Wrestling: Dublin Scioto Irish’s Ty Wilson aims for second state title
After winning the Division I state title at 113 pounds as a freshman, Dublin Scioto wrestler Ty Wilson quickly went back to work to begin pursuit of a second state championship.
The sophomore’s main offseason goal was to gain strength with hopes of rising in weight classes.
Wilson reached that goal, as he is competing at 132 and is off to another strong start.
“I still think about last year and things I can improve on, and just keep getting better so I can move up to another level of wrestling,” Wilson said. “Over the summer I focused on getting bigger and stronger so I could be at a higher weight class.”
Wilson was 29-3 before the Irish competed against Canal Winchester in an OCC-Capital Division match Jan. 13.
“There’s no reason why he can’t win another state title,” coach Adam Huddle said. “We’re building it one day at a time, but we also know he’s only a sophomore. We’re still growing as well. We went from 113 to 132, so we’re still growing into the weight class. That’s a big jump. There’s a lot more older kids that he’s wrestling and that’s OK. He’ll be just fine.”
One of the highlights for Wilson this season was winning the title in the Kevin Cleveland Memorial Tournament on Jan. 8 at home. Wilson went 5-0, capped by a 3-2 win over DeSales’ David McClelland in the finals.
Scioto finished sixth (150) behind champion Marysville (253.5).
Wilson and McClelland both train at CP Wrestling Academy, which is headed by DeSales coach Collin Palmer.
“I’ve been with (Palmer) for a little while now,” Wilson said. “Every time I go over there, I work and just hone in on my technique. I’ve gone to a lot of his camps. It’s good to see the top guys in the nation.”
Wilson also credits Huddle for his progress in the sport.
“He helps me with the little things,” Wilson said. “Even in my wins, he wants me to work on different things like how I set up different shots just to open up my throws and moves that I hit.”
Wilson’s three losses came in a pair of elite tournaments, as he dropped two matches while finishing fifth in the Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit Ironman Tournament on Dec. 10 and 11 and one match while placing second in the North Canton Hoover Holiday Tournament on Dec. 17 and 18. He lost 1-0 to Louisville senior Pablo Castro in the final at North Canton.
He also was named the Most Valuable Wrestler in the 50th annual Marion Harding Classic on Dec. 29 after capturing the title. Wilson has wrestled at 132 in every event.
“He’s getting good, competitive matches and that’s what we need going into the sectional tournament,” Huddle said.
A year ago, Wilson finished 37-2 after beating Dublin Coffman’s Omar Ayoub 3-1 in the state final at 113, avenging two earlier postseason losses. Ayoub is wrestling at 126 this season.
Scioto had two other wrestlers capture titles at the home Kevin Cleveland tournament, as seniors Matthew Howard (215) and Mahdi Numan (138) also placed first.
Howard, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler, capped his championship run by beating Oregon Clay’s Ty Cobb 6-4 in the final to finish 4-0 on the day.
“He had a heck of a tournament,” Huddle said of Howard. “I don’t think anybody would have picked him — outside of our coaching staff and our team and our family and friends — to win this tournament. He shows up every day, works extremely hard and continues to get better. ... This is a big confidence-builder heading towards the sectional tournament.”
Howard missed the postseason a year ago with a right shoulder injury.
“We’re still young and very inexperienced and still have a ton of work to do,” Huddle said. “We’re still trying to figure out for duals what bodies to put in spots so that we can at least compete in duals. That’s been hard so far. I don’t like where we’re at, but that’s what makes us grind and that’s what makes us work.”
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Wrestling: Dublin Scioto’s Wilson aims for second state title
