Carrollton falls short of State Duals finals after split at regional

So close, yet so far away.

The Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association State Duals Regional tourney was held Feb. 7 at Claymont High School, and the Warriors, fresh off their dual match victory over Minerva, competed.

Carrollton found itself in a couple of close matches and split them, defeating Beaver Local 36-34 before falling 37-30 to a tough West Holmes squad in the championship match, denying the Warriors a spot in next week’s finals.

Winning bouts for the Warriors against the Beavers include Sawyer Broadwater (113 lbs.), who scored a 9-3 decision, and Ozzy Roybal (126), who picked up a 9-7 decision. At 138, Cael Lowdermilk registered Carrollton’s first pin, followed by John Childs’ pin at 144. Incidentally, Childs was named the Big Z Sports Outstanding Wrestler of the Match.

Jayden Sutton kept it going with a third pin for Carrollton at 150; Brody Gonda also earned a pin at 165. Finally, Wyatt Ridzon picked up a forfeit at 285 as Carrollton advanced to the championship against West Holmes.

The Knight secured a hard-fought win over the Warriors, but it was certainly not for a lack of effort. Cohen Little set the stage at 106 lbs. as he earned a 16-1 tech fall, followed by Broadwater’s 5-3 decision at 113.

Carrollton did not taste victory again until 138, when Lowdermilk picked up his second pin of the tournament, and he did it in under a minute. Childs followed at 144 with his second consecutive pin (2:40), and Sutton (150) also won with a 12-0 major decision. At 157, Gonda logged his second pin in just 2:14.

But that would be the last bout won by the Warriors as the Knights reeled off five consecutive bouts to finish off Carrollton and advance to the OHSWCA State Duals Championship.

Bowling

Carrollton’s bowlers remained in the EBC as the Warriors took on Salem Feb. 3 and Alliance Feb. 5, winning all matches to remain unbeaten in conference play.

Against Salem, the boys won 2,257-1,741, while the Lady Warriors were also victorious, 2,016-1,698. The boys were led by Noah Hutson’s 422 series, as well as Jace Eckinger’s 416. On the girls’ side, Kaylee Russell’s 389 series included a 238 that propelled the Warriors to victory, making the Baker games a mere formality.

Against Alliance, the final scores were even more lopsided as the Warriors displayed their formidable strength as the girls won by nearly 600 pins, 1,915-1,319. Meanwhile, the boys did their female counterparts one better, as they did, in fact, win by 600 pins on the nose, 2,457-1,857.

Russell again led the girls with games of 208 and 238 for a 446 series, while Lilly Kruprzak (176-184) added a 360. For the boys, Caleb Jurkiewicz (213-241) led the way with a 454 series, and Hutson (231-214) posted a 445.