OHSAA Individual Wrestling State Tournament

Value City Arena, Columbus
Schedule

Thursday 
3 p.m.: Session 1 (championship preliminaries and consolations round 1)
Friday 
10 a.m.: Session 2 (quarterfinals and consolations round 2)
6:30 p.m.: Session 3 (semifinals and consolation quarterfinals)
Saturday 
10 a.m.: Session 4 (consolations)
5:30 p.m.: Session 5 (all finals)

When the OHSAA individual state wrestling tournament starts Thursday at Value City Arena in Columbus, Moeller will have one of the largest contingents among the participating Division I schools.

The Crusaders qualified nine wrestlers and are coming off their fifth consecutive district championship.

“I feel pretty good,” Moeller coach Jeff Gaier said. “We had an outstanding district tournament. In the big, high-pressure rounds of the semifinals and consolation semis, we had a really good stretch where we won 11 matches in a row. That really makes you feel good, especially going into the state tournament, where all the matches are going to be high pressure.”

Ranked No. 21 nationally by InterMat Wrestling, the Crusaders finished third in the state meet last year and earlier this month lost to No. 16 Massillon Perry in the semifinals of the inaugural team state wrestling tournament won by No. 2 Lakewood St. Edward.

St. Edward qualified 11 wrestlers for the individual state tournament. Gaier said team scores will be kept this week.

“I don’t anticipate seeing any different result, at least in our division, with St. Edward,” he said. “They should win the tournament just based on the number of qualifiers and the quality of guys that they’ve got.”

Moeller’s best shot at a state championship could be in the 220-pound class, Gaier said.

Chalmer Frueauf, one of four Crusaders who won district titles, enters the state tournament with a 32-1 record and a No. 10 national ranking. His only loss this season came against the nation’s top-ranked wrestler in the weight class, Gaier said.

Frueauf has finished fourth in the state tournament the past two years.

“He’s been pretty dominant,” Gaier said. “He has a lot of technique that smaller guys have. When you can move like that, for a bigger guy, it makes a big difference.”

Ross advanced to the semifinals of the Division II state team tournament and qualified five wrestlers for Columbus.