Three local wrestlers are one step closer to state titles after securing quarterfinal victories Friday at the OHSAA state wrestling tournament. Malvern’s Tyson Clear, Carrollton’s Cael Lowdermilk, and Minerva’s Hunter Dietrich each won their respective quarterfinal matches and will compete in Saturday night’s semifinals.
(Please note: This article is actively being updated as results come in. If you notice an athlete missing from the results, kindly leave a comment on Facebook and let me know so I can add them. These results are only from the Saturday early matches. Division I and Girls results will be added this afternoon at the conclusion of that round.)
Malvern’s Clear Seeks Championship Berth
Malvern senior Tyson Clear, a two-time fourth-place finisher, rallied late in his 157-pound Division III quarterfinal match against St. Paris Graham’s Kyler Crooks. Trailing 3-0 for most of the bout, Clear secured a takedown and was awarded four back points in the final 30 seconds to win 7-3.
“I was just trying to stay on my feet, keep wrestling hard,” Clear said. “I needed to find a way to win, and I did.”
Clear will face Lakota’s Braxton Quaintance in the semifinals. Quaintance, who defeated Clear in last year’s semifinals, entered the tournament undefeated. Clear hopes to hand him his first loss and earn a spot in the state finals.
Carrollton’s Lowdermilk Cruises to Semifinals
Carrollton sophomore Cael Lowdermilk continued his dominant tournament run, defeating Wauseon’s Mykale Schneider 7-2 in a Division II quarterfinal bout at 126 pounds. Lowdermilk now prepares to face Canton South’s Dom Prosperi in Saturday’s semifinal.
“I’m just going to keep wrestling my style—staying on the attack and being aggressive,” Lowdermilk said. “My coaches keep telling me to trust the process, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Prosperi earned his semifinal spot with a 12-1 major decision victory over Colton Wenger of Clear Fork.
Minerva’s Dietrich Reaches Milestone in Quarterfinal Win
Minerva senior Hunter Dietrich, wrestling at 165 pounds in Division II, secured a 3-1 win over Salem’s Aiden Stecker in the quarterfinals. The victory marked Dietrich’s 150th career win.
“Hard work and smart wrestling got me here,” Dietrich said. “Strength only gets you so far—you need to wrestle smart and make good decisions in big matches.”
Dietrich now faces a major test in the semifinals against Reading’s Gage Murphy, who remains undefeated at 53-0.
“Records don’t matter when you step on the mat,” Dietrich said. “I’m here to win.”
Semifinal matches begin Saturday evening at the Schottenstein Center, where each of these local wrestlers will attempt to punch their ticket to Sunday’s championship finals.
Other wrestling results:
Indian Valley’s Jaxon Burcher advanced to the 215 lbs. Division II semifinals with a 14-5 major decision over Hartley’s Malik Tufts.
Indian Valley’s Bronko Braun won his quarterfinal match 9-6 over Ontario’s Aiden Ohl and will wrestle in tonight’s semifinal match.
Indian Valley’s Bodie Raymond lost his quarterfinal match 15-4 but rebounded with a 7-3 decision in his consolation match to stay alive in the tournament.
Tusky Valley’s Ben Congdon will be in tonight’s state semifinals at 285 lbs. in Division III with an overtime win.
Carrollton’s Sawyer Broadwater has been eliminated from the tournament after losing his quarterfinal match and consolation match.
Minerva’s Hatcher Sabatin lost his quarterfinal match but rebounded with a win in his consolation match to keep his placement hopes alive.
Fairless senior Collin Sullivan will wrestle in the Division III state semifinals at 285 lbs.
Harrison Central’s Knox McKibben lost his quarterfinal match but rebounded with a 1:54 win in the second consolation round.
Marlington’s Luke Stanley won his consolation 5-3 to stay alive in the tournament.
Marlington’s Aiden Bean was eliminated from the tournament, losing his consolation match 5-2 to Vinton County’s Travis Bucklew.
Claymont freshman Kamden Stout won his second consolation match 12-9 to advance in the bracket.
Harrison Central’s Knox McKibben lost his quarterfinal match but rebounded with a 1:54 pin in his consolation match.
Garaway’s Braylon Books was eliminated with a 17-1 technical fall in the second consolation round.
Garaway’s Mitchell Tetreault and Matt Frey both won their consolation matches to stay alive in the tournament.
