COLUMBUS — Perrysburg junior Cole Evans (33-6) won a state championship at 106 pounds as a freshman, but last year he finished third.
In part, that may have been because he had to wrestle through an injury. This year, he was in top form during the championship session, wrestling for the Division I 126-pound title at Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center Sunday.
“It’s huge. I’m glad to just get back to the top,” Evans said. “Last year I didn’t have the showing that I’d like. I broke my finger so I wasn’t able to do much, I wasn’t able to use my hand, so being able to get back up there is definitely a big thing for me.”
In the championship, Evans had a familiar opponent — Toledo Waite junior Phoenix Contos (41-4), who hails from one of the Toledo area’s most renowned wrestling families.
Evans had a healthy 5-1 lead early in the third period, but Contos got a takedown in the final minute and was on the verge of another takedown to tie, but Evans was able to hold him off and get a takedown of his own for a 7-3 win.
“I just knew that I couldn’t allow him to get the next score,” Evans said. “I knew if he got the next score it was going to be really hard for me to come back, so I knew I had to get it and I was able to.”
Evans said when you’ve wrestled a person as many times as he has wrestled Contos, you try various strategies, and sometimes you have to keep changing them, even if one works.
“I just had that deep-gut feeling down deep, I knew what I had to do,” Evans said. “I trained all week perfecting what I’m really good at. I kind of just got back to me.
“I wasn’t trying to wrestle any certain way. The first couple times I tried to wrestle reserved — like holding back a little bit and just see what he had.
“The second time I just kind of tried everything, just threw everything at him, and none of those really worked, so I just kind of thought if I want to win I’ve got to go back to me.”
Perrysburg coach Scott Burnett says Evans is still making adjustments, even if he has to do it during the match.
“Cole made some major adjustments and he worked really hard the second part of the year really being the best version of himself,” Burnett said. “His weight management was tremendous, he is a really good size for his weight class.
“Phoenix Contos is really good at wrestling, so for him to be able to stay in the match and make those adjustments and to be able to beat a guy like that in the championship match, says a lot about his work ethic and his approach.”
To get to the final, Evans pinned Upper Arlington sophomore Finn McHugh (29-14) in 1:53, defeated Brecksville-Broadview Heights junior Harrison Haffner (30-12) by a 6-0 decision in the quarterfinals, and defeated Lakewood St. Edward junior Khimari Manns (29-14), 2-1, in the semifinals.
