Adams, Martinez Reach State Wrestling Finals

New Lexington heavyweight Matt Adams and Licking Valley 138-pounder Jake Martinez are both just one win from glory.

The area grapplers breezed to victory in the D-II semifinals at the Schottenstein Center on Friday night, punching tickets to the state championship on Saturday.

Adams gained early control over Bellevue’s Jared Hoy in semifinal action and coasted to victory, 7-1. The senior becomes the first Panther in program history to advance to the state championship. He will wrestle Norton’s Mitch Bischoff in the final match.

Martinez picked up three consecutive shutouts en route to his title bout. The junior earned a major decision in the semifinals over Canfield’s C.J. Frost, 8-0, and has outscored his first three opponents 25-0. Martinez will wrestle Graham Local’s Brent Moore for the gold.

Five more area wrestlers are assured spots on the podium. Granville 152-pounder Luciano Mendicino and Caldwell heavyweight Chance Rucker dropped their semifinal matches to move to the consolation semifinals. Tri-Valley 132-pounder Luke Hernandez and Licking Valley 170-pounder Anthony Morgan both fell in the consolation quarterfinals and are set to wrestle for 7th place.

The consolation matches take place Saturday morning starting at 10, and the championship matches begin Saturday night at 5:45.