NL's Williams rolls into state finals

COLUMBUS - Dimitri Williams entered Friday night's semifinal match against Lima Bath's Tre Terry on the heels of two dominant showings at the Division II state wrestling tournament.

New Lexington's 170-pound senior boasted a 15-0 technical fall and a 12-5 major decision in his first two matches. He was as sharp as his 31-0 record indicated.

Terry's state resume included two wins by a combined four points, but one came in the opener against Perry's Evan Schenk, the No. 2 ranked wrestler in Ohio.

Something had to give on Friday night, and it wasn't Williams. The latter got a first-period takedown and never lost the lead, pulling away late for a 9-5 decision that sent him into Saturday night’s finals against Canfield’s David Crawford.

He is bidding to become the school’s second state champion and the fourth in Muskingum Valley League history. Heavyweight Matt Adams, who won it last season, was the first in Panther history before later winning a national title.

Williams, who missed last season after right shoulder surgery, said he wants to win it for his coach, David Ratliff. It's the man for whom he credited much of his success.

“At this time last year I was at home and the doctor told me I would never wrestle again,” Williams said. “I was at home just thinking that I should be here. I thought I would never be able to perform, never wrestle again in my life. I came a long way in a year.”

Williams, who improved to 34-0, has split two previous matches with Crawford, both held in the past nine months. Williams lost a five-point lead in the third period of his first meeting with him, then won by a 5-1 decision in the rematch.

Crawford was fourth at 160 last season and sixth at 152 as a freshman.

“D has to wrestle like D,” Ratliff said. “He’s got to hit his head inside, hit his high crotch, and control two of three positions. If he can get out on bottom and score takedowns I think we’re going to win the match, for sure. It’s going to be a barn burner.”

Williams was unaware of Terry’s first-round upset but quickly gained respect for his strength. He often found easy access to the legs, however, and would have had two other takedowns if not for the out of bounds line.

“I asked my coach what his main shot was, and they said he was fast and he liked the single,” Williams said. “I tried to avoid that the whole match.”

Williams had leads of 2-0, 2-1 and 3-2 before an early double-leg takedown in the second made it 5-2. His lead eventually grew to 7-4 with 17 seconds left, and he effectively stalled his way from potential trouble before getting a takedown with a few seconds left to secure it.

Williams was pleased with his overall performance but feels his third periods can still improve. He said Ratliff and assistant Matt Reed were encouraging him to relax and stay aggressive, rather than sit back on the lead.

“For me, my defense is my offense,” Williams said. “I don’t have the best defense in the world, so in order for me to defend shots I have to be on my offense the entire time. That’s why they were on me to relax, so I wouldn’t make mistakes and mess up.”

Doors for Sunday’s finals open at 4:15 p.m., with Hall of Fame ceremonies set for 5:20 and Parade of Champions, in which Williams will participate, is at 5:30.

Wrestling in all divisions begins at 5:45 p.m.

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