Edison's Medina starts comeback at D-III Duals

MILAN TWP. — Marcus Medina is planning to return to the wrestling mat this weekend at the Division III Duals. The Edison senior standout tore the meniscus in his left leg during a match against Wadsworth in mid-December. It marked the second time in three years that Medina tore the meniscus. "I did a stand-up and my knee was in while my toe was pointed out," Medina said last week. "It popped and freaked me out. I thought I was done, but I went to the doctors and found out I could get the surgery after wrestling." Medina said he now feels "close to 100 percent" and moves fine. "It's a partial tear so they'll snip a tiny part of it," he said. "It's only a month recovery so I'll miss three weeks of baseball." Medina got on the mat on Senior Night last week and picked up a forfeit victory. He considered wrestling in the two duals last Thursday, but both of his knee injuries came on the mats at Edison, so there were some karma considerations. "I've had some pretty bad luck on those home mats so we'll wait," he said. Medina is 5-2 this season and ranked No. 3 at 157 pounds in Division III by BoroFanOhio.net. "He looks good. We'll have to manage it and be smart about when and who (he wrestles)," Edison coach Davy Hermes said. "The goal is to get the healthiest Marcus we can at the sectional. "You feel good until you don't. That's gonna happen. You gotta manage it and fight through it." Wrestling in the duals tournament at St. Mary Central Catholic, which begins Friday afternoon and ends Saturday, is the first step on Medina's path to becoming a three-time All-Ohio wrestler. He finished seventh as a freshman, missed most of his sophomore year with the first meniscus injury, and took fifth last year in Columbus. Medina has a career record of 112-25, which includes two medical default losses when he injured his knee. "We want to get some live action before sectionals, but I've been going in the room with our guys for a couple weeks," Medina said. Medina will wear a sleeve on his injured knee, a brace and another sleeve on top of that when he wrestles. He said the injury is not as bad as the one that limited him to 20 matches as a sophomore. "A lot of people walk around with a torn meniscus," Medina said. "It hasn't really bothered me much." Medina, an All-Ohio football player, plans to play that sport in college. He has several offers from Division III schools, including Mount Union, Baldwin-Wallace and Heidelberg, and plans to make more visits. He was named this week to the OHSFCA North-South All-Star Game North roster. The football showcase is scheduled for April 27 in Massillon. The three-sport star also plays baseball for Edison. To stay in shape this month, Medina has been working up a sweat on the stationary bike in the Edison wrestling room. "It's probably become my best friend this year. It's a love-hate relationship," he said. "I ride it for about 25 minutes and I'm laying down on the mat and Coach Hermes asks what's wrong and I tell him, 'I can't feel my legs right now.'"