Riverdale's Phelps passes first test at state

COLUMBUS – Riverdale wrestling coach Paul Frey said the expectations for 138-pound sophomore Grady Phelps at this weekend's Division III state tournament are simple enough."Goal is the top of the podium for him," Frey said. "He knows it."Phelps passed the first test Friday at the Schottenstein Center.The Falcon, who finished fifth at 130 pounds here last year, went up against West Liberty-Salem's Kyler Langhardt, and came away with a 13-8 win.Phelps improved to 42-4 this season. He will take on Martins Ferry's Colton Nixon in today's quarterfinal.Frey said Phelps came in motivated. He won a BVC and sectional championship, but last week lost a second round match at the district tournament in Rossford, and finished third."Grady's been mature this whole season," Frey said. "That (loss), if anything, fueled him more this week. He was ready to rock."The only other area boy to win his first match was Patrick Henry 190-pounder Trent Johnson, who flattened his opponent, Huntington's Carson McNeil, in 3:19.Johnson, a senior with a 42-3 record, will take on Graham Local's Danny Hoke this morning.The quarterfinals for Division III start at 9:30 p.m.Along with Phelps, Riverdale will have another wrestler competing today. Kydin Reed, who competes at 190 pounds, was pinned in his first match by River Valley's Budder Manley.But Reed rebounded in his consolation match, getting past Ready's Bobby Kapela, 6-2."Came off with the W," Reed said. "That's all that matters.""He gutted it out. He got the win when he needed to," Frey said. "(Kapela's) a good wrestler, (Reed) just wanted it more, plain and simple."The name of the game right now is stacking Ws," Fry continued. "We're gonna keep doing that. We've got the momentum going in our direction."Van Buren senior Brooks Hill is hoping the momentum he picked up in his last match continues into today.Hall – a 144-pounder who is making his first state appearance – dropped his opening match to Lake Catholic's Giovanni Magistrelli by technical fall. He bounced back, pinning Mechanicsburg's Gavin Stacy in the consolation round, and advancing to today."At this point, I'm just wrestling every match like it's my last, because next time I lose, it will be my last," Hill said.For Elmwood, 132-pound junior Zachary Schafer went 1-1, falling in his first match to Sandy Valley's Owen Simpson; he then kept his season alive by knocking off West Liberty Salem's Madden Kilgore by pinning him in 3:26.Also going 1-1 was Carey 157-pounder Jordan Hertel, who was tech falled by Beachwood's Caleb Greenwood in the opening match, then came back to beat Adena's Grady Hayden, 13-9.Two area wrestlers saw their seasons end Friday. Liberty-Benton's Ben Beard (165), a senior, and Carey freshman Fisher Montgomery each lost two matches and were eliminated from the tournament.The only area wrestler to compete in the Division II tournament was 150-pound senior Ethan Lewis.Lewis faced Beaver's Jake Hughes, who placed third at 150 pounds as a freshman last season.Hughes pinned Lewis in 1:40.That sent Lewis into the consolations where he advanced with a 12-4 major decision over Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary's Duke Clayton.