Staff photo / Preston Byers Howland’s Adam Heckman looks for an opening during his championship semifinal match vs. Chillicothe’s Cannan Smith on Saturday in Columbus.

COLUMBUS — Keegan Sell of Garfield and Howland’s Adam Heckman clinched berths in their respective Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) state wrestling championship finals Sunday in Columbus with two victories each Saturday.

Sell, the defending Division III 190-pound state champion, defeated Grant Richardson of Evergreen 9-2 in the quarterfinals before controlling Mechanicsburg’s Ronnie Thomas in a semifinal victory that appeared much more lopsided than the 3-0 final score may suggest.

“The other guy wasn’t really in on our legs at all, couldn’t score on top, couldn’t score on bottom,” Garfield head coach Dan Andel said after Sell’s match vs. Thomas. “I think we were pretty comfortable even though it was a two-point lead. He handled the match pretty handily.”

Sell took Thomas down to establish a 2-0 lead in the first period and scored an escape immediately to start the second. The officials initially awarded Sell a takedown on the edge of the mat, giving him a 5-0 lead, but after an objection by Mechanicsburg’s coach and a brief discussion with each other, the referees took away the two points.

Regardless, Sell rode Thomas effectively throughout the third period, returning him back to the mat each time he attempted an escape to finalize the victory.

Sell will face Liberty Center senior Xander Myers in the championship final Sunday. Myers won the 2023 state title at 175 pounds and has pinned all three of his opponents en route to the championship match.

Heckman, who finished fourth in the 126-pound weight class last year, qualified for his first state final Saturday with a 10-4 win over Franklin’s Tucker Campbell in the 132-pound quarterfinals and a pinfall victory against Cannan Smith of Chillicothe in the semifinal.

Heckman will square off with Bishop Hartley junior Aiden King, who pinned Heckman in the 126-pound state quarterfinal last year. King ultimately lost in the state championship in 2023 and previously finished eighth in the 120-pound weight class in 2022.

UNDEFEATED NO MORE

Poland’s Ella Thomas (100 pounds) and Canfield’s Tyler Scharrer (138 pounds) entered their Saturday championship quarterfinals matches boasting undefeated records. Thomas entered into the tournament with an unofficial record of 37-0, although she said she notched her 41st victory Friday. Scharrer improved to 34-0 with his first-round win.

However, each lost their perfect records Saturday. In the quarterfinals, Scharrer lost to Graham senior Hayden Hughes, who has beaten all three of his opponents in Columbus by at least eight points. Scharrer lost his consolation match to Jordan Cook of Wauseon 15-1.

Thomas won her first match Saturday by pinning Summer Batts of Reynoldsburg before losing to Oak Hills senior Brianne Graves by a 10-3 decision. During the match, Thomas nearly caught and pinned Graves, but Graves managed to wriggle free and advance to the final.

In the consolation semifinal, Thomas will go against Tinora’s Bella Graziani.

SALEM’S MURRAY UPSETS STATE CHAMPION

Annika Murray of Salem, only in her second year of wrestling, stunned Jesse Foebar, Clermont Northeastern’s defending 145-pound state champion, with a 5-1 win in their championship quarterfinal Saturday. One year ago, Foebar pinned three of her four opponents en route to the state title.

After holding her own in the first period, Murray built a formidable lead by controlling Foebar, who was visibly dejected in the closing moments of the quarterfinal defeat.

“I have 100% confidence in her. She’s one of the hardest workers I know,” Salem head coach Drew Hart said. “It just shows how hard she works. It really does. She’s a threat. I think with the girls rankings, they don’t really get it right, but we don’t pay attention to the rankings.”

Murray put up a fight but ultimately lost via pinfall to East Liverpool’s Makyah Newlun in the championship semifinal. Murray will face Nelease Danzy of Delaware Hayes in her consolation semifinal match.

CONSOLATION HOPEFULS

More than a dozen area wrestlers entered Saturday either in the championship or consolation bracket. The field has been heavily reduced after a large slate of matches, but in addition to the pair of state finalists, multiple other local wrestlers could be competing in Columbus on Sunday.

Hubbard’s Emily Flynn (130 pounds), Howland’s Madison Burns (135 pounds), Murray and Thomas have each clinched a spot in the consolation semifinals, while at the time of publication, Girard’s Isaac Griffith (215 pounds) and Nick Bowser (285 pounds) both have consolation matches late Saturday to determine whether they will advance to Sunday.

Have an interesting story? Contact Preston Byers by email at pbyers@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @PresByers.