COSHOCTON – Centerburg wrestler Donnell Marshall put together a dominating string of four wins, gaining a state berth with a first-place finish in the Division III district championship at Coshocton High School.
The 145 pound Marshall (21-0) finished off the tournament, held Friday and Saturday, March 5-6, with a 13-2 major decision over Toronto’s Garrett Dozier (34-2) in the championship final.
Also gaining DIII state berths were Utica’s Wesley Wydick (113 pounds) and Brock Wygle (126), along with Fredericktown’s Gene Fitzpatrick (182).
Marshall pinned Stone Dixon of Fort Frye in the first round and went on to sweep all four bouts. He defeated Lane Cline of Waterford by a 4-0 decision and Justin King of Sandy Valley by a 15-0 technical fall before beating Dozier in the final.
Marshall became Centerburg’s second-ever district champ and the first since Dallas Scott in 2018.
“I wanted to win it so I could have a better seed at state,” he said. “That doesn’t guarantee any easy matches, but I wanted to be district champ.”
Marshall’s control and confidence on the mat were matched only by his calm demeanor as he warmed up.
“He turns it on when he needs to,” Centerburg coach Alec Szanati said. “He’s on a different level and, hopefully, that will continue next week. He’s got a chance to do something special.”
Marshall showed no signs of a nagging football-related shoulder injury that plagued him this season.
“It felt pretty good,” he said. “It was pretty hard to rehabilitate it; but once I got going, I just got back into the groove.”
A shot to wrestle at state means a lot to Marshall after going 32-3 and gaining a state berth in 2020, only to see the state tournament cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
“Yeah, it’s my last year,” Marshall said. “I always wanted to be the first state placer at Centerburg, It means a lot to have a chance to do it this year.”
Wydick (32-7) took third overall, fighting back after losing Friday’s championship quarterfinal to eventual district champ Dakota King of Barnesville.
“I knew it could go either way and I was ready to just wrestle,” Wydick said. “I just try to keep my head in the right place.”
Wygle battled all the way to the championship semifinals before coming up short in an 8-7 duel with Bidwell River Valley’s Andrew Huck. Wygle (33-6) beat Ridgewood’s Jesse Maple 6-1 to take third place. He and Wydick also made it to state last year.
“It definitely means a lot,” Wygle said. “Qualifying last year and not getting to go ... was heartbreaking. I was determined to go again.”
Fitzpatrick finished fourth after winning both of his matches on Friday. He made it to the championship semifinal round where he lost to Alexander’s Jack Hillyer, and he lost in the third-place final to Andy Williamson of Mount Gilead. Fitzpatrick (26-22) is the first Fredericktown wrestler with a state berth since Mitchell Hurlbut placed fourth at state in 2018.
“The best thing is not to let it get on your mind,” Fitzpatrick said. “Just treat it like any other match. Work harder and pray.”
Hillyer handed Williamson (48-1) his first defeat of the season in Friday’s second bout. Despite the loss, Williamson gained a state berth, along with Northmor’s Marcus Cortez (132) and Niko Christo (152).
