Garrett Barth takes 8th at state wrestling tournament; Caleb Wood sets new pin record

COLUMBUS – A place on the podium and a new program record for pins in a season. Ross’ state tournament-bound wrestlers had a nice showing on the sport’s biggest stage.

Garrett Barth earned himself eighth place in the 170-pound weight class Saturday morning while Caleb Wood picked up his 31st pin of the season, setting a new Ross single-season record Friday.

“I’m glad I got on the podium,” Barth said. “I wish I would have got a little higher but I fought through the tough matches that I had and was able to move forward.”

Barth opened the tournament Thursday night with 4-3 decision victory over Simon Shirley, of Harrison. Friday morning, however, Barth lost 6-3 to Medina’s Brady Chrisman, sending Barth into the consolation bracket.

There, Barth eliminated Lakewood St. Edward’s Michael Garcar with a 7-2 win, which clinched Barth a spot on the podium. A loss in his last match on Friday, a 3-1 decision to Domenic DiPietro, of Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit, placed Barth into Saturday morning’s seventh/eighth-place match against Westerville North’s  Mitch Potterf.

“It was a stressful weekend,” Barth said. “From winning the first match and then having to move forward and win the next match to place, after losing the second match. I didn’t have a place until I won my second one so it was a little stressful.”

Potterf then defeated Barth by a major decision score of 13-5. Barth’s wrestling career ended with him standing eighth in the state.

“It definitely was bittersweet,” he said. “It was a sad feeling but also kind of good. I worked really hard for four years now.

“I definitely grew a family from this, not just friendships. It taught me a lot of responsibility and leadership and tons of other things like hard work and so much more.”

Wood began his tournament run at 195 pounds Thursday by being pinned by Canton McKinley’s Micha Clemson. Wood rebounded, however, that night by pinning Vandalia Butler’s Nick Coyle in the first round of the consolation bracket, giving him the Little Giants’ pin record.

“Going into the match Garrett was saying, ‘You’ve got to set the record, you’ve got to set the record, this is the kid to do it, you can pin this kid,’” Wood recalled. “In the match, I was taking it slow, then I caught him on his back and I said to myself, ‘I’ve got to pin this kid now,’ he was strong and I was squeezing for dear life.

“I didn’t express it too much, I’m pretty humble, but, in my head, I was happy that I set the record.”

Wood’s tournament, however, ended on a sour note Friday when he was disqualified against Cincinnati LaSalle’s Michael Baker. After reversing a hold on Baker, Wood applied a seat belt maneuver, injuring Baker. The head official initially ruled the move potentially dangerous but, after consulting with the secondary official, changed the ruling to an illegal move.

Because Wood was assessed an illegal move, resulting in injury, rules state if the injured wrestler cannot continue, he wins the match. Baker said he could not continue and Wood’s season was over.

Wood said losing by disqualification is worse than being pinned and beaten by a better wrestler.

“For sure. You never know the outcome of what could have happened,” Wood said.

“His next match, (Baker) wrestled the kid I lost 8-2 to at districts and he teched him 15-0, so he must not have been hurt too bad.”

Wood said the disappointing finish will serve has extra motivation for him as he tries to return to the state meet next year in his senior season.

But there is no next year for Lamonte Chapman, however. Wrestling at 138 pounds, Chapman opened his tournament Thursday with a 9-4 loss to Daniel Segura of Dublin Scioto. He wrestled again Thursday night in the consolation round where he lost a 6-4 decision to Cincinnati Princeton’s Jovan Fuqua. The loss ended Chapman’s stellar career disappointingly short of the runner-up place he finished in as a sophomore.

Head wrestling coach Chad Hetrick was unable to reached for comment.