HILLIARD—Harvey’s Melany Herrera and Lutheran West’s Catie Kerr and Paris Willis all earned a top-finish at the 2022 Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches’ Association Girls State Championships at Davidson High School on Sunday.
Herrera placed seventh at 100 pounds in her third straight trip to the state tournament. She opened the tournament with a loss to eventual state champion Makennah Craft of Jackson High School and then reeled off two straight wins to earn her All-Ohio finish.
After a defeat in the consolation quarterfinals, Herrera closed out the tournament with a pin of Reynoldsburg’s Summer Batts in the seventh-place match. Batts was up 11-4 in the third period when Herrera reversed her to her back and ended the match in 3:27.
Kerr placed fourth at 120 pounds in her third trip to state.
She opened the tournament with a 59-second pin then dropped into the consolation bracket with a loss to the eventual state runner-up in the quarterfinals round. Kerr used a major decision, and back-to-back decisions to advance to the third-place match. Washington Court House’s Lyndyn Gibbs ended her run with a second-period pin.
Willis made the most of her first state tournament appearance with an eighth-place finish at 170 pounds.
She opened the tournament with a major decision and then lost 8-5 in the quarterfinals to the wrestler who finished as the state runner-up. Willis went 1-2 in the consolation bracket to earn her spot on the podium.
