Olentangy standout sophomore Trevor Fiorucci has certainly aimed high the last two seasons. After finishing eight in Ohio as a Division I competitor last year, and vaulting to a runner-up showing in the 103-pound weight class in D-II over the weekend, high just won’t be enough next time around.

By his own admission, after losing to St. Paris Graham sophomore Ryan Taylor 13-3 in Saturday’s championship match, Fiorucci’s won’t be happy with anything but the top of the podium next winter.

“I make my goals higher each year,” he said. “I just wanted to qualify (for the state tournament) as a freshman, place as a sophomore, finish in the top five as a junior and win it all as a senior. But I surpassed those goals so far. I placed as a freshman and finished in the top two as a sophomore … hopefully I’ll be here again and win next year.”

The title match was closer than the final score indicated.

“It was a great experience,” Fiorucci said. “I don’t have any regrets. I learned a lot, got a lot of experience. I just got hit with a slide-by move again and again. I just couldn’t adjust.”

“Trevor had a game plan and he executed it well,” Olentangy coach Matt Hammons said. “He never panicked, kept fighting and locked up the cradle late, but his opponent was able to position his way out of it. It was a good experience … Trevor still has two more shots at winning it all, this just gives him something to focus on. Now he knows he’s good enough to get here.”

Another Brave, senior Joe Grandominico (145), was also in action Saturday, competing in consolation action. He started the day by getting a bit of payback by dropping Canal Winchester’s Conrad Rosch — the same guy he lost to in the district title match — 2-1 in a consolation semifinal. He lost the consolation final, though, falling to St. Paris Graham’s Matt Stephens 11-1. With the loss, Grandominico finished his high school career with a fourth-place performance — his best in three state appearances.

“Joe put together one of the best careers in our high school’s history,” Hammons said. “He just ran into a tough kid. I’d put Stephens (who handed Grandominico both of his tournament losses) up against either of the guys in the final.

“Joe got some payback by beating Conrad, though, and he put together 160-some victories,” the coach continued. “He’s one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever seen, not coached, but seen. I hope I get to watch him wrestle in college. I think his best wrestling is ahead of him. I know he wants to get into business in college, and if he works as hard at that as he does at wrestling, we’ll see him on the Fortune 500 list someday.”

Olentangy senior Brit Yant (140), juniors Al Caserta (125) and Caleb Hetterscheidt (152) and freshman Anthony McHugh (112) also participated in the state showcase. The foursome failed to place, but three of the four have at least one more shot at reaching the podium.

“I’m real proud of the guys,” Hammons said. “Our 112 (McHugh), a freshman, had a pin in the first round. Of the two that beat him, one won the state. Most of the losses our guys got came to the top three or four wrestlers in the state … and for Caserta and Yant, I’ve never seen anyone take a year off and make it here. Neither of those guys wrestled last year and wrestling is not like riding a bike, you can’t just get back into it. It shows what kind of character they have.”

While Olentangy and its six qualifiers stood out in terms of success, It’s tough to overlook the things Orange freshman Artem Timchenko (112) accomplished among Division I competition.

Just by qualifying for the state meet, he accomplished something no other Pioneer ever has. After winning his first match back on Thursday, a 10-5 decision over Harrison’s Dillon Campbell, he became the first Pioneer to win a match at the showcase and, after powering past the competition in the consolation bracket, edging Medina’s Mike Griffith 7-6 in a seventh-place match on Saturday, he became the first Orange grappler to finish as a state placer.

All that and he’s only a freshman.

“It was exciting,” he said. “Tough, but exciting. I need a lot of work on technique and things, but now I know what to expect.”

“His goal was to place,” Orange coach Brian Nicola said. “And to place as a freshman is quite an accomplishment. He’s improved a lot since the beginning of the season … this will set a building block for him and the rest of the guys.”

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