COLUMBUS — Mavrik Gregory stood on a podium at the conclusion of Sunday’s Division I state wrestling meet.
It’s where he wanted to be, regardless of the step on the pyramid.
Mount Vernon’s 157-pound wrestler placed sixth in the state after suffering a season-ending 4-3 loss to Uniontown High School’s Lukas Jordan in the fifth-place match
“It was a close match and he had faced him (Jordan) before, so we knew it would be a tough match,” explained Yellow Jackets’ coach Corey Firebaugh. “It’s always tough to lose the last match of your senior year, especially against someone that you have had some success against before.”
The two wrestlers were scoreless at the end of the first period. Jordan took a 2-0 lead in the second period, followed by an escape and takedown by Gregory to claim a 3-2 edge.
Gregory relinquished the lead for a 3-3 when he was penalized for locking hands. Locking hands is when a wrestler clasps their hands around an opponent preventing a means of escape.
The Stark County grappler then managed an escape to take a 4-3 margin. With both wrestlers on their feet, Gregory was unable to execute his gameplan.
“We decided to take the neutral position, hoping that Mav could get the takedown, but that didn’t happen,” Firebaugh said.
Still, the coach liked the way his team performed, with four wrestlers reaching Columbus.
“I am proud of how they performed,” Firebaugh said. “Every match, every tournament is going to have its ups and downs.
“We have Mav making it to the podium (The top eight wrestlers in each weight class are recognized). They all performed well and were a credit to the school and the program.”
