While central Ohio features several returning state placers in boys and girls wrestling , others who have been flying under the radar hope to leave their mark during the postseason .
The boys postseason begins Saturday with sectional action in three divisions. The girls compete Friday and Sunday in a pre-regional tournament, which is new this year.
The top four finishers in each weight class advance to the boys district and girls regional tournaments the following weekend. From there, the top four finishers at each weight qualify for state March 8-10 at Value City Arena .
Here are five boys and five girls, listed alphabetically, to watch during the postseason. All of them are candidates to have breakout performances.
The senior is looking to close his prep career with a successful postseason run after helping the Warriors win the OCC-Capital title (7-0). Davis is 17-5 at 157 pounds entering the 11-team Division I sectional at Watkins Memorial. Last season, he went 27-12 and finished fifth at sectional at 150.
Since a loss in early December, Reed has been on a roll. He is 37-1 heading into the Watkins Memorial sectional, where he will compete at 138. The sophomore's lone loss was a 7-0 setback against Vandalia Butler's Joey Love at 144 in the Lee Spitzer Invitational on Dec. 9 at Upper Arlington. Last season, Reed went 1-2 at district at 138 to finish 25-14.
A sophomore, Shuster is 30-11 at 132 as he looks to help the Monarchs in an 11-team sectional at home. He will be making his postseason debut.
St. Clair has had a strong junior season, including winning the title at 132 in the All-North Tournament on Feb. 10 at Dublin Jerome. St. Clair (32-7) and his teammates will compete in the Marysville sectional. Last season, he went 1-2 at district at 120 to finish 26-15.
A sophomore, Zang is seeking his second Division II district berth after going 0-2 last season at 165 to finish 11-17. He is 20-11 this season at 175 as his team prepares to compete in the 11-team sectional at Jonathan Alder.
A sophomore, Dawson is in her first full season with the Raiders. She is 24-16 as she prepares to compete at 105 in a pre-regional Friday at Gallipolis Gallia Academy.
The sophomore has recovered from a dislocated elbow suffered in the team's season opener and should be a key contributor in the postseason. Flynn (8-6) has competed mainly at 130 but is expected to move to 125 for the postseason. Delaware will compete in the pre-regional at Gallia Academy. Last season, Flynn went 3-2 at regional at 125 to finish 18-14.
Hall is already making an impact for the Braves as a freshman, going 21-9 at 135 under first-year coach Taryn Martin , a 2021 Olentangy Orange graduate who won two state titles . Olentangy will compete in a pre-regional Sunday at Teays Valley.
Perez has been battling injuries, according to coach Adam Huddle, but is expected to be ready for the postseason. Competing at 100, the junior is 10-0 when facing girls. Last season, she went 4-2 at state to finish fourth at 100 and 21-3 for the season. Scioto will compete in the pre-regional at Teays Valley.
After qualifying for state as a freshman and sophomore, Scheibeck missed the postseason a year ago with an injury. The senior is 17-10 at 135 and has the potential for a long postseason run, according to coach Brian Nicola. "Lucy is capable of beating just about anyone when she strings it all together," he said. Orange is the top seed in Sunday's pre-regional at Licking Valley.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 10 Greater Columbus wrestlers to watch in OHSAA postseason
