The Olentangy Liberty wrestling team nearly lapped the field Friday and Saturday in Powell, collecting five individual titles on the way to a meet-best 300 points and the coveted 2022 Liberty Classic crown.
No other team was even close as runner-up Jonathan Alder finished with 159 points and third-place Marysville closed with 155.
The Patriots’ Alexander Williams, like most of his teammates, was locked in all tournament long. After winning his first three matches via quick pins — the first came in just 13 seconds and the second took 36 — he cruised past Unioto’s Layton Vennon 13-3 in the final at 106.
He wasn’t alone, either, as four other Patriots — Jackson Rosselli (113), Tyler Deericks (150), Brady Quillin and Dylan Russo (215) — were just as dominant.
Rosselli pinned Delta’s Tyler Barnes in 2:23 to take top honors in his weight class, Deericks handled Pickerington North’s Colin Touvell 16-1 to nab first-place points, Quillin knocked off Marysville’s Brady Seger 12-5 in his final and Russo topped Lancaster’s Cole Dickerson 8-1 to wrap up a perfect weekend, win his weight class and improve to 10-2 on the season.
Aiden Milan (126) and Luke Fleet (285) also battled all the way to their respective finals before falling and settling for runner-up honors.
Other Liberty standouts included Prestyn Parks (third at 120), Aiden Archibald (third at 126), Broc Fitzpatrick (fourth at 165), Lincoln Gardner (fifth at 144), Owen Jauregui (sixth at 138) and Adarian Dunlavy (sixth at 190).
Olentangy Berlin and Delaware Hayes were also in action, finishing 12th and 13th, respectively.
Austin Lambert (285) scored a team-best 22 points for the Bears. He started with back-t0-back wins before winning three more in the consolation rounds. Ethan Guevara was also steady, winning three matches en route to collecting 10 points.
Pacer standouts, meanwhile, included Ayden Van Hoose (fifth at 157) and Devin Halliday (fifth at 165). Van Hoose beat Delta’s Holden Barnes in his fifth-place match while Halliday, a returning state qualifier, outlasted Pickerington Central’s L.J. Hampton 7-5 for a sudden victory in his.
