MV trio set for return to state wrestling tournament

Three Mount Vernon wrestlers will get the opportunity to wrestle for a state championship this week.

Ashlynn Brokaw, Mavrik Gregory and Luke Mullins all qualified for the state tournament after finishing in the top four at district competition this past weekend.

Brokaw, the defending state champion, was the lone female wrestler from Mount Vernon to qualify out of district competition. The junior won the 110-pound weight class at Big Walnut with a dominating performance. She won her first two matches via pin (2:36 and 1:09), then won a 15-2 decision before beating Emma Gorrell of Warren, 18-5, in the title match.

This is Brokaw’s third straight district championship — winning at 110 last year and 105 her freshman year. She will begin her trek for a second straight state championship on Friday at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center. Brokaw (40-2) will wrestle Ashlynn Pennington of Alliance in the first round beginning at 6:20 p.m.

Brokaw was one of four Mount Vernon wrestlers who competed at Big Walnut.

Khadija Ndow nearly qualified at 170 pounds, winning her first match by pin in just 3:02. The senior then dropped a heart-breaking 8-6 decision to top seeded Grace Glandorff of Hilliard Bradley. In her final match, she was pinned by another top seed, Carolynn Cox of Jackson, and finished her season 26-13.

Sophomore Alivia Zimmerman was wrestling in her second straight district tournament, but fell in both her matches on the weekend. She was pinned in 0:42 by top-seeded Reese Thomas of Jonathan Alder, then dropped a 22-11 decision Kendall Haines of Liberty Union.

Freshman Luci Parker got her first taste of district competition and also fell in both matches. She was pinned in 1:24 by top seed Aallyah Dawson of Reynoldsburg, then fell in a tough 10-7 decision to Savannah Springer of Athens.

Fredericktown’s Ruthlynn Mejia-Evener also competed in the district tournament, dropping both her matches. The 235-pound senior was pinned in 1:03 and then 1:42.

The Mount Vernon boys team will send two wrestlers to state — Mavrik Gregory and Luke Mullins.

Gregory returns for his fourth trip to state after finishing second at 157 pounds at Hilliard Darby.

The senior won his first two matches easily — 21-5 and 11-1. Gregory then rallied for a 12-9 victory over Jacob Ramirez of Central Crossing before dropping a 15-0 decision to Dublin Coffman’s Eli Esguerra, who finished third in the state last year.

Gregory (41-5) will wrestle Kolten Hmel of St. Edward on Friday at 4:45 p.m. at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.

Mullins is making his third trip to OSU after finishing third in the district at Darby. The senior won 20-5 in his opening match, then dropped a 4-1 Sudden Victory heartbreaker to Peter Graham of Teays Valley in the quarterfinals.

That dropped him into the consolation bracket where he tore through the competition to qualify. He won 15-0, by pin in 3:43 and then a 4-1 decision over Cameron Taylor of Marysville to advance. In the third-place match, he faced Graham again, and once again, they went into sudden death.

This time, though, Mullins made the big move and won the match, 4-1, to finish third. He will face Francesco Salvino of Massillon in the first round on Friday at 4:45 p.m.

“They had a good tournament. Obviously, the district level is tough. Each had a different path to take. Mav made it to the finals, then ran into a tough one. To take second, kind of sets him up nice for next weekend,” said Mount Vernon coach Corey Firebaugh.

“Luke got beat in the quarters in overtime, and battled all the way to beat that same kid. He’s been beat by that kid three times this year. It’s a testament to him, just making adjustments and coming back to beat that kid for third is pretty impressive.”

Gabe Thomas earned status as a state alternate after finishing fifth at 144 pounds.

The junior won his first two matches, 17-3 and 5-4. In the semis, he dropped a 20-3 decision to top-seed Trent Sharp of Marysville. He was then pinned by Dublin Coffman’s Isaiah Callahan to get knocked out of qualifying for state, but bounced back in the fifth-place match to beat Chase Hemminger of Olentangy Berlin, 7-0, and earn alternate status.

“Gabe had a couple good rounds Friday night. We knew the kid from Marysville was tough. To rebound and know you’re not officially in the top four, it’s tough to get up and wrestle that fifth place match,” Firebaugh said.

Two other seniors saw their high school careers end at district. Tye Thomas (132) won one of three matches before being eliminated, and Preston Hempfield (150) lost both his matches.

Sophomore Gabe Kiser (106) was close to placing, winning two matches before being knocked out in the consolation quarterfinals.

Freshman Trevor Jones (215) finished sixth, just one match away from qualifying for state. The freshman won his first two matches before falling 16-5 to Mason Parrill of Dublin Coffman in the semifinals. In the blood match to make it to state, Jones was injured in a pinfall loss to Cooper Frye of Delaware Hayes.

“That changed the complexion of that match. Those things happen. You feel bad for him. He worked hard all year, but he’s got a bright future,” Firebaugh said.