Staff photo / Greg Macafee Poland’s Dillon Smith looks to pin Taylor’s Dillonn Davidson during their 190-pound first-round match Friday afternoon at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center. Smith picked up a 17-8 major decision victory to advance to today’s quarterfinals.

COLUMBUS — Patience is a virtue, and it paid off Friday afternoon for Austintown Fitch’s Tyler Lintner, who was one of two Falcons to move on to Saturday’s quarterfinals at the OHSAA state wrestling tournament at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.

For most of his first-round match against Perrysburg’s Noah Ewen, Lintner watched and waited for the perfect opening. It didn’t come in the first round as the two wrestlers remained tied at 0 and it didn’t come in the second round, even after Ewen picked up a point to take the lead when Lintner was penalized for stalling.

But, early in the third period, Lintner picked up an escape point and then found his opening against Ewen. With 1 minute, 21 seconds left in the period, he picked up another two points for a takedown and held onto the lead for good to earn a 3-2 decision.

“This is what I came here to do and it feels really good to get the first one out of the way,” Lintner said. “Now I get to go back to the hotel and get rested up for tomorrow.”

Wrestling is often a chess match with each competitor waiting to take advantage of the other’s mistake and when it came to his first match, Lintner wanted to be cautious in order to keep his state title hopes alive.

“I just didn’t want to force anything to put myself in a bad spot,” Lintner said. “So I like to just wait until I feel confident enough that I can score when I shoot and that’s what I did.”

“He was a really good wrestler, I was just waiting for the right opportunity.”

Lintner came up just short of making the state tournament last year. He finished as a 5th place alternate at the Hoover District tournament last season but he ended up taking another step this season. Last weekend, he earned a runner-up finish at districts after falling to Medina Highlands’ James Scavuzzo by a 10-3 decision.

Now, he’s excited to be on the state level.

“I just gotta stay in a good mentality and just try to enjoy it and not take it too seriously,” Lintner said about what it will take to keep his run alive.

MOVING ON TOGETHER

Making a run to the state tournament is special enough, but moving on to the quarterfinals after Day 1, alongside your teammate, well that may take the cake.

Lintner and his Austintown Fitch teammate Jacob Ferguson, along with Garfield teammates Hunter Andel (165) and Keegan Sell (175) advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinals in their own way.

Andel picked up a pin in 1 minute, 32 seconds while Sell took down Dylan Starnes from Brookville with a 10-4 decision.

Ferguson (113) earned the first win of the day for Fitch as he knocked off Joey Thamann from Elder with a 2-1 decision. Lintner (157) then followed it up with a patient performance against Perrysburg’s Noah Ewen to earn a close 3-2 decision.

“It’s amazing (to have us both moving on),” Lintner said. “I’m happy for Jake, he deserves it and I just hope we can keep winning.”

NOT DONE YET

In his first-round matchup on Friday Howland’s Gage Gibson found himself matched up against London’s Thadd Huff, who had only lost two matches all season and finished 4th at the state tournament last year. It was arguably a tough draw and Gibson fell in the first round by an 11-5 decision. But, Gibson wasn’t going to pack his bags and go home that easily.

In the first round of consolations, Gibson bounced back and pinned Dover’s Noah Tristano in 2 minutes, 9 seconds to advance to the second round of consolation matches Saturday morning.

BOUNCING BACK

Last season, South Range’s Mike Markulin and Logan Cormell both finished 5th in their respective weight classes and they found themselves in a familiar position on Friday.

Both wrestlers lost their first-round matches on Friday, with Cormell (165 pounds) losing a 2-0 sudden victory to Sandy Valley’s Matt Gentry and Markulin (138) falling to Troy Christian’s Troy Kennedy.

But, both found a way to bounce back on Friday in search of placing for a second straight year. Last season, Cormell was in the exact same spot, losing his first match of the tournament, and he wrestled all the way back through the consolation round to earn a spot on the podium. So, there were no nerves when he stepped back onto the mat on Friday.

“I feel like that’s what type of wrestler I am,” Cormell said. “I feel like that’s how I wrestle so hopefully we can go back out there and get the next one.”

Markulin said he knew his first match was going to be a tough one, but he also knew that he hasn’t quite wrestled his best lately. So, he was happy to make it to Day 2.

“I’m just kind of thinking, next match, next match now but it’s just trying to come back and take third now for my team so we can get the team points,” Markulin said. “We want to win an individual team state title as much as we wanted to win the team state duals.”

Seven of the eight South Range wrestlers lost their first-round match and five ended up advancing to today’s rounds of wrestling. Hunter Newell (106) earned a 3-0 decision in the first round of consolations and Clayton Kramer (126) earned a 9-1 major decision. Along with Markulin and Cormell, Jacob Starkey (157) also advanced after a medical forfeit.

Now the Raiders will get a chance to rest and bounce back today, which Cormell said is crucial.

“Sleep is everything and if you’re tired and wrestling in these matches there’s no way that you are going to win.”

LAST-SECOND COMEBACK

Boardman’s Sean O’Horo (44-1) has been on the cusp of the state tournament for the last few years but ran into some bad luck. That bad luck almost showed itself again Friday night in Columbus. After St. Ignatius’ Jarrell Young scored a reversal early in the second period, O’Horo trailed for most of the remainder of the match. Then, he turned a switch.

With 16 seconds left in the match, O’Horo scored a reversal then picked up a pin with 10 seconds left to earn the victory to move on to the quarterfinals today.

O’Horo will face Coffman’s Mitchell Broskie (43-4).

ONTO THE QUARTERFINALS

Outside of the wrestlers already listed, four more Mahoning Valley wrestlers find themselves still in contention for a state title.

Chalker’s Landen Duncan (120), who also won a district title last weekend, earned a 5-2 decision over Seneca East’s Nathan Parks with a takedown and a reversal in the first and second periods, respectively. He also picked up a penalty point in the second period. Parks picked up his only two points on stalling penalties in the third period.

South Range’s Raymond Cmil (132), who earned a district title last weekend, won his only match of the day with a 4-3 decision over Otsego’s Joey Manley. He earned takedowns in the first and third periods to earn his four points.

Poland’s Dillon Smith picked up a big first-round victory as well, earning a 17-8 major decision victory over Taylor’s Dillonn Davidson.

West Branch’s Steven Marra and Cretview’s AJ Coppersmith also earned a spot in Saturday’s quarterfinals after earning wins in their first matches. Coppersmith picked up a 15-11 sudden victory win over Amanda-Clearcreek’s Grant Guiler and Marra topped River View’s Cruz Mobley with a 6-2 decision.

STILL IN THE HUNT

Canfield’s Tyler Scharrer advanced to Saturday after picking up an 8-5 decision over Washington’s Branton Dawes. Scharrer was pinned in 54 seconds in his first match of the day.

KNOCKED OFF

Although several wrestlers found themselves preparing for a Saturday of wrestling, others found themselves on the outside looking in. South Range’s Jacob Richardson and Chris Colucci both saw their tournament’s come to an end on Friday as did Canfield’s Jimmy Scharrer.

Liberty’s Dominic Leone and Jackson-Milton’s Owen McDevitt also had their tournament end on Friday. Oddly enough, the two battled for third place in the district tournament last weekend.

Session 2 begins on Saturday at 10 a.m. with quarterfinals and Round 2 of consolation matches. Session 3, which will include semifinal matches and quarterfinal consolation matches, will begin at 6:30.

gmacafee@tribtoday.com