Aurora Greenmen senior Drake Brasiel saved his best for his third consecutive appearance at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I state tournament, tallying a 3-1 record to place second in the 175-pound weight class last weekend at The Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center in Columbus.
“I think it goes back to getting down here last year and getting on the podium was a confidence-booster for him and gave him a little bit of hunger and fire,” said Coach Jeremy Johnson. “He worked his tail off in the whole offseason all fall and he was not only successful and had a great senior season, but he was also a leader on our team and led by example.”
Brasiel became the first Aurora wrestler to reach a state championship bout since two-time state champion Dylan Fishback did so in 2022 and was the first be a state finalist since Aurora transferred to Division 1 from Division II in the 2022-23 season.
After recording a series of thrilling comeback victories, Brasiel faced Massillon Perry senior Brennan Warwick, a rematch of the OHSAA Division I Wadsworth district title bout, in the championship round and fell by an 18-3 technical fall.
Warwick gained an early lead in the first period with a three-point takedown and appeared to have a strong grip on Brasiel but the Greenmen senior recorded an escape, and Warwick responded with another takedown to build a 6-1 lead.
Brasiel escaped from Warwick’s clutches in the second period working from the bottom, but Warwick continued with a series of takedowns, scoring two more three-point takedowns, increasing his lead to 12-3.
As strong as Warwick was, he was also elusive.
“Hats off to Warwick,” said the four-year coach. “He is a great competitor, and we knew that it was going to be a match that we had to wrestle almost perfectly to go out and get.”
In the third period, Warwick continued to be aggressive and scored another three-point takedown and also recorded two-point near fall, triggering the technical fall rule and ending Brasiel’s bid for a state championship.
Although Brasiel’s senior year ended just shy of the state title, he achieved a series of memorable victories in his final appearance at the state tournament.
On Friday, Brasiel powered past sophomore Gauge Woods by an 18-0 technical fall in his first-round match.
On Saturday, he mounted a thrilling rally in the third period of his semifinal bout against Xenia senior Otis Boyette as he trailed 10-1 in the third period.
In addition to not converting on several takedown opportunities, Brasiel’s momentum frequently stalled as the match was paused several times because Boyette needed medical attention for bleeding,
“It was very frustrating,” he acknowledged. “At several points I felt like quitting, but I remembered that is not who I am, I am a person who fights through adversity whenever it comes toward me.”
Brasiel commanded the third period, scoring four takedowns, including a match-wining takedown in the final seconds, and finally rolled Boyette on his back to score two additional points on a near fall, winning by an 18-15 decision.
Later in the evening, Brasiel once again was on the wrong side of the score as he trailed 1-4 entering the third period in the semifinal round against Archbishop Moeller sophomore Landen Messer but mounted another thrilling comeback, scoring a takedown late in the third period and held on to secure the 5-4 decision and clinch a state championship berth.
Johnson applauded the mental resiliency that Brasiel showed in each of his comeback victories.
Following the conclusion of Brasiel’s high school wrestling career, he will continue his wrestling career at Newbury College.
In addition to Brasiel’s historic weekend, the Aurora wrestling program also netted another significant milestone as sophomore Guilia Zayas became the first female wrestler in program history to place at the OHSAA girls’ state tournament by posting a 2-3 record to take eighth place in the 100-pound weight class.
“It is unbelievable,” Zayas said. “It has been a goal of mine since freshman year. It is unreal for me.”
On Friday, Zayas made her state debut in a duel against Madelyn Rennie from Batavia and took an early lead by going ahead 5-0 in the first period, but Rennie caught her in the second period on a takedown and pinned her at the 1:06 mark of the second period. Zayas battled back later in the evening to stay alive in the consolation bracket by pinning Reynoldsburg senior Aaliyah Dawson with only one second remaining in the second period.
On Saturday Zayas secured a state placement by battling back from 4-0 deficit in the in the second period and scored four points in the third period to go ahead 5-4 and then delivered the match-winning pin with 1:13 remaining, officially stamping her mark on Aurora’s girls’ wrestling program.
“It has been a lot of pressure, but I love the pressure,” she said. “I have the most amazing support system and it just motivates me more to want to do better.”
Later in the evening, Zayas was eliminated from the consolation championship bracket when she lost 7-6 against Badin sophomore Teegan Harrington, as her late 6-4 lead was erased in the final seconds when she was issued a technical violation and Herrington recorded a two-point reversal.
On Sunday, Zayas’ run ended when she was pinned by freshman Avery Riley from Marysville with only 20 seconds remaining in the second period of the seventh-place championship match.
