Fairmont’s Snodgrass falls in state semis: ‘Next year I’ll be that guy’

Fairmont junior Nevan Snodgrass took on the best the state – and the nation – has to offer at the Division I state high school wrestling tournament Friday. And next season he plans to be that guy.

Snodgrass took on Powell Olentangy Liberty senior Carson Karchla in the 170-pound weight class with a trip to the state finals up for grabs. Karchla, the defending state champ at 170 and ranked No. 1 in the nation by Intermat, held off Snodgrass for a 5-1 victory.

»RELATED: Girls, boys basketball district, regional schedule

»RELATED: D-II final four next for Carroll girls

Snodgrass dropped into the consolation round for Saturday’s final matches at Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center. He can finish as high as third and no worse than sixth.

“I feel like no one else can touch me,” Snodgrass said of his chances Saturday. “I feel like I’m the hardest kid he wrestled. It took me a couple months to get this good to wrestle him.”

In his previous two matches Karchla won 18-3 and by pin in 1:37. His match against Snodgrass was definitely his toughest.

With Karchla wrestling at Ohio State next season Snodgrass plans to take over that No. 1 spot.

“Next year I’ll be that guy,” he said.

Final-ly: Wayne junior Jacob Padilla can cap an undefeated season with a state championship Saturday. Padilla (41-0) faces Avon senior Jack Roesch (38-4) for the 285-pound D-I title.

Four area wrestlers reached the D-III state finals, highlighted by Miami East freshman Max Shore at 113. Shore upset Milan Edison sophomore Casey Barnett, last year’s state champ at 106, with a dominating 12-6 victory. Legacy Christian Academy freshman Gavin Brown (126), Troy Christian junior Ethan Turner (126) and National Trail junior Peyton Lane (138) also wrestle for championships Saturday.

Tough end for Shore: Judging by the crowd response, Miami East sophomore Olivia Shore added a few thousand people to her fan club during the D-III tournament. Shore was a crowd and media sensation after becoming the second female to qualify for the state tournament, regardless of division. On Thursday she made history as the first female to win a championship round match.

Her goal of a podium finish came up short Friday with a pair of frustrating losses. In her championship quarterfinal match, time expired before Shore scored a two-point takedown in a 4-2 loss. In her consolation match – with the winner guaranteed a spot on the podium – Shore lost 10-7 in closing seconds of a back-and-forth battle.

“Heartbroken, honestly,” Shore said. “I’m just going to keep grinding and get better.”

After kneeling on the mat for a minute to compose herself, Shore waved to all four sides of a Schottenstein center crowd that was heavily in her corner. She then bowed before them to thank them for their support.

“It’s awesome. This journey I had a lot of haters,” Shore said. “Knowing I had a lot of people on my side really helps.”

Armstrong advances: He wrestles for Alter, but Knights senior Nathaniel Armstrong might be considered an honorary Fairmont Firebird, too. Alter has three wrestlers so they practice with Fairmont every day. Armstrong was getting coaching tips from Firebirds' coaches after clinching a podium spot in Friday's early action.

“It’s not tough at all. You just gotta make things work,” Armstrong said of the small team.

Armstrong beat Louisville junior Blake Robbins 2-1 in the two-overtime tiebreaker and added an 8-2 win over Kole Aubiel of Uhrichsville Claymont to reach the consolation semifinals. He can finish as high as third with two more wins.

“All that hard work finally paying off. It’s just amazing. I love it,” said Armstrong, who sat in the Schottentstein stands watching the state tournament as a freshman, never imagining that would be him on the floor three years later.

“No, I never thought that. I came here to watch as a freshman and thought this is cool but I’ll never be here. I was like there’s no way I could go against these guys. But I reached my goal.”

About the Author