The state’s top-ranked Division II wrestler in his weight class will now look to defend his state title when he returns to Columbus for a fourth time to compete in the state tournament, which begins Friday and concludes next Sunday at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.

“I’m just keeping my mind right and my coaches talk with me about the next match no matter who the opponent is,” said D’Alesio, who placed fourth at state as a freshman and third as a sophomore. “We just prepare for the next one and then go out there and wrestle and have fun.

“There is always pressure, but you’ve got to be yourself and stay true with your techniques and mental approach.”

D’Alesio gave up just four points in his four matches. He opened with a pin and added a 17-2 win for a technical fall on Friday. He edged Cole Hivenor of Lake Catholic 2-1 Saturday to reach the final, where he won 6-1 over Kyle Snider of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy.

Correspondent photo / Michael Taylor West Branch's Gage Bickley makes a move against Salem's Caiden Hart. Gage Bickley won in a decision and finished in 3rd place MICHAEL G. TAYLOR | TRIBUNE CHRONICLE

“Anthony barely gave up any points and just wrestled his hard-nosed style that suits him well,” Canfield coach Steve Pitts said. “That’s what he’s known for. He had a good tournament and stayed composed and focused.”

D’Alesio is one of four area Division II wrestlers that will compete in Columbus next week.

He will again be joined by teammate Nick Barber, as well as West Branch teammates Gage Bickley and Kenny Marra.

Barber, a junior competing at 113 pounds, placed fourth, as the top four finishers in each weight class qualified for the state tournament. He will be making his second state appearance.

As usual, the blood round proved exciting, as the hopes of so many wrestlers were realized or demolished in the state-qualifying round. That was especially true for Barber and Bickley.

Correspondent photo / Michael Taylor Canfield's Nick Barber is taken down by Kenneth Crosby SVSM. Nick Barber loss in a decision and finished in 4th place MICHAEL G. TAYLOR | TRIBUNE CHRONICLE

Barber got a late takedown to beat Aurora’s Robbie Sagaris 7-5 to reach the consolation championship, where he fell 7-2 to Kenneth Crosby of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary.

“Nick is going to give me a heart attack,” Pitts said. “He’s got a lot of guts. He won two matches in the last five seconds in this tournament and he’s in one of the tougher weight brackets. I’m super proud of him. He had an up and down year and figured it out when he had to.”

Competing at 152, Bickley was one second away from ending his season in the go-to round, but was awarded a point as time expired in the third period to tie his match with Streetsboro’s Tyler Bodovetz at 3-all. In sudden victory, a potential takedown by Bickley was ruled just out of the circle. But he wasn’t fazed. After moving back to mid-circle, he got the takedown for a 5-3 win.

“He’s got a motor,” West Branch coach Chris Dorris said. “When that motor doesn’t stop, he’s a handful. And he didn’t stop. He just didn’t stop. There are no words that can describe that feeling of seeing him finish it off to get to state.”

Bickley, a senior, then defeated Salem’s Caiden Hart 6-3 to place third. He lost his first-round match on Friday, 3-2 to Louisville’s Daniel Kennedy before winning five in a row.

Correspondent photo / Michael Taylor West Branch's Kenny Marra pins Laken Catholic's Owen Weaver to finish in 3rd place MICHAEL G. TAYLOR | TRIBUNE CHRONICLE

“This is amazing to be going to state,” Bickley said. “I’ve never felt anything like this in my life. I was so excited to beat (Bodovetz and qualify to state). I was over the moon excited. I was pretty whipped for the third-place match, but I stayed tough mentally and grinded it out.”

Marra, a junior competing at 195, led 4-0 after the first period in his consolation semifinal against Alliance’s Warren Gentile, but it was 4-3 entering the third period. Marra hung on to win 5-3. In the third-place match, Marra pinned Lake Catholic’s Owen Weaver in 3:51.

“I could see it in Kenny’s eyes when he got out there (against Gentile),” Dorris said. “He lost to (Gentile 3-2) in the sectional championship last week, so he was definitely motivated by that. Only one of them was getting to state and Kenny was focused and ready to go.”

The Warriors’ heavyweight, senior Jacob Hurst, was on the other end of the spectrum. He lost his consolation semifinal via a last-second pin. Hurst led 3-0 with 1:33 left in the second period when he had a leg injury. He used his second injury timeout later, but with the score 3-all, Triway’s Zach Hershbeger completed the pin as time expired.

“(Hurst) led 3-0 when he hurt his knee the first time,” Dorris said. “When he had to use his last injury timeout, that was basically the match. He gave up the escape and couldn’t recover from it mentally and got pinned at the end there.”

Hurst rebounded to defeat Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s Max Vanscoy 8-3 to place fifth.

Canfield, too, had some misfortune as senior heavyweight Richie Hofus withdrew with an injury. Hofus, who was banged up and forfeited his sectional championship match Feb. 29 at West Branch, won his district opener via a pin Friday but then lost 3-2 to Woodridge’s Alistair Larson. He forfeited his next match Saturday morning to end his season and Canfield career.

Other area placers included Poland’s Dillon Smith (fifth at 170) and Jacob Caudle (sixth at 145), Girard’s Alex Delgarbino (fifth at 138) and Howland’s Gage Gibson (sixth at 220). Those who finished fifth are state alternates.

In his state-qualifying match, Caudle gave up an escape with 35 seconds left and lost 6-5 to Ravenna’s Shane Michael.

“This one’s tough,” Poland coach Kenneth Jameson said. “He gave up crucial points in about a 10-second flurry. It doesn’t get any more real than that. Just a little time can make the difference between going to state and staying home. He had an opportunity, but he’s hungry to come back here next year as a senior and go that next step.”

After winning twice on Friday, Smith lost 9-0 to eventual runner-up Ethan Anderson of Aurora and then got pinned in his go-to match by Louisville’s Jax Leonard.

Delgarbino lost his state-qualifying match 4-1 to Nicholas Coreno of Lake Catholic.

“It’s his senior year and he didn’t qualify and he worked so hard,” Girard coach James Cardiero said. “He did everything he could do, he just didn’t qualify. I’m sorry I’m having a hard time talking. It’s just extremely disappointing. He deserves to be down there.”

Gibson won his two matches Friday, but lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to eventual runner-up George Linberger of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary on Saturday morning and then lost 4-2 to Woodridge’s Miles Ashbaugh in a state-qualifying match.

“Gage lost two tough ones that could’ve gone either way, so he was very competitive,” Howland coach Matt Zakrajsek said. “Then in the fifth-place match, he made one mistake and his opponent capitalized on it and it ended up being 9-1.

“What I’m happy about is that we got six guys here and the ones who wrestled well are all coming back next year and they’ll be more focused and hungry now.”

Canfield finished seventh (66) in the team standings behind champion Louisville (224.5) and was the top area finisher among the 44 teams represented. West Branch was 12th (47.5), Girard was 20th (24), Poland was 23rd (22), Howland was 31st (18) and none of Hubbard’s three competitors won a match as the Eagles were among eight teams that did not score.

bemerine@tribtoday.com