Edison's James to wrestle for title

COLUMBUS — At 45-0, Edison senior Luke James has taken on all comers this season. Now, the standout is one win away from a repeat state championship and his place in history. The 175-pounder Luke James is the area's only other finalist won a 7-3 decision in the semifinals against Graham's Jake Hoke to return to a state championship match in Division III to highlight area wrestlers at the annual OHSAA event Saturday in Columbus. James started his tournament with a 45-second pin and won a 10-0 major decision in the quarterfinals over Union Local's Brody Perzanowski. James will match up against Triad's Awsom Mitchell (48-2) in the finals for the second straight year. In that championship match a year ago, James won via decision, 11-5, as the icing on the cake for Edison's first-ever state team title. Three other area wrestlers lost in the semifinals and will start their Sundays in the consolation semifinals. Edison's Abe Hermes lost 5-2 in overtime in the semifinals to Lima Central Catholic's Antwain Adams. He had beaten St. Paris Graham's Colten Taylor, 8-5, in the quarterfinals to start saturday. Hermes, a 2023 state champion, is 50-7 this season and will finish his tourney on the podium for the fourth straight year. Monroeville senior Brencyn Evans (44-8, 190) and junior Brycen Dunlap (47-12, 285) also lost in the semifinals. Waynedale's Robert McCrork is now an impressive 52-0 after a 12-2 major decision over Evans, the latter who had pinned Johnny Bailey (Southern Local) in 5:50 in the quarters. Dunlap fell by a 7-2 decision to Collin Sullivan of Navarre Fairless in his semifinal match. Earlier Saturday, Dunlap won a 3-1 decision over St. Paris Graham's Wyatt Kaemmerer. Three area wrestlers are still alive for third place in their respective weight classes. At 113, Mason Hermes won by technical fall over Reedsville Eastern's Kyler Basham, 21-2, then pinned Miami East's Lucas Shore in just 53 seconds to advance to the consolation semifinals. Hermes' day had started with a 16-0 loss by technical fall. Monroeville's Owen Patchen responded from a quarterfinal loss Saturday by a 16-1 score (TF) to pink South Central's Diton Farnsworth — ending his season — in 4:25. He then pinned West Union's Ethan Cantrell in 1:44. Landen Roeder lost a tough 3-1 decision in the quarterfinals to Covington's Caleb Ryan at 150 to start Saturday. He then posted a 13-3 major decision over Massillon Tuslaw's Logan Haer before falling to Waynedale's Dalton Oberly, 7-3. Roeder will wrestler for seventh place on Sunday. Also bouncing back in two consolation matches was St. Paul sophomore Rafael Gross. He beat Waterford's Hayden Jones, 9-3, then beat Evergreen's Max Mossing, 10-7, to stay alive for third place. Mason Hermes, Patchen and Gross need to win their first match Sunday to advance to the third-place match. A loss will send them to the fifth-sixth place match. Also falling in the second consolations Saturday was Willard's Jose Figueroa, who was pinned in 46 seconds at 106 by Genoa's Ethan Powell. He ended his junior season at 40-10. Edison junior Xander Gfell-King was also eliminated in the second consolations with a 9-1 major decision defeat to Wayne Trace's Corbin Kimmel. Gfell-King finished with a 31-9 record this season. Farnsworth finished his final season at 46-10. He won 151 matches and reached state twice in his career for the Trojans. In Div. II, Norwalk sophomore Anderson Evans also saw his season end in the second round of the consolations. He was pinned by Cuyahoga Valley Chrstian Academy's Paul Tepley in 47 seconds. Evans finished his season with a 24-4 record and earned the first win by a Truckers' wrestler in six years. Entering Sunday, Edison is tied with Barnsville in fifth place in the team standings with 44.5 points. Monroeville is 10th with 34 points. Prior to the tournament, borofanohio.net projected the Chargers to finish fifth and the Eagles in ninth. ------------------------------- Area state wrestling results DIVISION IISecond consolation190: Paul Tepley (CVCA) pinned Andersen Evans (Norwalk), :48 DIVISION IIISemifinals138: Antwain Adams (Lima CC) dec. Abe Hermes (Edison), 5-2 SV175: Luke James (Edison) dec. Jake Hoke (Graham), 7-3190: Robert McCrork (Waynedale) maj. dec. Brencyn Evans (Monroeville), 12-2285: Collin Sullivan (Fairless) dec. Brycen Dunlap (Monroeville), 7-2 Quarterfinals113: Jake Landis (Graham) tech. fall Mason Hermes (Edison), 16-0120: Spencer Shore (Miami East) tech. fall Owen Patchen (Monroeville), 16-1138: Abe Hermes (Edison) dec. Colten Taylor (Graham), 8-5150: Caleb Ryman (Covington) dec. Landen Roeder (Monroeville), 3-1175: Luke James (Edison) maj. dec. Brody Perzanowski (Union Local), 10-0190: Brencyn Evans (Monroeville) pinned Johnny Bailey (Southern Local), 5:50285: Brycen Dunlap (Monroeville) dec. Wyatt Kaemmerer (Graham), 3-1 Second consolation106: Ethan Powell (Genoa) pinned Jose Figueroa (Willard), :46113: Mason Hermes (Edison) tech. fall Kyler Basham (Reedsvile Eastern), 21-2120: Owen Patchen pinned Diton Farnsworth (South Central), 4:25120: Corbin Kimmel (Wayne Trace) maj. dec. Xander Gfell-King (Edison), 9-1150: Landen Roeder (Monroeville) maj. dec. Logan Haer (Tuslaw), 13-3157: Rafael Gross (St. Paul) dec. Hayden Jones (Waterford), 9-3 Third consolation113: Mason Hermes (Edison) pinned Lucas Shore (Miami East), :53120: Owen Patchen (Monroeville) pinned Ethan Cantrell (West Union), 1:44150: Dalton Oberly (Waynedale) dec. Landen Roeder (Monroeville), 7-3157: Rafael Gross (St. Paul) dec. Max Mossing (Evergreen), 10-7