High school wrestling: Columbia freshmen Bodey Gibbs and Tanner Cochrane open state tournament in impression fashion

COLUMBUS — Columbia freshmen Bodey Gibbs and Tanner Cochrane started the high school wrestling state tournament with a bang Friday. Gibbs, ranked No. 1 in the state by MatScouts.com national high school wrestling analyst Josh Lowe, opened the action with a 16-6 major decision victory over Eastwood's Gabe Brough in a Division III 106-pound first-round match, then seconds later Cochrane pinned Miami East's Lucas Shore, ranked No. 8 in the state, in 43 seconds in a 120 first-round match. "That definitely made me smile a little bit," Cochrane said. "I was definitely nervous before that first match, but I'm thinking, 'If I beat this kid I'll make it to the second day and if I lose I have to come back (Friday) and wrestle again.' I did not want to wrestle again." The two Raiders were among 10 area wrestlers who won their first match to advance to the championship quarterfinals, which will be wrestled this morning. The other wrestlers who went 1-0 on Day 1 were Clearview's Chase Parker (132 in D-III), Keystone's Jordan Folmer (215 in D-III), Lorain's D.J. Otero (106 in D-I), St. Edward's Adam Butler — an Avon resident — (144 in D-I) in the boys tournament and Avon Lake's Destiny Cabot (100), Black River's Taylor Owen (145), Keystone's Sage O'Brien (145) and Avon Lake's Rejan Al-Hashash (155) in the girls. Gibbs said he wasn't nervous before his match and Ohio State's Value City Arena wasn't much different than other venues he's wrestled at other than "it's just a lot bigger with more people." "I knew I had to just keep wrestling at all times and stay in good position," Gibbs said of his first state tournament match. "It's nice so that I know what I can do for the rest of the weekend. I'm used to (the environment) so I can just go and let it fly out there." Folmer earned his first victory in Columbus after going 0-2 at the same weight last season. "I'm very pumped," the Wildcats senior said. "(Winning at state) has been my focus all year since I went 0-2 last year. I had it written on my phone, on the wall and I want to place really high this year." Folmer, ranked No. 8 in the state, grabbed an early 7-0 lead after two periods, then held on for an 11-3 major decision against Springfield Catholic Central's Brody Adams. "The first two takedowns, I was shocked because he's a real long guy and I was a little confused on what to do at first," Folmer said. "Once I got moving, I got a little more comfortable with him and I knew what I was doing. I was definitely nervous — I always am — so I needed that match to get it all out." Otero, who was a state placer at Lutheran West last season and transferred to Lorain midseason this year, eked out a 1-0 win over Mount Vernon's Caleb Snyder, who is ranked No. 10 in the state. "It doesn't really matter how you win the match. I feel as long as you get the job done, that's all that matters," Otero said. "Even in college, the matches in freestyle, when (Masanosuke) Ono beat Spencer Lee 3-2 and all (Ono) did was have three pushouts — he didn't score any takedowns or anything — but it's just about getting the job done." Otero got the job done with a strong ride in the third period. After taking a 1-0 lead with a second-period escape, Otero dominated the final two minutes on top. "My top position is really strong and I feel like any position that you're really strong in you have to take advantage of that," Otero said. "I have less matches than everybody out there but I just rely on God to give me the confidence I feel like I deserve because I don't think a lot of people that I'm wrestling against have went through the same trials and tribulations that I've had to go through this year." Owen said the comfort level was at an all-time high after she finished on the state podium as a freshman. She went out and pinned Harrison's Veronica Decaluwe — ranked No. 9 in the state by DubStat.com — in 3:17 after building a sizable lead to that point. "I can tell my mentality is way different. Last year I was nervous and I didn't know what to expect," Owen said. "Now I feel prepared and ready to wrestle. I'm glad I won my first one but now I'm ready for my next matches." Opening with a top-10 opponent isn't ideal, but Owen said she had a good game plan in place and her pre-match strategy allowed her to dominate. "I knew that I had to watch the head-and-arm and I had to be good on my feet," she said. "Once I got that initial takedown, I knew that I could secure the pin from the top in the second period. I can definitely tell this year my mentality is going to take me a lot further and I'm ready to wrestle in the finals." Al-Hashash has some experience there as she's hoping to reach her third straight state final and win her second straight state championship. It appears the Shoregal's biggest opponent this weekend may not be on the mat but her injured right knee. Al-Hashash breezed to an 18-0 technical fall over Salinesville Southern's Katie Harshbarger in a 155 first-round match, then had to be carried to her postmatch interview by her coaches. "It definitely feels like (I'm wrestling) on one leg, but it'll be all right," she said. "I'm just putting my faith in the hard work I've put in this season and my technique and my strength. Now I'm just focusing on my mental game because I feel if I go out there with a strong mindset, I can beat anyone." Al-Hashash, who began wrestling during her freshman year, said it's surreal that her high school career is nearly over, but she's definitely going to enjoy the final few days. "I'm so excited to be here, especially with my teammates and my coaches coming down here with me," she said. "I wouldn't trade this for the world, and not just the wrestling aspect but just all the people and the energy, you hear in the crowd the moms and dads screaming for their kids, like crying for them with happy tears … this is definitely the place to be this weekend." Contact Shaun Bennett at (440) 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on X.