Mefford bows out of state meet
MARION – Two matches are all that stand in Hayden Pummel’s way of becoming a state champion.
The Indian Lake wrestling star dominated on his first day of competition here Saturday at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III state tournament at Marion Harding High School. Pummel won his first two championship round matches and is wrestling in this morning’s championship semifinals.
“Two matches left,” said Pummel. “I’m coming for that title. I want it.”
Pummel has guaranteed himself at least a top six placement and is just one win away from reaching the state finals. Wrestling begins today at 10 a.m. with the state finals scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.
It was one attack after another for Pummel on Saturday. He gradually got his offense going in the first round and defeated Newcomerstown’s Coltin Meek 10-3. He only got better in the championship quarterfinals when he dismantled Jefferson Area’s Colt Edgar with a 16-1 technical fall.
“I wrestled alright today,” said Pummel. “It started out a little slow. I got my lungs burning and ended up getting a 10-3 win in the first round. I felt like my lungs were good, so let’s pick it up and I got a 16-1 tech fall in the quarters. Now I’m ready for that semifinals match (this morning).”
Pummel remains undefeated at 38-0 and faces Rootstown’s Dalton Duvall (38-1) in today’s semifinal match.
“I’m telling myself to keep going at this level,” said Pummel. “No one else can hang with me. I need to push my hands and my feet and I really started to get to that in my last match. You could tell a difference. When I’m scoring points and how often I’m scoring. I have to keep this pace and momentum going.”
Indian Lake senior Lane Mefford (182) was also in action Saturday, but was unable to place and advance to today’s placement rounds. He went 1-2 and finished one win shy of placing in the top eight.
Mefford won his first-round match over Mt. Gilead’s Andy Williamson with a last second reversal to secure a 6-5 victory. The Laker standout then ran into Berkshire’s undefeated Lucas Stoddard. Mefford put up a fight and held Stoddard to a 5-0 decision. That dropped Mefford into the consolation bracket where he faced Ashland Crestview’s Brier Godsey in the second round. A back-and-forth battle saw Godsey escape with an 8-6 win, eliminating Mefford from the tournament. Mefford finishes the season with a 33-5 final record.
Look for state tournament updates on Indian Lake’s Pummel today on the Examiner’s Facebook page.