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Here are 5 Columbus-area storylines entering Ohio high school wrestling regional duals

Published

1 year ago

January 30, 2025

Here are 5 Columbus-area storylines entering Ohio high school wrestling regional duals

A busy stretch for central Ohio wrestlers starts Saturday with the regional dual tournament, followed by the state duals next weekend.

The Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association sponsors the annual duals. Boys and girls regionals will be held at sites throughout the state.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association postseason begins the weekend after the state duals.

Here are five Columbus-area storylines heading into the regional duals:

1. Dublin Coffman aims to keep streak alive

Coffman will be seeking its seventh consecutive Division I regional duals title and ninth in 10 seasons when it hosts a bracket Saturday.

The top-seeded Shamrocks open against No. 8 Big Walnut, with the winner facing No. 4 Mount Vernon or No. 5 Olentangy in the final later that day. The winner advances to the state duals Feb. 8 at Olentangy Liberty.

Coffman finished fourth in the state duals last year.

“I look forward to this tournament,” coach Chance Van Gundy said. “We don’t see a lot of central Ohio teams besides our OCC-Central schedule. We wrestle a lot up north and we go down to Mason to wrestle. We’re out of central Ohio more than we’re in central Ohio, so this weekend guarantees two duals with central Ohio teams who are not in our (OCC) division.”

Key wrestlers for the Shamrocks are Loc Webber (33-2, 106 pounds), Blaze Van Gundy (28-3, 126), Eli Esguerra (28-5, 150), Braylon Wright (25-5, 215), Isaiah Callahan (23-6, 144), Tommy Wurster (22-3, 113), Cole Woodruff (22-9, 138), Michael Feeney (22-8, 175), Clayton Shipley (21-9, heavyweight) and Zion Birden (20-7, 120).

2. Olentangy ready for regional test

Olentangy coach Matt White believes his team matches up well with Mount Vernon and hopes it can earn a spot in the final, likely against Coffman.

Last season, the Braves finished third at regional, beating Watkins Memorial 57-20 in the consolation match.

Top wrestlers for Olentangy are Nick Piontkowski (33-6, 150), Kurt Mokros (28-6, 126), Daniel Stephens (28-7, heavyweight), Preston Schuler (28-9, 132), Luke Mokros (25-12, 120) and Landon Moses (21-13, 144).

“Our wrestlers are wrestling at a highly competitive level,” White said. “Our goal is to make it out (of regional). We know we have very tough teams on our side of the bracket. I want these guys to show up and do what they know how to do.”

Second-seeded Liberty also hosts a Division I bracket and faces No. 7 Lancaster in the opening round. The winner faces No. 3 Marysville or No. 6 Teays Valley, with that winner advancing to the state duals.

3. DeSales boys looking down the road

With his team expected to enter the Division II regional duals without a complete lineup, Stallions coach Collin Palmer hopes the event provides a tune-up for the OHSAA postseason.

DeSales is seeded third and faces No. 6 Clyde in the first round Saturday at Sandusky Perkins. The winner faces No. 2 Perkins or No. 7 Wapakoneta, with that winner advancing to the state duals Feb. 8 at Watterson.

Key wrestlers for DeSales are Andrew Barford (20-5, 175), Joel Welch (19-6, 165) and Lincoln Shulaw (13-3, 190).

“We have had trouble filling a lineup this year,” Palmer said. “Obviously, our heavy hitters have to put points on the board to see how we do. We have trouble filling more than 10, 11 guys. Going into the bigger events with holes in your lineup, it’s hard to compete.”

There are 14 weight classes.

Elsewhere in Division II, Watterson is a No. 1 seed and hosts a regional bracket Saturday. Jonathan Alder, a No. 3 seed, also hosts a bracket that includes Hartley, a No. 6 seed.

4. Olentangy Orange girls seek return trip to state duals

Orange coach Brian Nicola said his team’s biggest focus is daily progress on the mat rather than concentrating on championships.

