Western Brown’s Corbyn Cunningham (top) battles Parker Lee of Butler in a consolation semifinal at 132 pounds on March 4 during the Southwest District Division II wrestling tournament at Wilmington High School. Lee won, 9-2. Cunningham fell just short of qualifying for the state tournament, losing later in the fifth-place match. Photo by Brian S. Peterson
Cunningham falls just short of qualifying for boys state tourney
Western Brown’s Abi Miller qualified for the OHSAA State Wrestling Championships with a second-place finish at 140 pounds in the regional tournament March 5 at Harrison High School.
The road to the state wrestling tournament was at least somewhat paved for Mt. Orab Western Brown’s Abigail Miller.
And for the Broncos’ Corbyn Cunningham? Well, that road was a bit more rugged.
Miller, battle-tested in girls competition, according to her coach, qualified for the OHSAA State Wrestling Championships with a second-place finish at 140 pounds in the regional tournament March 5 at Harrison High School. The senior will take a 31-5 record to the state tourney, March 10-12 at Ohio State University’s Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus.
“She already placed (in state competition) three times before the OHSAA took over, so she was prepared,” Broncos coach Wendel Donathan said. “She has got to find ways to beat the other veterans this week if she wants to stand on the podium.”
Western Brown finished 20th in the team competition at the regional. Host Harrison finished first in the 49-team event.
Cunningham, also a senior, was hoping to advance from the Southwest District Division II tournament at Wilmington High School over the weekend. But competing in the grueling 132-pound class, Cunningham came up just short, losing in the fifth-place match in Wilmington on March 4. The top five in each weight class advanced to this weekend’s state tournament.
“He (Cunningham) was a placer (sixth place) in probably the hardest weight class there,” Donathan said. “He was in a position to qualify for state but missed his opportunity.”
At the District tournament, the Broncos were also represented by junior Justin Moore (113 pounds), senior Aiden Kyle (138), senior Brayden Day (150), junior Ashton Swearingen (165), senior Colten Rogers (175) and sophomore Izaiah Snow (190), but none had more than one victory. The Broncos ended up finishing 28th in the 46-team tourney.
“We haven’t had a state qualifier for two years now and that is unacceptable,” Donathan said. “This is always the goal so our underclassmen need to do more in the off-season.”