Seven from Edison, Monroeville earn All-Ohio

COLUMBUS — Strength in numbers played out for two successful wrestling programs. Both Edison and Monroeville took four wrestlers each to the OHSAA Division III state championships this weekend. Among the two programs, there were seven All-Ohioans on Sunday, which led to each finishing among the top 10 teams in the state. Edison finished alone in fifth place with 57.5 points after 175-pounder Luke James won another state championship. Two others placed for the Chargers. Meanwhile, all four of Monroeville's state qualifiers are going home placers. That put the Eagles in a tie for sixth place with 54 points in the final team standings. That group was led by Brencyn Evans, who overcame a semifinal loss at 190 pounds Saturday night to come back as a third-place finisher on Sunday. Evans, a senior, scored a pin in 1:22 against Delta's Connor Sintobin to finish his season with a 46-8 record. "He's a super-tough opponent. We've battled it out twice now," Evans said. "The opportunity came and I locked that cradle up. When I was able to roll him back I knew I had it. I'm super happy with that." Evans, who won two of three matches this season against Sintobin, had pins in three of his four victories at the state tournament. He was an alternate as a freshman, took seventh as a sophomore and did not place last year. "To come back this year and take third is awesome," Evans said. Evans plans to wrestle at NCAA Div. II Tiffin University. "I love wrestling. It's you out there," he said. "A loss is your loss, a win is your win. You can't blame anybody else and nobody else can take your credit." Also for the Eagles, sophomore Owen Patchen (27-6) was pinned by Waynedale's Isaak Skelly in 2:29 in the third-place match at 120. Junior Brycen Dunlap (48-13) recorded a pin in 54 seconds in the fifth-place match at 285 for the Eagles. Meanwhile, senior Landen Roeder (47-11) finished eighth after dropping a 5-1 decision at 150. For Edison, Abe Hermes fell in the third-place match at 138 against St. Mary Central Catholic sophomore Ben James. James lost three previous matches to Hermes, a former state champion and four-time All-Ohio performer. This time, he got a takedown with 11 seconds left in OT to defeat Hermes. After losing by one point at district, James took the next step with a three-point takedown at the center of the mat in a Division III battle. James scored the first point of the match on an escape before Hermes (51-8) answered with an escape. Edison sophomore Mason Hermes pinned Waynedale's Brock Beckler to place fifth at 113. Hermes (51-10) trailed 7-1 before sticking a cradle in the third period. "It's tough. He gets tilted up, seven points in the first period," Hermes said. "The guy chooses neutral you gotta take him down, get on top and get the cradle. "The go-to is the cradle, every time. Get it locked up and get the pin." Hermes finished eighth at state as a freshman. "It feels awesome just doing better than last year," he said. "Hoping to do better next year."