Aurora 120-pound senior Johnny Green had thrived wrestling in the 113-pound weight class in his first three years with the program. Before he begins his collegiate career at Army, Green said that he wanted to get stronger and despite moving up a weight class, he recorded a 3-2 record to finish in seventh place at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I state wrestling tournament last weekend at The Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center in Columbus.
“It means a lot,” he said. “The biggest thing is just showing gratitude because there are a lot of people coming in and out of my life the past four years. I think just reminding myself that these people are around there to help me and help me reach my goals so I think it is important to show how thankful I am.”
Green noted he was not just wrestling for himself at the state tournament but also for his twin brother, Luke, who lost his senior season due to a torn ACL.
“In a way I am doing it for him but in another way, we are doing it together,” he added. “Without him I would not have been able to do all of this, and we both worked together for it. Nothing is just mine and nothing is just his.”
On Sunday, he finished his Aurora career on the right note when he overpowered Elder freshman Caleb Curry, beating him by an 18-0 technical fall in the seventh-place championship match.
According to Green, it was time to go big or go home in his final match as a Greenmen.
“You only get one last match and I just wanted to make it my best one,” he said.
Green decided to raise the stakes for his final season, moving to the 120-pound weight class so he could begin adding muscle before going to Army,
“Transitioning to college, I am going to have to get used to getting some more weight on me which is all right, but I wanted to test myself this summer and just see how strong I could get and how big I could get,” Green noted.
On Friday, he started his final tournament off by defeating Hamilton senior Julius Knowles by an 11-4 decision.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first period on a takedown, Green recovered by scoring one point on an escape and then took the lead when he scored a takedown. Knowles evened the score by escaping from Green’s grasp, but the Aurora senior assumed the lead for good when he scored another takedown right before the end of the first period.
According to Green, he wanted to stay aggressive from the start.
“He didn’t move his feet very well but he was really strong,” Green said after his first round victory. “He tried to stay close on the ties and then on top I was a little sloppier than I wish I was.”
On Saturday, Green was eliminated from the championship bracket when he was defeated by junior Liston Seibert from Massillon Perry in the quarterfinal by a 7-3 decision.
Green fell behind early when he surrendered a takedown in the first period to trail 3-0 and could not recover as Seibert was immovable the entire match.
Although Green scored two points on an escape in the third period, Seibert recorded another takedown to win the match.
The Aurora senior bounced back in the second round of the consolation bracket when he dominated Toledo Whitmer sophomore A.J. Dubendorfer to pin him with 25 seconds remaining in the second period to clinch his fourth straight berth as a state-placer.
“He has been a tremendous leader of our program and our team,” said Coach Jeremy Johnson. “I am definitely going to miss that guy next year. He sets the bar so dang high and I am just proud of him. Coming down here and placing one time is really hard to but four times is incredibly hard so I am just happy for him.”
Green’s bid for a third-place finish ended when he lost in the consolation quarterfinal match against Suburban League Conference foe freshman Cole Speer from Brecksville in an 8-2 decision.
A poor start in the first period was once again Green’s undoing as he could not overcome surrendering another early takedown.
After finishing his Aurora career as a four-time state placer, Green said that all of his experiences with the program will serve him well when he continues wrestling at Army,
“The entire community is great. The school system is awesome. Everyone truly cares about each other and circle each other just like family,” he added. “Being able to be around that type of environment just gives me a lot of confidence and self-assurance.”
