Edison's Reer wins state championship

COLUMBUS — Edison's streak of individual state champions reached six straight years when one of the best freshmen in the nation took care of business Sunday night at the OHSAA state wrestling championships. Cohen Reer scored five takedowns to earn a dominating 19-4 technical fall over Eastwood's Gabe Brough in the 106-pound final in Division III at the Schottenstein Center. "Best moment of my life," Reer said. "I was nervous at first, but this was where I wanted to be, so I got less nervous as the night went on. It was cool." Reer had three takedowns in the first period and finished the match in the second period. The Chargers' star had reason to be confident heading into the match. He dominated Brough 21-6 in a district tournament semifinal eight days earlier in Rossford. "I wrestled him last week and took him down like six times," Reer said. "I couldn't turn him that match, so I was going all neutral — takedown, takedown, takedown. When I was bottom I had to be careful of the cradle. Get out, get my one, get more takedowns. "Almost all of them were single legs or snap downs. My single and snap work good together." Edison coach Jude Michel liked what he saw. He's seen it all season. "He went out and dominated. That's what he's done all year," Michel said. "He's wrestled all over the country; this stage isn't too big for him. "He's really good on top. We knew (Brough) was not gonna let us get him turned. (Reer) made the decision to let him up so he could keep getting takedowns. He's really good once he gets to the legs. He's super long, and he can score. He kept getting to that single leg and kept scoring." Reer, who finished the season with a 49-2 record — with the losses coming to wrestlers from California and Indiana in the Ironman and Brecksville finals — enjoys working in the Edison room. "It's awesome. We've had a lot of kids win recently," he said. "To be in that room is awesome. Great room, great coaching. "Shoutout to all my partners — Brayden Barker, Mason Hermes, and Xander Gfell-King. All the guys in the room were great to me. It was a fun year." Reer breezed through the 106-pound bracket. He opened Friday night with a pin in 1:06 and pinned his quarterfinals opponent in 52 seconds. A 12-1 major decision got Reer into the finals under the bright lights. Like he does on the mat, Reer was quick with an answer when asked how he would celebrate his state title. "I'll probably get some junk food — ice cream or Oreos," he said. "I love chocolate." In the 132-pound final in Div. III, Monroeville's Owen Patchen dropped a 19-4 technical fall to Legacy Christian's Nathan Attisano. "I didn't do the best of my abilities," Patchen said. "I let him get to my legs too easy, didn't get my legs back. I didn't give up when I was losing and was always looking for a way to score. I wasn't backing up; I was trying to push the pace." Patchen thought he had a late takedown to win his semifinal Saturday night with less than a minute remaining but didn't get the call. Unfazed, Patchen got a takedown with 23 seconds and went on to win 7-1 over Elgin's Cooper Schlaegel. "I knew I could come back," Patchen said. "I always push the pace so I get the next takedown. It was just a matter of time before I got into his legs and got a takedown. "It's natural instinct, I guess. He stopped moving, which I noticed, and I got the cradle and put him on his back. It feels amazing to win that match, especially in the last couple seconds when I knew he was stalling." Patchen, who finished the season with a 21-3 record, missed much of the season after an early-season concussion. "I didn't do the right stuff to come back," he said. "I wasn't honest with my coaches about when I wasn't feeling good and when I was. I tried to come back too early. My coaches told me to rest. I came back, and I feel the best I've felt all year. "My coaches pushed me hard (when he returned to practice in February). I came back from my concussion and ran every sprint and worked hard in conditioning."