The Trojans are low on numbers, but there’s no lack of grit and perseverance from the trio. The goal at every tournament is to get all three wrestlers into the top three. They’ve accomplished that at all but one meet this season.
Leading the way is Mitchell in the 103-pound weight class. The freshman is 25-4 with a handful of tournament victories, including the Madison Mohawk Invitational and Clark County Clash. He reached the finals at the Benjamin Logan Raider Invitational last Saturday before running into Columbus East senior Ammaar Salaam. Salaam, ranked No. 16 in the state in Division II by borofanohio.net, used his strength to win the title with a 17-2 technical fall.
Until that point Mitchell, ranked No. 17 in D-III, had pinned his first two opponents in 20 seconds and 1:26.
“That’s the nature of the sport,” Allen said of facing a senior that has benefitted from three more seasons of experience and maturity. “The heart of the competition you practice with, the better you’re going to be. He’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing.”
Of Mitchell’s four losses, three have come against Miami East freshman Cooper Shore. Shore is ranked No. 5 in the state.
Mitchell is up to the challenge. His older brother, Jesse, was Southeastern’s first state qualifier in program history and placed fifth at 160 pounds.
“I think a lot of it is watching Jesse,” Allen said. “(Wrestling) is something he knows. He loves it. He loves the grind and he’s a pretty mature freshman when it comes to competition. … I think Connar’s goal is to qualify for state. That’s our mindset. That’s how I’m training my guys so we peak at the right time.”
McCombs, a junior, qualified for the district tournament last season. He’s currently 14-8. Spears, also a junior, is 13-9 at 220. Neither McCombs or Spears competed at the Ben Logan meet.
With just three wrestlers in the program the Trojans travel around the county practicing with other programs.
“We take advantage of that as much as we can,” Allen said. “I’ve been coaching in Clark County for at least 10-15 years. It’s a small community and everybody knows everybody.”
• Springfield sophomore Joshua Cunningham (19-10, eight pins) had a strong run to win the Washington Court House bracket tournament on Jan. 25.
Cunningham, seeded No. 3, beat Fairborn freshman Logan Roman by pin in 38 seconds. He held off Campbell County senior Nate Schneider, the No. 2 seed, with a 4-2 victory in overtime. In the final, Cunningham beat Bethel-Tate sophomore Jacob Webb 8-6.
• Tecumseh finished third at the Benjamin Logan Raider Invitational with a trio of first-place finishes.
Senior Lucas Rodgers pinned Ben Logan’s Chris Raterman in 3:40 to win the 132-pound title. Senior Cyle Wells pinned Piqua’s Andru Hollopeter in 1:04 at 145. Senior Alec Hall won a 5-3 decision over Urbana’s Trevor Stewart to win the title at 182.
Northwestern junior Evan Hager also won an individual title with a 19-5 major decision over Urbana’s Trey Williams.
• The OHSAA Dual Team regional tournament will be held Saturday at various locations. Each division has eight regional sites with the champion from each advancing to the state meet Feb. 16 at St. John Arena.
Tecumseh competes at Hilliard Darby in Division I.
Defending state champion Graham hosts a D-II regional that also includes Kenton Ridge and Urbana.
Greeneview, Greenon and Shawnee compete at Brookville in D-III, while Mechanicsburg and West Liberty-Salem are at Coldwater.
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