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.