The road to the OHSAA boys and girls state wrestling tournaments begins this weekend.
For the boys, sectional tournaments in all three divisions take place Saturday at venues throughout central Ohio. The top four finishers in each weight class, at each sectional, qualify for district March 1 and 2 at Hilliard Darby (Division I), Norwalk (Division II) and Heath (Division III).
For the girls , a qualifying tournament has been added heading into regionals March 3. Called pre-regional, the top four finishers in each weight class advance.
Both state tournaments will be held March 8-10 at Value City Arena .
Here are five storylines heading into the wrestling postseason:
After falling short of winning his third consecutive Division I state title a season ago, Scioto senior Ty Wilson hopes to close his prep career with a championship.
He finished third last year at 144 pounds.
"I think about last season every day," he said. "When I see my third-place plaque, it motivates me just to do more."
Wilson (24-4) has wrestled at 150 and 157 this season. He expects to compete at 150 in the postseason.
"I'm preparing for the next step in my life," said Wilson, a Northwestern commit. "I have to give a big thanks to (Scioto) coach (Adam) Huddle. He's helped me build a legacy here and leave my name and do something good for the school."
Other key wrestlers for the Irish include Christopher Price (190, 30-7), Adrian Pigg (132, 29-11), Israel Hernandez-Gomez (heavyweight, 17-8) and Moiz Baig (138, 13-9).
"We have our kids ready to wrestle," Huddle said. "I think we're ready to make a push at district and then the state tournament."
Winners of their first league championship since 2003, the Cougars are hungry for more success in the Division I postseason.
They went 5-0 in the OCC-Ohio, securing the outright title by beating Grove City 45-23 last Thursday.
"That was something special," senior David Dell said. "I've never felt like that before. It was something I'll never forget, having that much energy."
The Cougars have received several strong efforts this season, led by Luke Crosier (132, 38-8), River Reed (138, 37-1), Wyatt Compton (175, 35-6), Braylon Vaughn (150, 33-13), Dell (165, 31-8) and Cameron Carney (120, 30-7).
"Everybody has grown from the team experience this season," Reed said.
Second-year coach Tyler Fitzgerald is looking forward to seeing his wrestlers battle in the postseason.
"Our guys are wrestling with toughness and confidence, and I think they can pin anyone any time," he said. "(The) OCC title is our team goal, and as we transition into (the) postseason, we want a strong finish."
North tuned up for the postseason by capturing its fourth league title in five seasons and 11th overall. The Warriors finished 7-0 in the OCC-Capital, ahead of runner-up Big Walnut (6-1).
"This is special, but they're all special," coach David Grant said. "People were saying we didn't have enough talent to win the league and they had us third in the league, so we just got to work, and we got that first victory against Delaware Hayes and just built it from there."
Junior heavyweight Jake Cook (16-7), a Louisville football commit as an offensive lineman, has played a major role in the team's success.
"I'm so happy for coach Grant," Cook said. "He's done a lot for me, helping me with my weight and making sure I'm keeping it down. He's been a huge role model for me."
Other key wrestlers are Tyler Arnette (150, 19-8), Justin Workman (138, 17-4), Andrew Davis (157, 17-5) and Mason Spence (113, 16-6).
"I love where this team is now," Grant said. "We're peaking at the right time, and I love that we've been tested."
With the continued growth of girls wrestling around the state, a pre-regional tournament has been added.
Pre-regional events, similar to the sectional round for boys, will be held Friday and Sunday.
An estimated 2,200 girls have competed statewide this season, up from about 1,350 last season.
Olentangy Orange is seeded first in Region 4 and will compete Sunday at Licking Valley. Delaware is seeded second, with Olentangy Berlin fourth, Watkins Memorial fifth and Gahanna Lincoln sixth.
"Adding another level to the postseason is important for several reasons," Orange coach Brian Nicola said. "First, it allows regionals to stay at 16-girl brackets rather than huge one-day qualifiers like last year. Second, it provides another step to measure growth and success of a program. Qualifying for regionals can provide an individual or program spark to push more growth."
Marysville is seeded first in Region 2 and will compete Sunday at No. 9 Jonathan Alder.
"We knew that there was growth," Marysville coach Shawn Andrews said. "Last year, there were weight classes that had 26, 28 girls in a one-day bracket. That's just not equitable. It's not the same level of qualification as the boys' side. The Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association really pushed the OHSAA to look at adding a layer of qualification. ... It gives the state of Ohio a model to grow into as we expect further growth next year."
Marysville and Orange will host regionals March 3.
Reynoldsburg senior Summer Batts (34-3) hopes to earn her third consecutive state berth and her first title.
Competing at 100, Batts finished seventh last season and eighth as a sophomore. She is competing at the same weight this season.
"I just have to work on nailing down everything I need to work on, drilling until I can't do it wrong," said Batts, who has committed to Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania.
Batts and her teammates are seeded ninth in Region 4 and compete in the pre-regional Friday at Gallipolis Gallia Academy.
Other key wrestlers are Aaliyah Dawson (105, 24-16) and Gia Weaver (110, 13-6). Weaver went 0-2 at state last season.
"All the girls have made such improvement that I wouldn't be shocked if any one of them or multiple girls would advance to regional," said coach Richard Batts, Summer's father. "They've all made such huge gains."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus high school wrestling storylines entering OHSAA postseason
