Centerville wrestling defeats top-ranked Fairmont

“Right now, we should be getting more respect than we have been,” Centerville senior Nick Duffy said after the second-ranked Elks defeated top-ranked Fairmont 35-32. “We’re number one now.”

But it didn’t come without the annual last-match drama.

Centerville, which has won five of the six meetings in the rivalry, watched the Firebirds trim a 35-16 deficit to 35-29 heading into the last match. A pin by Fairmont’s Ryan Huffman would have tied the dual and the verdict would have been decided by criteria.

“It got a little shaky there,” Duffy said. “I got nervous at the end ... it was a crazy match.”

Huffman turned Centerville’s Colton Hale in the second period, but could not secure the fall. The Firebirds’ returning district qualifier ended up with a 10-5 decision.

“We battled,” Fairmont coach Frank Baxter said. “I have to give props to Centerville — they did what they needed to do to keep the sign for another year.”

Fairmont opened the match by bumping returning state placer Matt Denlinger up to 145. Denlinger took the 14-4 major decision, but the Elks got a technical fall from Duffy at 152, a major decision from Alec Gilchrist and a decision from Corey Jones to take a 12-4 lead.

“I spent a week to 10 days playing with the lineup to see what they needed to do to beat us, and I wanted to start at 145,” Centerville coach Alan Bair said. “We had some options at a couple of weights, but decided to roll with our lineup and did all right with it.”

After a Tommy Kimbrell pin for Fairmont at 182, Centerville ran off four of the next five matches to push the lead to 35-16.

State qualifiers Josh Parrett and Justin Kihn kept Fairmont alive before Zach Biondi stepped in and recorded a fall in 19 seconds to set the stage for the last match.

“It seems like every single year it is Beavercreek or Fairmont or this team or that team,” Bair said. “No one gives us credit, but when it counts we raise the level and have success. They have some great, outstanding kids, and I give credit to them. This has become a real grudge match.”