Submitted photo The South Range wrestling program celebrates its first state duals title Saturday afternoon at Versailles High School.

For the first time in its history, the South Range wrestling program brought home a team duals state title on Saturday with a narrow 38-36 victory over Edison in the championship of the Division III tournament.

The Raiders program began less than 20 years ago and head coach Dave Markulin has followed South Range’s current senior class, including his son Mike, who recorded two pins and a decision in three matches on Saturday, from the youth program up to the varsity. After the Raiders’ victory, the elder Markulin expressed happiness and excitement for what his team was able to accomplish.

“We started our wrestling program in 2000, and there was always a dream and the goal of getting to a state championship level. We just never had the bodies to do it,” Dave Markulin said. “But as these grades have come up though, we knew it was possible, but it’s a long road. You’re trying to be the best out of 200 teams and that’s not an easy task.

“Our guys just put it all together today.”

For the Raiders, it came down to the 215-pound matchup, and junior Christopher Colucci stepped up to help deliver South Range a victory.

The Raiders were ahead 33-27 and in a match as close as this one, every win is crucial, especially with a state title on the line. Colucci stepped onto the mat across from Edison’s Thompson and pinned the Chargers senior midway through the second period to secure the win.

“He sealed the match,” Dave Markulin said. “He caught the kid in a bad position and got the six points for us and the crowd went crazy.”

With the strength that the Raiders have through their middleweights, they normally have matches decided by the time their heavier wrestlers step on the mat. Lately though, Colucci and the other wrestlers have been put in positions where they needed to step up.

His match against Thompson was just another example.

“He’s been in the spotlight a few times this year, just to get to the state duals,” Dave Markulin said. “He had to pin the kid from Waynedale, and he did that just a week ago or so and now he steps up again. We like the match to be over before the 215s are on the mat, but that’s just great state duals. That’s what it’s supposed to be.”

Before Colluci’s pin, the Raiders were put into a good position by their middleweights. After Edison’s Abe Hermes pinned freshman Kayden Walker at 106 pounds, junior Hunter Newell answered with a 4-1 decision against Aaron Febbo at 113 pounds.

The Chargers took a 9-3 lead after 120-pounder Max Hermes picked up a forfeit, but then the strength of South Range’s lineup took over. Gavin Pahanish (126 pounds), Clayton Kramer (132 pounds) and Raymond Cmil (138 pounds) all picked up first period pins. Cmil actually recorded his pin in just 19 seconds. Then, Mike Markulin pinned Edison’s Walker Cisco in 5 minutes.

“I talked to the kids before the match and I told them we gotta take some risks,” Dave Markulin said. “But I also told them to just relax and just wrestle in the moment and enjoy it. I told them win or lose, I loved them and to go out and just do their job and if things fall right we’ll be state champs.”

To start the day off, the top-seeded Raiders knocked off No. 8 Liberty Center 47-18 as Cmil, Mike Markulin, Jacob Richardson, Jacob Starkey, and Colucci all picked up pins. Newell also picked up a technical fall victory to set the state for the win.

Before their state championship win, the Raiders also ran into No. 5 Barnesville, who pushed them to their limits in a 36-28 decision. Logan Cormell, Michael Lally, Newell and Colucci all picked up pins in the win, while Starkey picked up a technical fall and Cmil earned a major decision. But the two pins by Colucci and Lally at 215 and 285-pounds, respectively, sealed the deal.

This isn’t a one-and-done type of deal for the Raiders though. When South Range started its wrestling program in 2000, it had its sights set on becoming one of the best and Markulin believes this is just a sign of things to come.

“Winning breeds winning,” Dave Markulin said. “We have 9 or 10 freshmen on our roster and they were all cheering us on. Then the junior high guys were watching us on YouTube and then I’m thinking that the youth guys were probably watching us as well. But now it’s setting that bar at that level of expectations and I think it’s going to carry on.”