Perkins, Bellevue represent SBC at state wrestling duals

Two of the final eight teams competing in the OHSWCA State Duals are from the Sandusky Bay Conference. Perkins and Bellevue will wrestle Saturday in the Division II quarterfinals at Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus. Bellevue opens against top-seeded Watterson while Perkins takes on West Holmes. Competition begins at 2 p.m. and each team is guaranteed three matches. "It says a lot about our conference," Perkins coach Travis Crabtree said. "The duals are fun; they're old-fashioned matchups. You just wrestle." The state series — which begins with sectionals Feb. 21 — crowns team champions, but the tournament run mostly focuses on individual achievements. The state duals, sponsored by the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association, takes a team approach. It has been a staple of the wrestling season in Ohio since 2013. "Wrestling is pretty much an individual sport, but it's great to have the team together," Bellevue coach Brett Adkins said. "There should be a lot of energy." Perkins, the No. 4 seed, faces fifth-seeded West Holmes. The Pirates got two late pins to edge West Holmes 39-38 in a consolation round last year. "The four upper weights will be a challenge for us," Crabtree said. "They're pretty good. It's going to be tight, but that's why we're there." Perkins has four wrestlers ranked in the top 10 this week by BoroFanOhio.net. Sophomore Law Davlin (34-3 at 165) and junior Boden Ballinger (190) are ranked fourth in their weight classes. Senior Braxden Martin is No. 7 at 150 and has a 23-7 record. Ballinger, a recent move-in from Wadsworth who also is a football standout, is returning from an injury. "We're excited to see him wrestle some top-level competition in his first week back," Crabtree said. Jaycion Everett (21-8 at 144) and DeShawn Harper (20-8 at 215) are the other Pirates with 20 or more wins this season. West Holmes is led by defending state champion Louden Dixon, who is ranked No. 2 in the state at 157. West Holmes won two regional matches after falling behind 30-13 and 38-17. They edged Claymont 39-38 to advance to state. "They're a physical team and they do some things technique-wise we don't see in northwest Ohio," Crabtree said. This will be Perkins' fourth trip to the state duals. The Pirates advanced to the semifinals in 2019. "It's something we've always been chasing," Crabtree said. "The kids got a taste of it in 2019. It's great competition before the SBCs and sectional." Bellevue is the No. 8 seed and draws top-seeded Bishop Watterson in the first round. Watterson has three No. 1-ranked wrestlers on its roster and is projected to easily win the team title at the state tournament in March. One of Watterson's No. 1 wrestlers is James Lindsay, who could match up against Bellevue senior Ben Jacobs if they both stay at 150. Jacobs, ranked No. 6 in the state, is 35-4 this season and recently won his 150th career match. "We thought we'd be a fourth or fifth (seed)," Adkins said. "That's the way it turned out. They're tough. I hope our guys go out and make them earn it." Sophomore Thomas Reesman, who is 29-8 at 113, is ranked 10th in the state at his weight. Other top wrestlers for the Redmen are Owen Sterritt (29-6 at 132), Billy Sberna (30-10 at 175), Noah Green (30-5 at 190) and Tatum Gore (33-9 at 215). The Redmen are 14-3 in duals this season. "You can have a good dual team or a good tournament team," Adkins said. "I think we have a combination of both."