The Bombers headed to Kettering Fairmont on Friday for the Division 1 Wrestling Districts, bringing 8 qualifiers to the event: Zander Martin (113lb), Vinny Soloria (126lb), Kane Shawger (138lb), Tommy Maney (144lb), Shaan Oerther (150lb), Maverick Schierloh (165lb), Magnus Violet (175lb), and Rocco Pusateri (190lb).
 

When the dust settled, the Bombers placed 9th out of 49 teams, which qualifies them for the State Duals next season. The Bombers will return all of their district qualifiers except Tommy Maney and Magnus Violet.
 

The Bombers lost some close first-round matches that didn't go in their favor. To finish high as a team, you have to win those close matches, and the youth of the team may have shown early in the district brackets for this relatively young squad.
 

Sophomore Zander Martin went 1-2 over the weekend. He lost his first match, then dropped to the loser's bracket, where he secured an 18-0 tech fall before having to default due to injury. Next up, Vinny Soloria had a strong showing in the first round, winning 13-3, before losing to the district champion by pinfall. In the loser's bracket, Soloria was leading 6-3 in the final period but couldn't maintain the pressure and lost to the eventual third-place finisher, 12-8.
 

Seniors Tommy Maney and Magnus Violet had solid showings to end their Bomber careers. Maney dropped his opening round match before posting two victories. He was then eliminated in a physical match but made it to the blood round. Violet lost his first-round match 6-5, then picked up a win before bowing out in a high-scoring 18-12 affair.
 

Freshman Maverick Schierloh, in his first season of high school wrestling, fought hard but went winless over the weekend. To his credit, there aren't many freshmen in the 165lb weight class, and in fact, he was the only freshman in that weight at the district level. This is a huge accomplishment and something to build on for the future.
 

Junior Shaan Oerther, much improved from a year ago, competed in the 150lb bracket. He was in two very close matches but was unable to secure a victory.
 

Finally, for the bright spots at the district tournament, two Bombers will be advancing to wrestle in the Ohio State Tournament this weekend at The Ohio State University: Sophomore Kane Shawger (138lb) and Junior Rocco Pusateri (190lb).
 

Shawger, the top-ranked wrestler in the state at 138lb, tore through his bracket without surrendering a single point to become the district champion. He didn't even wrestle for 4 minutes in total across all 4 matches. He won his first match by pin, followed by a 15-0 tech fall. In the semifinals, he recorded a 17-second pin, then won the finals by pin in 1:28. Shawger will take his 35-2 record and #1 ranking into the State Tournament, hoping to improve on his 3rd-place finish as a freshman last year.
 

Pusateri, a gritty grinder on the mat, punched his ticket to the State Tournament with a 4th-place finish. He battled through and won his first two matches, setting up a semifinals match against a giant from Harrison. Pusateri fought hard for three periods but lost 6-0. In the consolation round, Pusateri needed one more win to qualify, and that's exactly what he got in the blood round. He quickly gained the upper hand with a couple of takedowns, worked his top game, and posted a 17-1 tech fall, becoming a State Qualifier. In the 3rd/4th place match, Pusateri met a tough opponent who had been a state qualifier before, and unfortunately, he was pinned.
 

The Bombers will be wrestling this Friday-Sunday at Ohio State, hoping to become state champions. The action starts at 5:15pm on Friday night in the 16-man brackets. To purchase tickets, click here: https://www.ohsaa.org/tickets
More general information about the State Tournament can be found here: https://www.ohsaa.org/Sports-Tournaments/Wrestling/2024-25-Wrestling/2025-Wrestling-State-Tournament-Coverage