Barnesville is riding a wave of youth and momentum as the Shamrocks’ wrestling program takes a school-record six qualifiers to Saturday’s Division III state wrestling championships at Marion Harding High School.
There’s a remote possibility of a seventh as Jacob Boulet’s fifth-place finish Saturday at 170 makes him the first alternate should any of the top four finishers be unable to go.
But whether six or seven qualifiers step onto the mats at Marion, the Shamrocks are in position to do some damage in the team standings.
The contingent contains only one senior and is half comprised of freshmen. But all three of those freshmen, along with sophomore Logan Tague and junior Griffin Stephen, won their respective weight classes at Coshocton.
They are all capable of reaching the medal podium this weekend.
“We knew we had a decent team coming in, but this year’s been so crazy with COVID,” said Barnesville head coach Jayson Stephen. “But we entered three regular tournaments, tied at ours and won the other two; then we won the sectionals, and I reminded them that this is just another tournament. You guys can win it.
“Now, we have one more tournament. Each time it steps up in competition, but they are capable of performing and doing very well.”
The Shamrocks are one of only seven teams to qualify at least six wrestlers. There are a couple with seven. Then there’s likely favorite Milan Edison, if for no other reason than sheer numbers alone.
Edison qualified 11 of its wrestlers to the state tournament and ran away with its district with 244 team points. It also finished in third place during the last state tournament held in 2019.
Seeing Things from All Sides
Coach Stephen’s focus is fixated squarely on his wrestlers, their accomplishments and goals, and their future.
But he’s uniquely positioned in being able to offer perspective and experience from multiple angles of the upcoming experience.
A multi-sport standout at Barnesville himself, Stephen was part of the school’s last district championship wrestling team back in the early 1990s. He also reached the state podium in sixth place at 160 pounds during the 1995 tournament.
He’s always willing to offer advice, but if his wrestlers want to hear of his exploits, they need to seek the tale elsewhere.
“I really don’t talk about it much,” Stephen said. “Anything they hear, they hear from other coaches. We’re here for them.”
That’s his coaching perspective, along with his experience as a competitor. But he also gets to walk the fine line between coach and parent as his two sons, freshman Reese and junior Griffin, both came away as district champions and will be wrestling in hopes of hoisting a state medal.
Even in the moment, coaching his boys from the chair during a match, he’s able to keep that part of himself compartmentalized and focus on the now—the coach/wrestler dynamic.
“It can be tough, but I treat my kids just like any of the other kids on the team—probably a little harder,” Stephen said. “But I’m hard on all the kids and they know that. I’m pretty honest with them. They know they aren’t getting any special treatment.
“They have to work like everyone else and put their time in.”
No Rookie Jitters
As mentioned above, this team is a bit on the young side.
While senior Cameron Woods, who advanced with a third-place finish at districts, is the elder statesman, only Griffin Stephen has reached this level before.
Stephen qualified in the 106-pound class as a freshman in 2019 but lost his first two matches for a quick exit. But while there he got to witness then teammate Brylan Clouse pin his way to a third-place finish at 182.
He got to experience the highs and lows at the state’s highest level. Now he’s looking to build on that experience, not only for himself, but for his teammates.
“This was his third district title,” Coach Stephen said of Griffen. “I think he knows more of what to expect. But the freshmen have come up through big events.
“We hit the big tournaments, and I don’t think the nerves will get to them. They will go out and wrestle and give what they’ve got.
“They all have a shot to be on the podium, and that’s what we want.”
