COLUMBUS — Wrestling season wrapped up for Teays Valley Saturday afternoon as junior Josh Zimmer’s season came to a close.
After winning his opening 120-pound match Friday, he faced off against a state champion in the quarterfinals in Perrysburg sophomore Grey Burnett. (Burnett won the 113-pound title last year.)
Burnett had a 12-3 lead after the first round and won by technical (20-3).
Dropping into the consolation bracket, Zimmer faced off with a familiar opponent – Kurt Kokros from Olentangy, and lost a 7-4 decision.
“We wrestled that kid in the district finals, and it wasn’t as good as we wanted it to be in the district finals,” TV coach Todd Nace said, referring to a first-round pin last weekend at Hilliard Darby. “We were prepared a little bit more this week. We knew it was going to be tough.”
Mokros went up 3-0 with a first-round takedown. An escape and another takedown put him up 7-0 in the second before Zimmer scored a reversal to see the period end with a 7-2 score.
Zimmer added an escape point in the third and got another for Mokros stalling before time expired.
“He was in on his legs a couple of times but couldn’t finish,” Nace said. “Then at the end, we know what’s going to happen – they’re going to stall and take the point. Then just hold off again, even if it’s another point.
“We’ve just got to get bigger, stronger and a little bit better next year and it will be our turn.”
Zimmer finishes his junior campaign with a 33-4 record.
“He had two losses at Brecksville, a loss to a state qualifier at 126 when we bumped up and he lost at the district finals. So, he’s had a great season,” Nace said. “He’s won a lot of matches, he’s the captain of our team, he’s the first one ready to go to practice every day, he’s the last one out of practice, he does extra, comes in at six in the morning and gets a workout in.
“He’s just a great kid and we love him to death.”
Click here for complete results from the Division I tournament.