COLUMBUS — The goal of every wrestler in Ohio is to advance to the state tournament. For 28 Ohio Valley grapplers, that goal has come true.

Starting Friday afternoon at Value City Arena inside the Jerome Schottenstein Center on the campus of Ohio State University, those individuals will go for gold as the 88th annual boys and third annual girls state tournaments get underway.

Twenty-five of the Ohio Valley representatives are male, with three females rounding out the local contingent. Eleven are entered in Division III, with the other 14 in D-II.

DIVISION III

BOYS

Barnesville, which finished as the state runner up last winter, leads the locals with four entrants, while Bridgeport and Union Local both have two. Buckeye Local, Harrison Central and Martins Ferry all have one.

BARNESVILLE

Senior Ayden King (165) has held down the No. 1 spot in the weekly state rankings for nearly the entire season. He is a two-time all-Ohioan, placing third last year at 165 and fifth as a sophomore at 157. He is currently 51-2, with both losses coming in the prestigious Ironmen Tournament at Walsh Jesuit High School.

“He is our senior leader and definitely knows what it takes to be a state champion,” Barnesville head coach Jayson Stephen said. “He has put in the work and is ready to get it done his last year.”

King was a four-time sectional and district champion.

Also qualifying for the Shamrocks are junior Hines Ford (175) and sophomores Colt Carpenter (138) and Christien Hannahs (215).

“This is Hines’ third year going to the state and has fallen just one match away from placing in his first two years,” Stephen said. “This year is different and he knows it — podium-bound.”

Ford was a third-place finisher in the sectional, but bounced back to capture the district in a tiebreaker over Union Local’s Brody Perzanowski. Ford is currently 48-8.

“This is Colt’s second year going to the state tournament and I feel he is more prepared for what is expected of him,” Stephen said. “There’s no reason why he doesn’t get on the podium.

Carpenter is 34-8 after finishing second in the district.

“Christien is making his first trip, but it won’t be his last,” Stephen predicted. “He’s learning to be patient and wrestle to the end. It’s going to be a great and good experience for him. He has a right to join his teammates on the podium, as well.”

BRIDGEPORT

The Bulldogs are represented by sophomores Robert Weekley (120) and Ax’zavior Santana (132). Weekley was third in the district and Santana fourth.

“Robert is coming off a decent freshman season, but did not quite reach his goals last year, falling short of placing at districts,” Bridgeport head coach Matt McFarland said. “He didn’t forget that feeling.”

Weekley checks in with a 34-9 record.

“Now here’s a story for you,” McFarland stressed. “Last year was Ax’zavior’s first year in the sport. He was below .500 and did not have the year that he wanted either, but he worked really hard and look where he is now..

“I can proudly say both of these kids have worked for everything that they have gotten this year. They spent time all summer long working on themselves as athletes; they lifted weights, went on long hot runs, and practiced hard at Quest (a wrestling club).

“I’m excited to let them loose this year at the state tournament. Both of them are eager and ready to make a statement, and we are ready to see where our work takes us,” he continued. “Representing the Bulldogs is a great honor and I hope all our wrestling alumni are proud of the product that we have put out. This means more to us than anything, and we are going to make this a habit again in Bridgeport.”

UNION LOCAL

The Jets are represented by sophomores Gunnar Gossett (144) and Brody Perzanowski (175). Both were six in the state a season ago, Gossett at the same weight and Perzanowski at 157.

Gossett was dominant in winning his first district title and will be making his second trip west. He recorded two pins — one in the finals — and posted a pair of technical falls. He carries a 45-4 mark to Columbus.

Perzanowski was a district runner up as mentioned earlier. He had three pins on his way to the finals, with two coming in less than a minute. He is now 39-6.

“Both wrestlers are very hard-working young men. They show up all year long to work hard and get better,” Union Local head coach Nate Starkey said. “They are both determined to build on last year’s performance at the state tournament and show everyone what they can do. These young men deserve whatever they get, because they have put in all the extra to be where they are.”

MARTINS FERRY

Freshman Colton Nixon (126) has quickly made a name for himself in his first taste of varsity competition. He was a runner up at district, losing to a returning state runner up in C.J. Graham of Fairless. Nixon is 43-7.

“Colton is a talented freshman who has been putting in the work for many years. We have known for a long time that he would do special things at the high school level,” Martins Ferry head coach Chad Ware said. “His hard work and dedication over the years are paying off.

“Colton is a great kid to be around and coach. The more he wrestles high-level kids, the more confidence he gets. If he wrestles with confidence this weekend, I believe that he can reach the podium.”

BUCKEYE LOCAL

Freshman Nathan Dentz (106) finished fourth in the district to punch his first ticket to the state tournament. After losing in the quarterfinals, he rebounded with three wins in the consolation bracket. He is currently 35-9.

HARRISON CENTRAL

Freshman Knox McKibben (215) is another first-year varsity wrestler making some noise. He won the district title in impressive fashion. He had pins of 13 seconds, 52 seconds and 1:12 in the finals. He also posted a 11-0 major decision along the way to upping his mark to 44-3.

DIVISION II

BOYS

Steubenville and Beaver Local tied for the district title and have six qualifiers each. East Liverpool has two.

STEUBENVILLE

Big Red is led by defending state champion Brody Saccoccia (157) who is seeking a fourth trip to the awards podium. He was a state runner up as a freshman at 120; fifth at 132 as a sophomore before winning at 150 last winter.

The Purdue University signee is currently 39-1, losing in the district finals last Saturday to Thornville Sheridan’s undefeated Coltyn Reedy.

Other qualifiers are senior Ethan Llewellyn (165, 39-12); juniors Cole Harvey (113, 30-13); Cooper Smith (144, 40-5) and Beau Hudson (285, 31-11) and sophomore Landon Crosier (175, 29-12).

Smith, who won the district title, was sixth in the state last year at the same weight. Hudson was also a district champion.

BEAVER LOCAL

The Beavers are represented by seniors Justice Fisher (106, 34-8), Kane Curran (190, 25-5) and Isaac Prescott (285, 17-12); juniors Robert Buchheit (138, 36-4) and Evan Ours (165, 40-6); and freshman Jake Hughes (150, 43-5).

Fisher, Ours and Curran were district champs. Fisher earned all-Ohio honors last year with an eighth-place finish at the same weight, while Buchheit was fifth last year at 132 and seventh at 120 as a frosh.

EAST LIVERPOOL

The Potters are represented by seniors Tristan Eckles (120, 42-2) and Damon Stansbury (165, 42-9). Eckles was a district runner up and placed seventh at 113 last season. Stansbury was fourth in the district.

GIRLS

STEUBENVILLE

Sophomore Talea Guntrum (120) was a state champion at 110 last winter, but finished second in the district last weekend. She is currently 46-4.

EAST LIVERPOOL

The Potters’ Paige Cowan (125) was eighth at 110 as a freshman. She is currently 36-8.

Classmate Alannah McGonigal (170, 34-14) also qualified.