By Cort Reynolds
TROY - Mission accomplished.
Ada junior wrestler Chase Sumner had to win his way through four matches Saturday, and did so to clinch a return ticket to the state meet with a third-place finish in the 138 lb. bracket at the Div. III district event this weekend in Troy.
Sumner, now 38-3 this season after going 5-1 at districts, won his first round match at Hobart Arena Friday. But he lost in the quarterfinals of the double-elimination event later that day to make his road to Columbus more difficult.
After a quick first round pin over freshman Logan White (9-18) of Twin Valley South, Sumner faced a stiff test in round two vs. Kamron Paulus of Milton-Union, a senior boasting a 39-2 record.
In the quarterfinals Paulus beat Sumner in a close decision, 5-3. Relegated to the consolation bracket, Sumner could finish no higher than third.
Thus Sumner had to capture three must-win bouts Saturday to reach the third-place match and qualify for a return to the state meet.
Sumner first pinned junior Matt Hall (40-8) of Bethel-Tate at 55 seconds in the second consolation round Saturday morning.
Sumner advanced to the consolation quarterfinals against Clayton Schirmer (39-8), where he again recorded a quick pin win in 40 seconds.
In the consolation semis, Sumner needed a victory to ensure a top four finish and a spot in the state meet. Meeting conference foe Wyatt Place of Delphos Jefferson for the fifth time this season, Sumner captured a 9-2 decision to reach the consolation finals.
In the third-place match vs. Zane Strubler (44-8) of Miami East, Sumner recorded an 8-2 decision triumph. Paulus eventually finished second in the district final, losing 3-2 to champion Jared Ford of Troy Christian.
Only the top four finishers in a weight bracket qualify to go to Columbus.
State competition runs Thursday, March 9 through March 11 at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus. Sumner qualies as a third seed and will face a two seed yet to be determined in his first match. The event is double elimination.
Sumner earned all-state honors last year in the 132 lb. weight class.
Sumner district results:
1st round: Sumner pin Logan White (Twin Valley So.) :46
Quarterfinals: Kamron Paulus (Milton-Union) dec. Sumner 5-3
Consolation second round: Sumner pin Matt Hall (Bethel-Tate) :55
Consolation quarterfinals: Sumner pins Clayton Schirmer (Blanchester) :40
Consolation semis: Sumner dec. Wyatt Place (D. Jefferson) 9-2
Third-place match: Sumner dec. Zane Strubler (Miami East) 8-2
Bulldog junior Adam Bailey wrestled in the 285 lb. division at Troy as a fourth seed. Undefeated senior Cameron Coffman (42-0) of Dixie pinned Bailey in his first round match Friday.
In the first consolation round against Robert Gross (8-14) of Fairbanks, Bailey pinned his foe to stay alive in the meet and advance to the second day of competition.
But Joey Groeber (16-13) of Clermont Northeastern then decisioned Bailey 5-0 in the second consolation round Saturday morning to end his season with a 16-17 record.
Bailey district results:
1st round: Cameron Coffman (Dixie) pin Bailey 0:23
1st consolation: Adam Bailey pin Robert Gross (Fairbanks) 3:12
2nd round consolation: Joey Groeber (Clermont NE) dec. Bailey 5-0
Ada freshman Damien Cameron, a first alternate qualifier to the Troy district meet, lost his first two matches Friday in the 113 lb. class to be knocked out of the double-elimination event. He finished the season 19-13.
Cameron results:
1st round: Camron Neal (Preble Shawnee) pin Damien Cameron 0:41
1st consolation: Devin Miller (Brookville) tech. fall Cameron 16-0
