COLUMBUS — Eight of the 14 area wrestlers came away with first-round victories Thursday night and stayed alive in their championship brackets.

Sophomore twins Brian and William Spangler of Keystone put up identical 8-1 victories in Division III to become the first to advance to the quarterfinals, then Elyria resident and University School senior Brad Wukie and Avon sophomore Zane Zeman duplicated the feat in Division II.

“I was nervous … I felt like I was going to have a panic attack out there,” said Zeman, who earned a first-period pin of Cambridge’s Dillon VanDyne. “But I got a hold of myself before I stepped onto the mat.”

How did Zeman get himself under control?

“I took a yoga class before the season started,” he said. “It helps me find ways to calm myself. It worked pretty good in that first match.”

There were four wrestlers who made it to the quarterfinals in Division I: Southview senior Uland Ralston,
Elyria senior Kodie Egnor, St. Edward senior and Westlake resident Anthony Salupo and Westlake senior Conner Dempsey.

Ralston wrestled a methodical and technical match to remain in control and pick up the 4-1 victory over Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller’s Brian MacVeigh in a 119-pound opener. It was his first victory in Columbus since he placed third at 103 pounds as a sophomore.

“It feels good to be back,” he said. “It also feels good to start off with a win, but I feel I still really need to step it up for tomorrow.”

Ralston will face Hilliard Davidson’s Angelo DiSabato in this morning’s quarterfinals, then would face the winner of St. Ignatius’ Jerome Robinson and Sandusky’s Davion Caston.

“I feel I have a good draw,” Ralston said. “I’ve already wrestled Caston two times this year and we each won one, but Robinson is a defending state champion.

“But I’m going to focus on my quarterfinal match before I start thinking about the semifinals.”

Ralston should be a big favorite to reach that semifinal, as he is on a hot streak and defeated DiSabato in his first-round match at state two years ago.

“I’m going to give it everything I’ve got,” Ralston said. “I’m not leaving (the championship bracket) without a fight.”

One of the biggest surprises of the first round was an impressive first-period pin by Egnor over Clayton Northmont’s Jesse Walker.

Walker had quickly gone up 4-0.

“I went to cradle him and he caught me in his own cradle,” Egnor said. “I had to fight it off. I think I was a little nervous to begin that match.”

But Egnor reversed position on Walker with a hip switch, slapped him in a headlock and slammed him to his back to get the pin.

“It felt real good,” Egnor said. “I was able to clear all the negativity from that bad start. I kept wrestling and didn’t stop.”

Of the six area wrestlers who lost in the first round, three won their wrestlebacks and all 11 will be in action this morning.

“It’s time to go back to the hotel, relax and start focusing on the next match,” Ralston said.

Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com.

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