MOUNT VERNON — The repeat was not to be.
Watching as the Fifth Annual John Brown Memorial Tournament got underway, Mount Vernon head wrestling coach Corey Firebaugh was hopeful his team could once again reign as tournament champions.
“We’ve lost a couple we probably shouldn’t have, but that’s kind of part of it,” the coach said of the first few bouts.
The Yellow Jacket grapplers placed third behind Olentangy Liberty’s 209 points and Westerville Central, who notched 185.5 tallies.
Mount Vernon came away with 159.9 points. Firebaugh had hoped for a much better outcome.
“We’ll see how they respond and hope we bounce back,” he said.
Trevor Jones at 215 pounds and Alex Taylor at 285 pounds were the lone gold medalists for the home school.
How does one of the top high school wrestlers in the world feel just before stepping on the mat?
“I’m always nervous,” Taylor said. “You are putting it on the line with every bout. Everybody wants to beat me, and I want to beat everybody.”
Silver medalists for the Jackets were Gabe Kiser, 106 pounds, and Maverick Gregory, tipping the scales at 150 pounds.
Rounding out the rest of the 14-team field were Olentangy, Dublin Jerome, Galion, Dublin Scioto, Chillicothe, Utica, Newark, Dalton, Medina Highland, Groveport, and Northridge.
The Jackets will travel to North Canton for a non-conference meet on Dec. 19.
On a logistical note, Mount Vernon Athletic Director Justin Sanford paid homage to an unsung hero.
“I have huge compliments to Alan Oswalt, who is our tournament director. The organization of this tournament is phenomenal,” Sanford said, pointing to Oswalt seated in front of him.
“All of these televisions, he sets up his own Wi-Fi. I just cannot say enough good things about him.”
(Below are Dan Werner’s photos from the match.)
