Graham wrestling coach Jeff Jordan shook his head as he walked the halls of St. John Arena prior to the Division II finals of the first Ohio High School Athletic Association state team tournament.

“We are in for a war tonight,” Jordan said of the finale between his top-seeded Falcons and third-seeded Uhrichsville Claymont for the team state title.

Jordan wasn’t just blowing smoke.

The Falcons didn’t clinch the title until Anthony Welty finished off Claymont’s Nate Gray with his signature more – which Jordan says is called the weltinator – at the 5:08 mark to give them an insurmountable 36-15 lead en route to a 36-24 victory.

“I knew it would be tight,” Jordan said. “Anthony is the most exciting wrestler on our team, and he told me, ‘Coach, I’ll win it for us.’ ”

Welty hit his signature move – which involves him going across his own back to complete – twice in the first period and twice more in the third period, the last one resulting in the fall.

“I’ve always been the one that put on a good show,” said Welty, one of two Graham seniors. “It is my type of wrestling; I love to make it interesting.”

Classmate Bo Jordan believes it also shows what confidence can do.

“I pull my hair out watching him,” said the Ohio State-bound 160-pounder. “But, to hit that four times in the state duals finals … shows what happens when you believe in yourself. He is living proof that wrestling is 80 percent mental.”

Graham trailed 15-12 after 145, but freshman Alex Marinelli gave the Falcons the lead for good with a dominating 19-4 technical fall. Bo Jordan needed :41 seconds to push the Graham lead to 23-15.

Jordan recorded two falls and a technical fall.

“It was a different feeling,” Jordan said of wrestling at St. Johns. “I’m not used to it yet, but it was a good feeling … I know what the feeling will be like the next four years.”

Lane Thomas recorded a 15-3 major decision at 170 and Josh Couchman battled for a 4-2 overtime win at 182 to set up Welty for the clincher.

“I knew it was going to be a great match and I knew he wasn’t going to try as hard as I was (in overtime),” Couchman said after going 3-0 on the day. “I felt the nerves; I knew if I didn’t get the takedown, it would be a whole different ballgame … there was a lot of pressure.”

Graham lost three matches in rolling Athens in the opener 60-12 and dropped four in moving to the finals with a 43-18 win over Toledo Central Catholic.

“I told them, this is the last big hurrah as a team,” Jeff Jordan said. “Let’s go out in style, let’s go have some fun.”