NANKIN — His first state meet experience didn’t last long, but the lesson he learned last year served Mapleton’s Beau Lefever well.
The Richland Bank Athlete of the Week, Lefever took runner-up honors at 152 pounds at the Division III state tournament over the weekend at Ohio States Schottenstein Center.
A senior, Lefever fell to Genoa Area’s Kevin Contos 9-2 in the championship match Saturday night. Lefever finished the season 43-3.
“I thought it was really cool and I’m blessed to have had this opportunity,” Lefever said Saturday. “I’ll probably reflect on that match a lot and think about it for the rest of my life. I’m just really proud that I was able to get there.”
Reaching the state finals seemed like a pipe dream after Lefever’s first state meet experience last year. He was 0-2 at 145 pounds, losing twice on opening day.
“It hit me hard last year. I was really nervous,” Lefever said after his opening-round pin of Coshocton’s Jackson Unger. “This year I have more confidence because I know what to expect and I know what I’ve got to do.”
Lefever followed his opening-round victory with a 5-4 decision over Blanchester’s Clayton Schirmer. He then handled Nelsonville-York’s Noah Inboden 8-2 in the championship semifinals.
“That first win is everything,” said Mapleton coach Corey Kline, a two-time state champ for Mapleton. “He wants to go 4-0 in this tournament.”
Lefever was also an accomplished cross country runner. He finished 94th overall at the Division III state meet in the fall.
Lefever approached his state matches like they were cross country meets.
“I just wanted to … keep the pace high,” he said. “Usually I wait for the (opponent) to shoot and I’ll score off him, but I’ve been trying to push the tempo and shoot my shots.”
To go from 0-2 at state as a junior to runner-up the following year is a quantum leap, Kline said.
“Normally, (a wrestler will) qualify and then they might place, then they might take a chance at winning it,” Kline said. “To come in here and go 0-2 and then jump right to the title match (is a great accomplishment).”
