Friday, February 25, 2011
Covington saw some highs and lows during the opening day of the Division 3 District wrestling tournament at Kettering Fairmont’s Trent Arena. The Buccs are currently tied for 18th place out of 54 schools and advanced five of their six qualifiers to the second day of the competition.

Senior Andrew DeHart (145 lbs) was very impressive in the first two rounds. In his opening match, DeHart earned a first-period pin over Corey Casdorph of McComb, then built up an 11-0 lead in his second match before pinning Sawyer Temple of Wayne Trace – in the first period as well.

Also advancing to the second day of competition were Kyler Deeter (130), Brandon Flora (135), Tyler Tebbe (140) and Brian Olson (171).

Deeter joined DeHart with a first round victory, defeating former state qualifier Aaron Merschman of Delphos St. Johns, 8-5. He then dropped a tight 6-5 decision to sectional champion Alex Nedved of Clinton Massie in the quarterfinals.

Flora dropped his opening bout, 10-2, to former state qualifier Taylor Henderson of Mariemont, but rebounded with a 6-5 first round consolation victory over Brock Wilson of McComb.

Tebbe lost a late 4-2 decision to Matt Alverado of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, then stormed to a 17-second pin over Justin Pryer of Allen East.

Olson faced former state qualifier Cody Lovejoy of Allen East in the opening round, scored a takedown and was leading in the second before getting cradled and pinned. He battled back with a 6-2 victory over Matt Shannon of McComb.

Brock Smith (125) saw his season come to an end as he lost his first bout to undefeated former state qualifier Jacob Haas of McComb, then lost his next bout in heartbreaking fashion to Tanner Vermule of Jefferson, getting pinned in a scramble after leading 9-2. Smith concludes his sophomore season with a 26-16 overall record.

Wrestling resumes Saturday at 10 am with the second consolation round. Finals are set for 4 pm.

Saturday, February 26, 2011
Covington had a strong finish during the second day of Division 3 District wrestling at Kettering Fairmont’s Trent Arena. The Buccs qualified two wrestlers – Andrew DeHart and Kyler Deeter – to the state championships and had another – Tyler Tebbe – finish as a state alternate. Overall, Covington moved up to finish in 12th place out of the 54 schools in the competition.

Andrew DeHart (145) stormed to victory in his semifinal bout with the defending state runner-up at 140 lbs – Chad Sonnenburg of Van Buren. DeHart scored quickly with a takedown and near fall on his way to a 16-0 technical fall victory. He then won his second District championship with a 4-0 victory over three-time state placer Johnny Carpenter of Madeira. With the victories, Andrew becomes the first 4-time state qualifier in school history.

Sophomore Kyler Deeter also had a big day for the Buccs, qualifying for state with a 4th place finish at 130 lbs – a deep weight class where three former state qualifiers failed to return to Columbus. Deeter put in a workmanlike performance in the second and third consolation rounds, defeating Nick Lipinski of Brookville, 5-1, and Mathias Klausing of Ottawa Glandorf, 10-6, before coming up with a huge first period pin over Conner Lewis of Arcadia to qualify for state. In his final bout, tied 0-0 with a minute remaining, Deeter attempted to turn Kyle Parker of Mohawk with a leg ride for the victory, but fell victim to a defensive pin.

Tyler Tebbe (140) wrestled a great tournament, but fell one match short of qualifying for state. He started off strong with a 6-1 decision over Dylan Meares of McComb, then picked up an 8-5 decision over Cole Vencill of Northridge. In the consolation semi-finals, Tyler dropped an 8-0 decision to Craig Parker of Mohawk.

Tebbe finished the day on a high note, picking up a second period pin over sectional champ James Tecco of Mariemont for fifth place, and becoming the state alternate at 140 lbs. Tebbe concludes his senior season with a 41-8 overall record.

Also seeing their seasons come to end were Brandon Flora (135) and Brian Olson (171). Flora dropped his second consolation bout, 5-2, to Tommy Bowman of Riverdale and concludes his senior season as a two-time district qualifier with a 24-10 overall record. Olson dropped a tight 3-2 decision to eventual district placer, Jacob Schlater of Tri-County North, and concludes his sophomore season with a 36-15 overall record.

The State Wrestling Championships are Thursday through Saturday, March 3-5, and are held at the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State University. Division 3 wrestling begins Thursday at 3 pm.