Washington High School freshman Brooklyn Wade (above, top) applies pressure to the No. 3-ranked wrestler in Ohio at 235 pounds, sophomore Dakota McCracken of Hanover United, during a first-round match in the inaugural girls wrestling State tournament at The Ohio State University Friday, March 10, 2023. Wade won this match, 4-0 and will wrestle in the quarterfinals today at 11:30 a.m.
Chris Hoppes | Record-Herald
Leah Marine, Washington High School freshman, at right, takes on sophomore Gabi Gartin of Doylestown Chippewain a 110-pound match at the inaugural girls wrestling State tournament at the Schottenstein Center on the campus of The Ohio State University Friday, March 10, 2023. Gartin won this match by a 10-0 major decision, sending Marine into the first round of consolation matches Friday night.
Chris Hoppes | Record-Herald
Washington sophomore Lyndyn Gibbs looks to secure the pin against her opponent during her opening match at the inaugural OHSAA Girls State Wrestling Tournament on Friday, March 10, 2023. Gibbs would win by pin in the opening period.
Tyler Flora | Record-Herald
COLUMBUS — The inaugural OHSAA Girls State Wrestling Tournament began on Friday, March 10 at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
Three local ladies competed in the opening session, including Leah Marine, Lyndyn Gibbs, and Brooklyn Wade of Washington High School.
Marine, a freshman, was the first to wrestle. She took on sophomore Gabi Gartin of Chippewa. Martin placed third in the state last year at 115 pounds. Marine would lose by decision, 10-0.
Marine shared some comments following the loss.
“I feel like I started off strong with good hand movement and moving my feet. I got caught with a cowboy which put me down five points in the first period and kind of set me back a bit.”
Assistant coach Craig Snyder spoke about Marine.
“She showed up way more aggressive at this round. Sometimes she has a tendency to play defense, but she was in there hand fighting and doing what she was supposed to do. The girl she wrestled was really tough. We had a talk, and the main goal was that if she happened to get beat, she would refocus, forget about it, and move on. That’s one of the big things that she’s had troubles with in the past. If she goes back into this next match and is refocused, then I think she accomplished one of her goals for this weekend.”
Gibbs, a sophomore, wrestled next for Washington. She battled freshman Addison Justice from Licking Valley. Gibbs won the match by pin in 1:28. She gave her thoughts following the win.
“It felt amazing getting my hand raised and knowing I pinned her in the first period. I really wanted to hit my offense this match. When I’m nervous I go back to my defensive moves, so it felt good getting my offensive moves in.”
Head coach Wes Gibbs spoke about the match.
“It was a great match. We found a good way to score fast and were able to get a quick pin.
Gibbs will wrestle senior Katie Kerr in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Wade, a freshman, wrestled last for Washington. She would go against sophomore Dakota McCracken from United High School. McCracken is a returning state placer, finishing in third at the state tournament last season.
Wade would pick up the victory with a 4-0 decision. She shared her feelings following the win.
“It feels pretty good. I want to thank my coaches for really staying on me and pushing me to be successful. It was a really tough match, but I wrestled through it. I was a little nervous coming in because I knew she was ranked really high, but at the end of the day the rankings don’t really matter. I knew I had to just go out there and wrestle.”
Coach Gibbs spoke about the match.
“We knew that one was gonna be tough. Winning that match definitely sets up a better path for us.”
Coach Snyder gave some comments.
“I was impressed with how she wrestled on top. She was very, very aggressive. She pretty much controlled the whole match.
Wade will wrestle sophomore Jennifer Huaracha-Arella from Olentangy Orange in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
The Record-Herald will have updates on our website throughout the weekend with coverage from the state tournament.