The Pioneers host a regional bracket Saturday and have a first-round bye. They face No. 8 Westerville North or No. 9 Steubenville in a semifinal, with the winner taking on No. 4 Big Walnut or No. 5 Teays Valley.

The regional champion advances to the state duals Feb. 8 at Marysville.

“Our focus this year is we really don’t talk about (postseason titles),” Nicola said. “Coming in every day to get better and being good teammates has been the main focus.”

The Pioneers won the state duals in 2022 and 2023 but finished second to Harrison last season. Last year, they went on to capture their first OHSAA team title at the state tournament for individuals.

Key wrestlers for Orange are Mackenzie Carder (28-1, 120), Lydia Heinrich (28-2, 170), Bella Ndinga Mbappe’ (26-6, 130), Chloe Tompkins (25-5, 135), Alanna Smith (23-7, 140), Lexie Riley (22-7, 145), Jennifer Huaracha-Arellanos (22-3, heavyweight) and Lacie Knick (20-0, 125).

“We’re right where we want to be this time of the year,” Nicola said. “We still have some adjustments that we need to work on, but we’re pretty happy.”

5. Delaware Hayes eager to face challengers

Delaware travels Saturday to Gahanna Lincoln, where the third-seeded Pacers take on No. 6 Hilliard Bradley in a semifinal. The winner faces No. 2 Gahanna, No. 7 Watkins Memorial or No. 10 Darby in the final, with the winner advancing to the state duals.

“I feel good about this weekend,” said Josh Lamb, who shares Delaware coaching duties with Kevin Rieman. “Having a whole lineup helps. We’re pretty solid across the board. … We’re excited to get a chance to go down there and wrestle and showcase what we’re made of.”

Delaware is seeking its fourth consecutive state duals berth.

Key wrestlers for the Pacers are Nelease Danzy (18-2, 145), Evelyn Krauss (17-6, 155), Lahni Danzy (16-7, 120), Taylor Flynn (15-7, 125) and Abi Forsythe (105, 15-7).

Marysville also is a No. 1 seed and hosts No. 8 Wauseon, with the winner facing No. 4 Clyde or No. 5 Lewistown Indian Lake for a trip to the state duals.

fdirenna@dispatch.com

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Ohio

Urban Meyer recalls Pete Rose’s texts about Ohio State football

Published

36 minutes ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

Urban Meyer recalls Pete Rose’s texts about Ohio State football

Cincinnati Reds legend and well-known gambler Pete Rose was possibly more than just curious about Ohio State football’s 2012 season when he texted Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer.

Appearing on “The Triple Option” show with Alabama running back Mark Ingram May 6, Meyer told a story about his relationship with Rose.

After OSU hired Meyer, the Reds asked him to throw out the first pitch at a game. Meyer threw to his son, Nathan, and walked into the dugout, where Rose, MLB’s all-time hit leader, was waiting to greet him.

“I couldn’t get enough talking about ‘Big Red Machine,’ and he wanted to talk college football,” Meyer said on the podcast, explaining how the two spoke for hours and exchanged numbers.

Meyer said that during his first season, Rose texted him early on. He wanted information about the team, like news on Braxton Miller’s shoulder injury.

“I told that to someone, and they said, ‘You’re an idiot. Do you know he’s trying to get information from you for gambling, and you could get in trouble?’ ” Meyer said.

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Though Meyer asserted that he never disclosed much, he started to steer the conversations clear of college football after he realized Rose potentially wanted information for gambling.

The two had another conversation in Las Vegas, where Rose told Meyer he gambled daily after retiring.

Rose was banned from baseball for betting on the sport, something he admitted to in his 2004 autobiography. Rose was reinstated in 2025 and so is considered eligible for the Hall of Fame.

Still baseball’s most prolific hitter (4,256 hits), Rose died in 2024.

