Newark’s Smith, Watkins Memorial’s Speakman earn OHSAA wrestling trip

On Mar 6, 2023

HILLIARD ― It was a longer road back for Jibreel Smith, but it did not make it any less satisfying.

The Newark senior wrestler won four consecutive matches in the consolation bracket Saturday to make a repeat trip to the state tournament. Smith placed third at 126 pounds during the Division I district championships at Hilliard Darby.

“It’s very special, especially because it’s my senior year,” Smith said. “I want to leave everything I have out there on the mat. Coming back today, I for sure did that. I did as much as I could. My coaches just pushed me to do exactly what I have to do to be a leader.”

Smith will be joined by Watkins Memorial sophomore Scott Speakman at 138 pounds. Those two compete in the first round Friday afternoon at Ohio State’s Value City Arena.

Newark senior Jibreel Smith wrestles Olentangy sophomore Jake Piontkowski in the 126-pound third-place match during the Division I district championships at Hilliard Darby on Saturday, March 4, 2023. Smith placed third to qualify for state.

Smith breezed through the semifinals as a junior and finished as district runner-up before making his first trip to state last winter. On Friday, Smith, however, lost 4-3 to Marion Harding’s David Backus during the second round.

Smith won his first three matches Saturday by pin, the third against Olentangy Liberty’s Zade Archibald, to clinch his berth. He then edged Olentangy’s Jake Piontkowski 3-1 in the third-place match, earning all three points with a near fall to break a scoreless tie with a minute left.

“I knew he was going to be gunning for me. I had to pull out a little stop, but it worked. We got the job done,” Smith said. “I had some good matches. I felt loose. I felt like I was able to work everything I needed to the best of my abilities.”

Speakman knew he did not want to take any chances. He won by technical fall 15-0 in Friday’s first round before winning back-to-back matches 4-3.

In Saturday’s semifinals, Speakman led Liberty’s Lincoln Gardner by the final score the entire third period when Gardner could not turn him. Speakman clinched his berth and avoided a consolation semifinal match, where he lost in overtime as a freshman, settling for fifth place.

“It took a lot of weight off my shoulders. I didn’t want to be in that match again because it was a lot of pressure,” Speakman said. “I felt really good coming into this tournament.”

Speakman was pinned in the finals by Dublin Coffman junior Omar Ayoub, one of the state’s top-ranked wrestlers, but he takes plenty of confidence into next weekend. He has been challenged all season by a difficult schedule, but he has been unfazed.

“It’s great to see the growth. That’s why you coach to see the kids improve from year to year,” Watkins coach Mark Kurth said. “Sometimes there is a target on your back. He does a really nice job of wrestling under pressure in situations like this.”

Smith had two Newark teammates join him as medalists. Junior Eli Justice at 150 and senior Reece Redman at 190 each placed fifth.

Justice dropped his second-round match to Dublin Jerome junior Ian Cho, but he rebounded to go 3-1 on Saturday, finishing with a 6-4 victory against Franklin Heights senior Alex Moore. Redman earned three victories Saturday, including one by forfeit in the fifth-place match, after dropping his second-round match Friday.