Ohio hosted its first home meet of the season in the Ohio Showcase, facing off against the Morgan State Bears, dominating in a 44-2 performance.
“I think we were the toughest team in the gym tonight,” head coach Joel Greenlee said. “You’ve got to be laser focused on the pursuit of takedowns and points.”
Ohio saw the return of redshirt seniors Zayne Lehman and Sal Perrine back in The Convo, fully healthy from injury. Perrine and Lehman returned to the Convo for the first time since the 2024-25 season.
As for Perrine, he comes into this season with a 40-19 record. The Northfield native attended Nordonia High School in Macedonia, Ohio, where he won an OHSAA state title in 2021.
Perrine followed Jeremy Olzkos’s elongated injury decision. Perrine started hot with a takedown early on Sam Diggs. Diggs picked up a point of an escape in response before Perrine threw him back on his back again. Perrine added his third takedown to end the period, jumping out to a quick 9-2 lead. After a quick escape, Perrine picked up a quick takedown that forced Diggs into three stalling and finishing Diggs off with a takedown to win by technical fall of 19-2.
“I hope everybody saw the same thing I saw,” Greenlee said. “He’s (Sal) a got darn beast, and he was relentless. He could’ve reset in the next period, but instead got the tech fall with five seconds left on the clock.”
Lehman followed Perrine; he came to the Bobcats from Revere High School in Akron, where he was named a two-year team captain. He headed into this season with a 51-24 career record. Lehman took on Eric Washington Jr. in the 197 class. He came out on the attack with a quick three-point takedown early, which he transitioned into a pin for the win.
“I liked the hustle, and they went out and took them down,” Greenlee said. “They were there in pursuit of big points.”
Although the highlight of the day for Ohio was the dominance of the returning veterans in Perrine and Lehman, the day started with some solid performances from a slew of new faces.
Three straight freshmen started the day for Ohio, and they did so successfully, each picking up wins to get Ohio started on the right foot early against Morgan State.
Brayden Teunissen was the first on the mat for Ohio, and he came out hot, setting the tone for the day with a solid 11-1 major decision win.
Following him were two more freshmen in Konner Lambers and Abe Hermes, both Ohio natives with Lambers hailing from Elder and Hermes coming from Milan. They both showed flashes of dominance as well, each earning technical falls in their first collegiate meet for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats look to continue their dominance as they host a premier wrestling program in Wisconsin at the Convo next Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.
