VanHoose, who entered with a 13-14 record and had secured the fourth and final qualifying spot in the sectional, ground out a 5-1 win over sectional champ Mike Morris of Oakwood to move into the quarterfinals.
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As of deadline for this edition, Graham had not lost a match and had advanced 10 to the quarters with four, including VanHoose, left to wrestle.
“That was a great win for him,” Graham coach Jeff Jordan said. “We call him Moose and we just say turn the Moose loose.
“I think once he got the first takedown he got a lot of confidence and it was just a great first round.”
The top four in each weight class advance to the state tournament March 9-11 at the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State.
Most of the Falcons are one win from guaranteeing a top-four finish and another week of wrestling.
“We try to get as many to the semis as we can and after that it is one at a time,” Jordan said. “But once you get to the semis, you only have to win that next one to go.”
The road to state will be a little tougher for some.
Kenton Ridge 113 Bryce Davis almost pulled off a monumental comeback in his quarterfinal with Circleville’s Nate Keating. Davis trailed 7-1 entering the third period but recorded three takedowns in an eventual 11-7 setback.
Urbana’s sectional champ Austin Murray will also have to battle back through the consolations after dropping a 13-2 decision to returning state qualifier Jake Gentry of Ross in the quarters at 113.
Division I: Tecumseh and Springfield each had a wrestler advance to the second round at Fairmont's Trent Arena.
Cyle Wells recorded a fall at the 4:39 mark of his first-round match with returning state qualifier Drew Saunier of Springboro to advance.
Springfields Joe Cochran, a returning state qualifier, advanced to the second round with a first-period pin.
Division III: Mechanicsburg opened a double-digit lead after the first night of the D-III district at Troy's Hobart Arena.
The Indians placed seven in the semis in scoring 76.5 points. Troy Christian is second with 60.
A trio of other local wrestlers moved a win from the state tournament as Greeneview 106 Devan Hendricks, Southeastern’s Lane McCombs (113) and Triad’s Zack Zizzo (145) all moved into the semis.
On deck: Wrestling continues today at 10 a.m. at all sites with finals slated for an hour following the final consolation semifinal.
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