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8th Annual Trumbull County Special Olympics Invitational held in Girard

Published

13 hours ago

May 9, 2026

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8th Annual Trumbull County Special Olympics Invitational held in Girard

GIRARD, Ohio (WKBN) – Over 100 athletes came together for the 5th Annual Trumbull County Special Olympics Invitational Saturday morning in Girard.

These athletes represent five different schools across Trumbull County to compete and spread the message of inclusion, achievement, and sportsmanship.

The Invitational continued its long-standing tradition of honoring the legacy of Randy Suchanek while celebrating the dedication and accomplishments of Special Olympics athletes throughout the region.

“You can hear all the excitement for this, for the athletes that are here today,” said superintendent Bryan O’Hara. “They work hard all year long to participate. We’ve always worked hand in hand with the rotary to get this accomplished is a lot of work behind the scenes.”

Participating schools included Ashtabula, Geauga, Columbiana, Kent-Portage and Trumbull Fairhaven

“There’s a lot of nice participation from girard students as you see behind us, and a lot of participation from the community helping out,” Girard-Liberty Rotary co-president Andy Kish added.

O’Hara added that the event keeps everything in perspective, seeing the athletes compete in the spirit of fun, along with the courage and determination that they show.

Alex Sorrells contributed to this report.

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Ohio

Can you eat Ohio River fish? Just Askin’

Published

1 day ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

Can you eat Ohio River fish? Just Askin’

Can you eat fish from the Ohio River?

In 1975, future presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, then governor of Massachusetts, bet 20 pounds of New England cod that the Red Sox would defeat the Reds in the World Series. If things went south for Boston, Ohio governor James Rhodes promised to send Dukakis 10 pounds of Lake Erie perch and 10 pounds of Ohio River catfish. The Reds ended up winning and the cod was sent to the Convalescent Home for Children, in Cincinnati.

At the time, people were still eating catfish from the Ohio without too much concern. The fish were also served at several restaurants along the river.

There were warnings in 1977

But two years later, in 1977, The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission released the results of a study of contaminants found in the tissues of Ohio River fish. They warned anglers in cities such as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville, Wheeling and Gallipolis that man-made chemicals known as PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, had been discovered in the river fish. Later, high concentrations of mercury were discovered in the fish, too.

Thanks to the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the environmental regulations that followed, the river is now cleaner than it was in the seventies. And it’s still teeming with a variety of fish, including catfish, striped bass, drum and black bass, among other species.

But even though PCBs were banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1979, they are still found in fish, since they remain in the sediment in the bottom of the river. “Organisms live in the sediment and fish feed on them,” Rich Cogen, the executive director of the Ohio River Foundation told The Enquirer. Mercury is also a big problem, according to Cogen.

So the question is: Can you eat fish caught in the Ohio River?

The short answer is yes. But it depends on what species you are eating and where along the river you caught it.

There are also very strict limitations on how frequently you should eat them, according to the web site for the Ohio Sport Fish Consumption Advisory, part of the Ohio Department of Health.

In areas of the river between the Belleville Lock, located 204 miles downstream from the river’s origins in Pittsburgh, to the Indiana border, the advisory agency currently recommends consuming Ohio River fish no more than once a month max. That area includes Adams, Brown, Clermont, Gallia, Hamilton, Lawrence, Meigs and Scioto counties.

Here’s where to check

Recommendations change throughout the year, but you can keep up by visiting the Ohio Department of Health’s Sport Fish Consumption Advisory page, which provides updated information on when certain fish, usually bottom feeders such as carp, are deemed too dangerous to eat at all.

Here’s who should take a pass on Ohio River fish

The agency also warns that people who are more likely to have health effects from eating contaminated fish, includingchildren younger than 15 years old, pregnant women and women who are planning to become pregnant to avoid Ohio River fish altogether.

Just because you have to limit the amount of fish you eat, doesn’t mean the river is a bad place for fishing, as long as you limit your intake or do catch-and-release fishing. Just make sure you have a proper fishing license before casting your line.