State Wrestling Notes: Vermilion girls experience little bit of everything on Day 1

COLUMBUS — The Vermilion girls team sent six wrestlers to the state tournament and they had mixed results on Day 1. Seniors Lauren Ficker and Brooke Jenkins both pinned in their openers Friday, sophomore Emily Stiner won a tight decision in her 140-pound opener, Mackenzie Feltis lost her first match but bounced back in her consolation opener and Cora Frederick and Marissa Torres went 0-2 and were eliminated. "That first match was definitely hard but I just looked at it as I have another match," Feltis said. "I just had to get at it and if I lost that one, I still have next year." Feltis said that coming down with a large contingent of teammates was helpful for her nerves. Feltis, Stiner, Frederick and Torres are sophomores. "I'm definitely happy I came down with multiple teammates because you have more people to lift you up when you get down," Feltis said. "I'm so very proud of them all. They've worked so hard." Frederick, like most first-time state qualifiers, said the environment — a huge arena with 10 mats and bright lights — is intimidating at first. "Walking through the tunnel was a big thing," she said. "It's overwhelming, but it's so exciting. And coming down with teammates makes it all the better because they're always there." With the seniors set to have big finishes to their careers and the sophomores all getting state tournament experience, the Sailors program is poised to become a juggernaut in Ohio. "Within these next few years, and currently, we're a team to be reckoned with," Frederick said. "One of our brand new wrestlers made it to state and she's going strong and it's so much fun to watch people fall in love with wrestling. I want to come back next year and whoop some butt. I want to get at it more than ever." STAYING ALIVE Black River senior Cooper McKean was properly motivated to become a state qualifier last season. His father told him if he accomplished the feat, he'd quit smoking. McKean was equally pumped to have his hand raised in Columbus this year. After losing in the first round, he won a 13-4 major decision in his consolation opener. "It felt great considering my dad (Marty) was down here and he never really got a win down here so that just gave me the motivation to be the first in my family to get a win down here," McKean said. "I knew that if I wanted to have a good shot at placing, I needed to win that match. So that just helped me push the pace and make the moves I needed." Has Marty been able to avoid the cigarettes? "It's been 365 days and counting," he said as he left the interview room. ** Vermilion sophomore Aiden Kyser lost 7-0 in his opening match against Steubenville's Cooper Smith, who is ranked No. 5 in the state. But then the unranked Sailor came out and hung a 13-4 major decision victory on No. 11 Antonio Hobbs of Benedictine. "I didn't exactly want to go home and this was my make it or break it match, so I had to win it," Kyser said. "Coaches talked to me before the match and got me in the right headspace to go out there and wrestle. I tried to keep good head and hands, keep my level low and dominate on top." Kyser built a solid lead going into the third period and Hobbs began to rally with a couple of takedowns, but Kyser flipped the switch again and put Hobbs down for the count. "He was trying to jump over me — that flying squirrel — to get behind me and I recognized it and caught him midair and put him on his back," Kyser said. "I just kept him on his back and rode out the clock." ** Midview senior Hunter Anderson opened with a tough 8-2 loss to Massillon Perry's Brennan Warwick, but was able to bounce back for a 4-1 win over Central Crossing's Jacob Ramirez to earn his first win in his second straight trip to Columbus. "The first match didn't go like I planned and I feel like I bounced back well," Anderson said. "Everybody down here is tough and you have to expect close matches. But every time you get the opportunity to be able to dominate, dude, you've got to take it. Hopefully I can bring that back tomorrow." ** Avon Lake junior Will Schnabel had a late takedown to come away with a 4-2 victory in his consolation opener after losing in the first round at 157 pounds. "Some of the calls didn't go my way in that first match, but I felt good," Schnabel said. "But just like districts, it's about bouncing back. I came back in the next match and it was real tight. I was losing in the first period and it came down to the last 20 seconds and I ended up doing what I needed to do to get the win." ** Avon Lake sophomore Destiny Cabot was pinned in her opener but that didn't stop her from returning the favor with a second-period pin of Bethel-Tate freshman Raegin Jasontek in her consolation opener. "I was a little disappointed I lost my first one," Cabot said. "But I didn't want to go home without winning one. So I'm glad I won that last one and will be back tomorrow. We came down the day before the tournament and the coaches had us walk (the arena) so that we wouldn't be too surprised or nervous when we came out for the first time." ** Avon Lake junior Mallory Zadel lost by technical fall in the first round but rallied for a 5-2 win in her consolation opener, hitting a big move in the first period for a 5-0 lead. "After placing fourth in the districts, I knew my first match was going to be a hard one," Zadel said. "But I feel like I kept my movement up and I was able to maintain my confidence knowing I could make it to the second day." Zadel was Cabot's drill partner this season and said watching her teammate get her hand raised was nearly as satisfying as getting her own raised. "It was great to see her win that last match," Zadel said. "I was able to catch it even though I had just finished wrestling. We push each other in the room. We're on each other all the time to work harder, get faster and stronger … all of that." ROUGH DAY Columbia senior Rushi Patel had to sit his junior year after transferring from Strongsville, then had to battle multiple injuries this season en route to earning a berth in the Division III state tournament. His high school career came to an end after he went 0-2 on Day 1. "That was tough and it sucks that my senior year is over," Patel said. "I didn't tell my coaches until about three weeks ago that I had a fractured rib. I was throwing up blood at sectionals. So there's been some rough patches and this is going to hurt for a while but I know I'll be able to look back at it and be happy that I wrestled through and got to where I am right now." ** Keystone junior Jordan Folmer wasn't able to get a win Friday but said the experience of wrestling in Columbus will help him during his senior year. "I wanted to go into it like it was just another tournament but then I started getting in line and the nerves started to hit me," said Folmer, who plans to wrestle at the Junior Nationals at Virginia Beach in a few weeks. "It was something like I never felt before, so this is definitely different than any other tournament. But if I get back here next year it'll be a lot different. I'll know what I need to do to get better and it'll be a lot different than my junior year." ** Avon senior Adam Schumacher envisioned a better finish to his high school career, but knows many wrestlers never even get to experience the state tournament. "It's a one-of-a-kind experience for sure," he said. "It was my first time coming down here and I wish I could have done better, but it's great to get this experience. I'm definitely proud to have made it down and I'm hoping it had a positive impact on my teammates, just having them come down here with me." ** Avon Lake senior Clay Broadhurst advanced to the Division I state tournament as a sophomore, then had to wait two years to soak up the Value City Arena atmosphere again. He lost a 7-2 matchup in his opener, then was eliminated with a 3-0 loss in the consolation bracket. "It was a fun thing and I wish I could have done a lot better, but I gave it my all," Broadhurst said. "There's things I could have fixed, but I know I gave it my best and tried to do my best every time I stepped onto the mat." ** Elyria freshman Ravenna Guidicelli was pinned in both of her matches, but she feels just getting to the state tournament in her first varsity season was a pretty solid accomplishment. "I was really happy that I did make it to state," she said. "It's a really different experience than pre-regionals and regionals and I'm very satisfied with what I did this year. If I get back here next year, I'm hoping to bring a lot of my teammates with me and it'll be a good thing because everybody can look up to each other and depend on each other while they're down here." Contact Shaun Bennett at (440) 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on X.