Aurora Greenmen 113-pound junior wrestler Johnny Green said he wanted to improve on his fifth place finish in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division Il from last year. Although he fell shy of that goal, he became a three-time state placer when he once again took fifth with a 3-2 record last weekend at The Ohio State University’s Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus.
The Aurora junior clinched fifth place when he beat Suburban League American Conference rival freshman Austin Bickerton 3-0 last Sunday.
“We actually wrestled three times this year,” Green said. “I beat him the first time and he won the other two times so I looked to get that one back. He beat me in the SLAC tournament, so this was the one match where I wanted to get him back.”
The conference rivals circled each other in the first period but neither scored a point. It continued being an even affair until Green recorded an escape in the second period. He maintained his slim lead in the third period and stayed on his feet but saw an opening in the final seconds to score a takedown and earn some insurance points.
“He was standing up trying to force a little bit,” noted Green. “I did not think I had much to lose. I did not feel like I was in a dangerous situation, so I was going to try and get a shot in there.”
Although Green entered the state tournament hoping to finish with higher than he did last year, he acknowledged that he was competing in a deep 113-pound weight class in Division I.
“I have so much respect for all of these guys in this weight class,” he added. “You look at it and we are all putting in this work behind the scenes and everyone is doing this because we want to maintain that same goal, which is to get first and I have a lot of respect for these guys putting in the work that they do because it is not just them getting better but also making me better.”
In addition to becoming a three-time state qualifier this season, it was another family affair for Green as he and his twin brother Luke qualified for the state tournament for the second consecutive season. Luke took eighth place by going 2-3 in the 106-pound bracket, finishing as a state placer in back-to-back seasons.
On Friday, Green earned a berth in the quarterfinals when he dominated Mount Vernon senior Brock Blankenhorn by a 13-1 major decision, marking the third straight season he won his preliminary match.
On Saturday, Green returned to the mat and lost his quarterfinal match 9-1 to St. Edward junior Ethan Timar but advanced to day three by pinning junior Gavin Boner from Harrison with 51 seconds remaining in the third period of the blood round.
On Sunday, the West Point Academy commit could not gain leverage against Massillon Perry sophomore Liston Seibert and lost 7-2 in the consolation semifinal match, setting him up for another fifth place match for the second straight season.
In addition to the final match being a rematch of the SLAC tournament, it was also a family affair as Bickerton’s brother Brandon defeated Luke in the preliminary round of the 106-pound bracket but on Friday, Green avenged his brother’s loss by winning his fifth-place bout.
As much as Green relished finishing as a state-placer for the third straight season, he was proud that Aurora sent more than just him and Luke to the state tournament this season.
Although the Green twins were returning state qualifiers, they were joined by two other Aurora wrestlers this year. Junior Cole Walton also finished as a state-placer, taking eighth in the 157-pound weight class with a 2-3 record while sophomore 150-pounder Drake Brasiel’s time was short, going 0-2 on Friday.
“Luke and I had been talking about this ever since last year,” Green said. “It is great being able to be down here with all of the coaches and stuff but you want your guys here too because it is a family in our room. If it is just me and my brother down here it is great but we always want more.”
On Friday, after Luke lost his preliminary bout, he advanced to day two when Logan freshman Blake Coakley had to withdraw from the first round of the consolation match with an injury.
On Saturday, Luke survived the blood round by beating freshman Lincoln Rohr from Massillon Perry by an 11-1 major decision but fell 7-2 to Cincinnati Elder sophomore Colin Broxterman in the consolation quarterfinals and on Sunday, he ended his state tournament with a 2-1 loss against sophomore Demarco Kates in the seventh place match.
On Friday, Walton was defeated 11-3 in the preliminary by senior Jake Wood from Perrysburg but advanced to day two by pinning Archbishop Moeller senior Jared Johnston with 19 seconds left in the second period of the first round of the consolation round.
On Saturday, Walton became a state-placer when he outlasted junior Jake Taylor from Mount Vernon 12-8 in the blood round but had to withdraw when he suffered an injury in his consolation quarterfinal bout against Toledo Whitmer senior Jeremy Ginter.
