place.)
Miller came back in the consolation finals against Brookville’s Molly Luebke.
After a scoreless first period, Luebke got the advantage with an escape and a takedown. Miller put a point on the board with an escape of her own but another takedown had Luebke up 5-1 heading into the final period.
In the third period, Luebke got another escape point and scored a takedown a minute in which she was able to finish off by pinning Miller at the 4:10 mark in the match.
While the finish was not what Miller and her coaches were looking for, TV coach Chad Havens said she has a lot ahead of her.
“This isn’t the end of the book, it’s just a chapter in the book,” he said. “Give her four years, you might see her in a national championship at the women’s level.”
Miller is headed to Indiana Tech to continue her education and wrestling career after high school and leaves the foundation of a solid girls’ program at Teays Valley.
“What Ava has done for our program – without Ava we might have one or two girls, but we wouldn’t have a girls program. With Ava, we’re a legitimate program,” Havens said. “That’s because of her, that’s the way she wrestles, that’s her attitude, that’s what she brings every day.”
And her name will be at the top as TV writes the history of its girls’ program.
“She’s the first in everything,” Havens said. “First girl to ever win a varsity match at Teays Valley, the first girl to ever place in the Mid-State League, first girl to win a sanctioned match here last year, she’s a three-time girls state placer, 102 pins in her career, close to 120 wins in her career.
“When you start a program, it’s about reaching levels and Ava has set the bar to where big-time programs set it. What Ava has started with this program, give us four to five years and I think we become the powerhouse of girls wrestling and that’s because of Ava Miller.”
Miller wraps up her senior season with a 36-9 record.
Bolt wraps up career with second visit to podium
Westfall’s Gage Bolt faced off with Malvern’s Tyson Clear in the consolation semifinal.
Bolt grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period and made it hold up through the second. But Clear was able to get the advantage in the third on the way to a 5-3 decision.
In the 165-pound consolation final, Bolt took on Sam Mentzer from Marion Pleasant.
The first period was scoreless and Mentzer scored on an escape five seconds into the second. With 1:10 left in the period, Mentzer scored a takedown and added three points to it. Thirty seconds later, he got Bolt on his back again on the way to a pin at 2:27 in the match.
“At this tournament, once you get down, it’s almost like the other guy can sit on the lead while now we’ve got to go out of our comfort zone to get more points,” Westfall coach Will Breyer said. “Once you go down by three or four points, we’ve got to do some things we don’t want to do. It’s so key to get a lead here.”
Having placed sixth last year at 165 pounds, Bolt is only the third Mustang to place twice at the state tournament.
“Before him and last year, we really didn’t know how to win on this state floor,” Breyer said. “Because of him, he’s the reason these young kids don’t fear to come to state. He’s done great things for this program.”
Bolt finishes his senior season with a 37-8 record.
Hoover caps junior season with win for seventh
Logan Elm’s Gavin Hoover went up against Travis Bucklew of Vinton County, whom he lost the sectional title to in an ultimate tiebreaker two weeks ago.
Hoover got an early lead, but Bucklew was able to finish the first period scoring five points in the final seconds.
“I was so mad,” Hoover said about giving up the lead. “Last time we wrestled, he took me down a bunch. This time I came out a little more aggressive, got in on the last shot but he turned it around on me – I was mad.”
Those were the only points Bucklew would score in the match.
Hoover wrestled his way back to an 8-5 lead.
“I was staying heavy on top. There’s not much more I could have done,” Hoover said. “I was just trying to wear him down.”
Hoover made it a little easier on himself when he took the lead to 10-5 with about 40 seconds left in the match.
“I was thinking, ‘Oh man, this is such a relief. I can stall a little bit now,’” he said.
He wraps up his season with a 50-7 record and as Logan Elm’s first state placer since 2016.
“It’s amazing. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t the Lord’s will – he’s done so much for me and blessed me,” Hoover said. “Next year I’m aiming high. I’m looking at the top.”
