A Match Meant To Be

By Bill Bray

FREMONT – It’s been 62 years since Fremont Ross Wrestling can boast a state champion when 120 lbs. Jim Mooney fought his way to a title in 1960. The wait is over. Ethan Green, Fremont’s 275 pounder has brought his school and community a state championship for the second time in program history.

“It’s one of those things right now where I just can’t quite comprehend that this has actually happened for me,” the champ said.  “Someone told me I am the biggest celebrity in Fremont,” Green said with a chuckle.

Green, wrestling at the Division I State wrestling tournament last weekend, won four matches on the way to the championship.  The road to the State Tournament started two weeks ago at the Sectional tournament and progressed to the district. Green was unbeaten through the two preliminary tournaments and found himself on the biggest high school wrestling stage in the State of Ohio.

After Covid wiped out his chance at the tournament two years ago, and after finishing a disappointing third last season at the BIG SHOW, Green was not about to be denied a third trip to Columbus.  Although it did not come without challenges.  Green was an All-Ohio performer on the football team that made it into the second week of playoffs.  Having signed with the Cincinnati Bearcats to play football next fall, Green was invited to the Final Four football bowl game including the Bearcats.  While in Texas, Ethan’s mother contracted Covid. After spending a few unscheduled days in Texas, Green got back to his dad who had contracted the virus in Ohio. With that, Green was forced to quarantine from school and consequently had to miss important practices and matches.

“He had the first quarter of the season, where he was not around,” coach Chad Hetrick said. “He missed out on 18 to 20 matches total.”  Consequently, Green’s season did not get rolling until soon before the TRAC tournament in Findlay.  “We had to get ready for the bulk of my season once I got out of quarantine.” Green said. “Obviously the bulk of my season shouldn’t have been in February, but it was, and I knew the time lost was gone forever so I had to just move on.”

The piece of the puzzle that fit for Green was the addition of Noah Price to the varsity coaching staff.  Price made headlines in 2019 while wrestling for Fremont St. Joseph with a state title of his own. Hetrick wanted and needed someone in the room that was Ethan’s same body weight who could wrestle with him. Coach Hetrick contacted Noah and moved him up from the junior high program.  With Price being a former state champion, he knew what Ethan was up against and certainly could help him through it.

The two heavyweights had met during Green’s eighth grade season as Price came around to lend a hand at getting Green prepared for his season. “The first time I laid eyes on him when he was in eighth grade, I could see there was something special going on,” Price said of Green. “Then when we got in the room, and I saw he had the work ethic and the knowledge of the sport and the will to win.  That is what you look for in a young wrestler and then it is up to me as a coach to help him bring it all together.”

From there the two wrestlers started to form a strong bond.  “You can’t wrestle with someone of Noah’s caliber and intelligence for the sport and not improve and grow close to him,” Green added.

Price moved up to the varsity level this year after receiving a text from coach Hetrick. “My coaching career happened last year when I came on with junior high,” Price began. “During the off season, coach Hetrick texted me and said, ‘we need a guy to work with Green.’  So, we started, and it was rocky at first for Ethan and me. We certainly had our ups and downs with the Covid issues, but the last eight weeks we locked in, kicked it into gear and it was great.”

After a win at both the TRAC and at the Sectional, the district in Perrysburg was almost too easy for Green.  His first match lasted :10, his second was 2:47 longer. He was forced into a decision situation in the semifinal match against Logan Moody of Whitmer.  Then in the final, Ethan was a 6-1 winner over Michael Kilbane of St. Edwards.

So, it was obvious that the addition of Price daily was working. “I already had the things that he taught me in my toolbox,” Green said of Price, “But it was just the two of us fine tuning and sharpening up.  Things I already knew but really wasn’t good at, coach Price helped perfect.”

During the week prior to the state meet, the time was spent less on the mats and more about learning the styles of Ethan’s opponents against whom he would be competing at State. “The four of us, coach Baker, Price, Ethan and myself, watched films and pick apart basically the four kids he would have in his bracket,” Hetrick remembered. “We did some studying and had a game plan going in. Even after their matches when they wrestled at state, we would pull them up at night and look at them and learn even more.  Then when the matches came Ethan did a good job of wrestling smart. He was confident, went out there and wrestled smart, didn’t over pursue things and did a real nice job of keeping his head. Even the few times that he did get in trouble he regained.”

There was a scary moment in the semifinal match at State against Riley Ucker of Dublin Coffman. “In the semifinal match he got thrown on his back and I thought ‘oh boy here we go,’” Hetrick said. “But through that he didn’t lose his confidence and that is huge. Getting thrown like that can drain a wrestler quickly especially in the first 30 seconds of a match. But Ethan kept his cool and recovered very well,” Hetrick said.  Green went on to escape with a 4-3 decision to advance to the State final.

The final match, a 1-0 decision in favor of Green, was against 29-1 Joshua Padilla of Wayne. “We didn’t plan on it being a 1-0 match at all,” Green said. “We knew that he moved well, we knew what he liked to do on offense. The plan was to just wrestle smart and not to get into any stupid positions that you don’t have to be in and capitalize when you can,” Green continued remembering.  “Then in the third period we didn’t really expect to ride out, but once we got through a whole minute, then there was ‘blood time’ we had a chance to chat for a minute and decided to just ride the kid out. He can’t stand up and we had been training to ride someone out all year anyway and it really played right into our game plan to be honest.”

With the 1-0-win, Green became the second state champion for the school in 62 years and for Price, it took just two months to coach Green to a title. “There are a lot of coaches who go through their long careers and never coach one state champion or even sit in a finals chair. So just even having the opportunity is awesome,” Price said.

Price didn’t hesitate when asked if it was more memorable to receive a championship medal or to give one, “Oh my gosh, now you’re going to make me cry,” Price said as Green, and the coaches laughed. “I was happier and prouder yesterday, than I ever could have been when I won it. I truly believe that. Ethan and I have worked really hard and really bonded this season.  Going through all we went through, to be able to put that medal around his neck was just icing on the cake. I am still wound up. I have not slept since we got back last night. I can’t stop rewinding the 10 second mark in the championship match.  Ethan looked up and we made eye contact and he said ‘we did it, we did it and he just kept saying it.  I can’t get the look on his face out of my mind, and I said, ‘we did it, buddy.’”

 

Wrestlers that have placed at the state wrestling tournaments over the years

1959 – Dick Swedersky (HVY) 2^nd, Jim Otermat (165) 4^th, Paul Overyer (133) 4^th.

1960 – Jim Mooney (120) STATE CHAMPION

1975 – Tony Munoz (101) 2^nd place

1980 – Andre Parks (138) 4^th place

1989 – Jamie Ramirez (145) 5^th place

1990 – Dan Lopez (140) 5^th place

1991 – Chad Green (HVY) 2^nd place

1995 – Matt Merrill (140) 5^th place, Jason Hatfield (135) 6^th place

2002 – Andrew Legg (171) 5^th place

2006 – Jorge Perez (215) 8^th place; Robert Zucker (275) 8^th place

2013 – Trey Grine (145) 4^th place

2014 – Trey Grine (145) 2^nd place

2016 – Lamonte Chapman (120) 2^nd place

2019 – Caleb Wood (195) 7^th place

2021 – Ethan Green (275) 3^rd place

2022 – Ethan Green (275) STATE CHAMPION