Fairfield’s Miller to state wrestling

WILLIAMSBURG — It wasn’t the traditional road to the state wrestling meet, but Fairfield freshman Cason Miller wound up at the right destination.

Miller took second place in the 132-pound bracket at the Class 2A District 8 wrestling meet in Williamsburg, all despite an ailing shoulder injury that kept him out of the first place match.

“It’s amazing,” said Miller, who will be the Trojans’ lone representative next weekend. “I love every single one of these guys. It’s just amazing.”

Miller earned a pin over West Liberty’s Bryson Garcia in the semifinals, but had to sit out of the first place match against Notre Dame-West Burlington standout Blaine Frazier. This all led to a battle for true second, and a spot at state, against Croix Shebetka of Mount Vernon.

Sebetka got his shot in early, earning the first takedown, but Miller bounced back and dominated the later minutes, winning 10-2 via major decision.

That earned him the chance to celebrate with Trojan fans, teammates, and head coach and father Steve Miller, and it will earn him a spot in the Class 2A 132 pound state bracket.

“It’s crazy to look back at all the progress and all the hard workouts I’ve had to put in,” Miller said. “It means a lot.”

Miller wasn’t the first area wrestler to punch his ticket. That honor belonged to Columbus/Winfield-Mount Union senior Lane Scorpil, who will make a return trip to state after a dominant run through the 120-pound bracket.

The unbeaten Scorpil wrestled for just over five minutes, pinning Solon’s Lawson Sinnwell in 3 minutes and 21 seconds in the semifinals and planting CJ Davis of Notre Dame-West Burlington in 1:49 to earn the title.

“I just let things come to me,” Scorpil said. “I didn’t force anything, and I slowed down my pace to what I normally do.”

The last match of the night saw a pair of Union area wrestlers go at it. After dropping the first place match, Mid-Prairie senior Gannon Callahan bounced back to defeat Columbus/WMU sophomore Russel Coil 3-0 to earn his first ever state trip.

“It felt really good,” Callahan said. “I’ve never done it before, so it felt really, really good.”

But along with the thrill of victory, the Union area also got quite the taste of the agony of defeat. Washington star freshman Aaron Boone fell victim to a stacked bracket and finished third place at 113 pounds. Teammate Colley Billingsley was fourth at 220.

Lone Mt. Pleasant qualifier Bowen Davis dropped both of his matches in the 138 -pound bracket. Fairfield’s Zach Westercamp scooped up a win in the third place match at 126, but didn’t get the opportunity at a wrestleback for state.

Also failing to qualify for state was Mid-Prairie 195-pounder Cael Garvey, who lost two heartbreakers, a 5-4 defeat in the first place match and a 10-6 sudden victory loss in the second place match. Teammate Kaden Meader went 0-2 at 170.

Like Coil, Columbus/WMU’s Kai Malone had to settle for third place as well. The Wildcats’ 220-pounder fell by pinfall in the second place match.