by Michael Leonard | Sports Editor
According to Hudson head wrestling coach Joe Caniglia, it had been a long time since the Explorers had managed to have multiple state placers in one year.
How long has it been?
Hudson state qualifiers Michael Coleman and Danny Tiley were still 10 years away from being born the last time the Explorers had multiple All-Ohioans.
Thanks to Coleman and Tiley's efforts, however, that drought is over.
Hudson earned multiple All-Ohioans for the first time since 1985, as Coleman finished fourth and Tiley took sixth at the Division I state wrestling tournament March 3 at Value City Arena in Columbus.
All-Ohio honors are awarded to the top eight placers at the state tournament.
In the Division I team race, Hudson finished tied with Canton GlenOak for 28th place with 19 points. Lakewood St. Edward won its third straight Division I title and 28th overall with 117 points.
Coleman was able to earn his All-Ohio place the easy way as he was able to reach the semifinals at 160 pounds.
Coleman opened the tournament by handling Pickerington Central's A.J. Boudurant 7-2.
In the quarterfinals, Coleman faced off with Cincinnati Colerain's Detuan Smith. The match went to overtime tied at 2-2, but Coleman got the takedown in the sudden-victory period to claim a 4-2 win and guarantee All-Ohio honors.
"I've been working hard for this all year," Coleman said after the victory. "I've been looking for a state place and finishing as high as I can."
"All these matches our guys are wrestling are going to be tight," Caniglia said. "At this point, it's all about the moment and staying mentally tough. One of Michael's best attributes is his mental toughness."
Coleman was in position to become only the second Hudson wrestler ever to reach a state title match.
Who was the last to do it? Caniglia back in 1991.
"It has been a long time," Caniglia said.
Unfortunately, the Explorers will have to wait at least one more year for a finalist.
Taking on Brecksville-Broadview Heights' Quinton Hiles, Coleman saw his offense shut down as he lost an 11-3 major decision.
Rebounding in the consolation semifinal, Coleman got a reversal in the second period and then rode Marysville's Chase Boyd out to claim a 2-0 win and reach the third-place match.
The third-place match turned out to be a rematch with Smith. This time, Smith got takedowns in the second and third periods to secure a 5-2 win.
Meanwhile, Tiley also opened his tournament with a victory as he scored a 7-2 win over Columbus West's Paco Quinonez.
In the quarterfinals, however, Tiley dropped a 5-3 decision to Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller's Quinton Rosser, the eventual state runner-up.
Needing a win to secure All-Ohio honors, Tiley went to overtime in his consolation match with Mansfield's Traevon Dickerson. However, Tiley scored the takedown in the sudden-victory period to score a 3-1 win.
Tiley went to overtime again in his next match. This time, he needed to go to the ultimate tiebreaker round against Parma's Justin Halaska. Choosing to start from the down position in the final period, Tiley escaped in about five seconds to secure the 3-2 win.
Tiley ran out of gas a bit in the consolation semifinals as he dropped a 9-2 decision to Mason's Thomas Denis.
In the fifth-place match, Tiley was involved in another tight match with Westlake's Logan Paul. Although Paul backpedaled for the most third period, he held on for a 3-2 win.
Email: mleonard@recordpub.com
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