Warren’s Emma Gorrell runner-up at state wrestling tournament
Fellow Warrior Eric Carr nabs All-Ohio honors
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COLUMBUS -- A pair of Warren High School wrestlers exited the Jerome Schottenstein Center with medals around their necks over the weekend.
Sophomore Emma Gorrell placed runner-up at the Ohio state wrestling tournament while senior Eric Carr finished sixth as the Warrior duo earned All-Ohio honors.
"The weekend played out really well for us," said Warren wrestling coach Jeff Parsons.
Gorrell, competing at 110 pounds in the girls bracket, kicked off state tournament action with a 26-second pin against Roosevelt's Penny Edwards. In her second match against Brookville's Lilliana Wilson, Gorrell won via a 19-3 technical fall to clinch a spot on the podium.
Next up, Gorrell squared off against Perry's Abby Cornwell, claiming an 8-0 major decision to advance to the state championship match.
"It wasn't really a surprise to me," Parsons said.
"We knew going in we got a really good draw in the bracket. She got separated from the returning 105 state champion (Mount Vernon's Ashlynn Brokaw) who had beat her twice in the regular season."
Sure enough, Brokaw made her way to the finals as well, defeating Gorrell via a 13-4 major decision to claim the state title.
Still, Gorrell had an impressive run on the state's biggest stage.
"She's a special kid," Parsons said. "She wrestles hard and never gives up. It's hard for most people to keep up with her pace. When she gets out on the mat, she goes non-stop until she can't go anymore or until she wins. She's worked for where she's at."
Parsons expects Gorrell, also a standout soccer player, to have a busy offseason.
"She's already talking about next year," he said. "She's planning on trying out for Team Ohio and doing some freestyle, hopefully go out to Fargo this summer to wrestle some of the top girls in the country."
Gorrell's performance at state helped carry on the strong reputation the Warriors have built in recent years.
"Warren girls wrestling is well known around the state now with (former state champs Hayley) Snyder and (Kylee) Tait, and now Emma," Parsons said. "Hopefully we can get some more girls out and keep things going."
Like Gorrell, Carr also started off strong at state. Competing at 215 pounds in the Division II bracket, the Warren senior opened up with a 17-1 technical fall win over Julienne's Aiden Frederick. He had a setback in round two, falling to Jefferson's Matt Webster 14-0.
"We knew going in Eric is a top-notch athlete and can wrestle with anybody," Parsons said. "He dropped his second match, but wrestled really well to battle his way back and make All-Ohio."
Carr secured a spot on the podium with a pin against Hartley's Joe Zang (3:53) and followed it up with an 8-2 decision versus Defiance's Tyler Doeden Kesselring. A 7-1 loss to Madison's Chase White pitted Carr against Alter's Dash Koelker in the fifth-place match. Koelker narrowly claimed a 4-3 victory as Carr finished in sixth place.
"Eric represented Warren and the community well," Parsons said. "He's a great senior athlete and a great leader of our team. He will be missed, but hopefully our underclassmen have looked up to him and seen that anything is possible when you strive to work hard."
Also representing Washington County at the state tournament was Waterford junior Hayden Jones. Competing at 165 pounds in Division III, Jones dropped his opening match to Graham's Jake Hoke before bouncing back to defeat Dalton's Sam Edinger 4-1 to stay alive. A 7-3 setback to Versailles' Landyn Knapke in the next round ended Jones' state tournament run.
Jones, who is also a football and baseball standout, now has the experience of a state tourney under his belt and will have high expectations for his senior year on the mat.