Genoa's D'Emilio stays perfect, wins third title
3/10/2018
Genoa wrestler Dylan D'Emilio scores a takedown on Jacob Edwards of Troy Christian during their Division III 132-pound final at the state meet Saturday.
The Blade/Andy Morrison
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COLUMBUS — Genoa’s Dylan D’Emilio earned the best of all worlds Saturday at the OHSAA state wrestling tournament.
The junior claimed the 132-pound title in Division III, his third straight state championship. His 7-0 victory against Jacob Edwards of Troy Christian also gave him a perfect season, which he finished at 52-0.
To boot, his team departed Ohio State University with the Division III championship, allowing Genoa to sweep the team dual and individual state tournaments this year.
And while D’Emilio has earned the individual success before, he said having a team championship to bring home added something extra.
“That’s really special, for sure,” he said. “That was a goal and testament to our team and our coaching staff. To get the team title, you don’t do that with just one guy.”
D’Emilio finished off the accomplishment with little drama. He clearly was the best 132-pound wrestler in the Division III field the entire way through the state tournament, and proved it again Saturday.
He won his first match by pin in just more than a minute, then outscored his final three opponents by a combined 29-2.
“He never ceases to amaze us,” Genoa coach Bob Bergman said. “He finds a way, wills a way for it to happen. He’s mature beyond his years and he sets the tone for us all. It’s neat to see that happen.”
In the championship match, D’Emilio went on the offensive right away and never let up.
He took an early lead against Edwards and never let Edwards establish position from there.
“I got an early takedown and just stayed on it, and I was able to build the lead,” D’Emilio said. “I was comfortable, and I just kept going, so that helped separate and opened up the match a little bit.”
Even though he had the match under control, D’Emilio kept taking his opportunities to score, eventually running to a seven-point lead that proved insurmountable.
“My mindset is always just to keep scoring,” he said. “I tell myself to keep scoring points no matter what’s happening.”
The Comets, who won the school’s first-ever state championship in any sport with the dual-team title earlier this year, added another later in the day, with their 132-pound champion leading the scoring to pace a full rotation of Genoa wrestlers.
“It’s kind of cool that it hadn’t happened and we were able to bring that to the community,” D’Emilio said. “It’s really awesome.”
Contact Nicholas Piotrowicz at npiotrowicz@theblade.com, 419-724-6110 or on Twitter @NickPiotrowicz