Mount Vernon wrestling impressed at the Hilliard Darby Division I District, scoring 66.5 points for eighth place as the Yellow Jackets earned multiple podium finishes against a strong central Ohio field.
The Division I District Tournament took place at Hilliard Darby High School on March 6–7.
Leading the way for Mount Vernon was Mavrik Gregory, who advanced to the championship match at 157 pounds. Gregory opened the tournament with a technical fall over New Albany’s Chris Smith before recording a major decision against Marysville’s Carter Shank in the quarterfinals. He followed with a 12-9 semifinal victory over Central Crossing’s Jacob Ramirez to reach the title match. Gregory finished as district runner-up after falling to Dublin Coffman’s Eli Esguerra by technical fall.
At 190 pounds, Luke Mullins battled back to earn a third-place finish. After a narrow quarterfinal loss, Mullins worked through the consolation bracket with several strong performances, including a technical fall over Hilliard Darby’s Levi Keyes and a pin of Marion Harding’s Sean Kelly. Mullins capped his run with a 4-1 sudden-victory decision against Teays Valley’s Peter Graham in the third-place match.
Mount Vernon also saw Gabe Thomas place fifth at 144 pounds. Thomas reached the semifinals before rebounding in the placement rounds, finishing with a 7-0 decision over Olentangy Berlin’s Chase Hemminger in the fifth-place match.
Trevor Jones added a sixth-place finish at 215 pounds, while Gabriel Kiser placed eighth at 106 pounds after battling through the consolation bracket.
Two other Yellow Jackets competed but did not place, with Tye Thomas wrestling at 132 pounds and Preston Hempfield at 150.
Gregory and Mullins qualified for the state tournament with their top-four finishes and will represent Mount Vernon at the OHSAA State Wrestling Tournament.
