Monroeville trio seeks All-Ohio finish

MONROEVILLE — The dream has become a reality. Hunter Vogus has been attending the state wrestling championships at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus since he was five years old. The Monroeville junior has also been wrestling with siblings Alec and Ashton Homan in that same timeframe. And finally, after enduring circumstances not even they could control, the three of them will again return to "The Schott" together. But this time, they'll be on the mats. The state-ranked trio will cap what has been a historic season for the Monroeville program this weekend when they compete in the Division III state championships, beginning Friday and running through Sunday. "I don't think I've missed one state tournament since I was that young," Vogus said. "It's been my dream to wrestle down there, it's like the coolest thing — just the set-up, the way the mats are, and how the fans from each school are in different spots around the arena. "It just means a lot to me to be able to finally get to wrestle in that atmosphere," he added. "So when I won that match (at the district) last week, it was a great feeling." The experience of this weekend won't revolve around simply making a dream come true, however. All three wrestlers have also learned not to take the tournament for granted — and not just because it's the last time the three of them will wrestle at the same event together in high school. "That's a theme we've had all year," Monroeville head coach Tylor Nester said. "Every time you get on the mat, it's another opportunity, so don't let it go to waste." Trials and tribulations In the 2019-20 school year, Alec Homan was a sophomore at Edison and in his second year entering the state championships after placing sixth as a freshman at 106 pounds. Vogus was a freshman at Edison and had qualified at 126 pounds. After already arriving in Columbus, the championships were then canceled as the U.S. went on a stay-at-home lockdown that weekend as the coronavirus pandemic gripped the nation. Last season, Ashton and Alec Homan both qualified for state, which was held at three different high schools around Central Ohio. But Vogus as a sophomore lost 3-1 in the semifinals, followed by a 1-0 heartbreaker in the consolation semifinals at the district championships. "It's been on my mind every day, because it was canceled when I made it as a freshman and then last year I came up a point short," Vogus said. "It left a bad taste in my mouth." Then as this season neared, a constant fear became a reality. Alec Homan was wrestling in a scrimmage and felt his elbow pop. It was dislocated, and his season was suddenly in jeopardy. "I was fortunate enough to not have surgery, but all I could do in that time was condition," Alec said. "I kept wanting to come back the whole time. I was tough to sit and watch." As a senior looking to become a four-time state qualifier, the mental pressure to return was on. "Either way, I was going to try and wrestle this year," Alec said. "If I was looking at surgery, I was going to push it off to the end of the season if I could, but fortunately it happened when it did and it didn't end my career before I could get back to state this weekend." Alec Homan is 28-2, which is 18 less matches than Ashton (43-5) and 14 fewer than Vogus (39-5). Meanwhile, with his brother a senior and Vogus a junior, Ashton Homan's first state experience was last season at Marion Harding. He was able to reach the semifinals before falling 10-2 to eventual state champions Dillon Campbell from Legacy Christian, who went 48-0 and is back this year at 120 pounds. Ashton rebounded with two wins in the consolation bracket to claim third at 113 pounds. "It always sticks with you, and it's something I'm looking to get past this year with getting back to the semifinals and winning," Ashton said. "I was pretty devastated after that loss, but it made me want to work harder and get to the next level." All-Ohio trio? All three wrestlers enter the weekend among the top six in their respective weight according to the final borofanohio.net rankings. Alec Homan may have the toughest bracket, as three different top three placers from 2021 along with himself in seventh place a year ago are among the 16. That includes Firelands Conference rival Hayden Kuhn, who took third last year at 126. The two didn't meet at the FCs or state last season, but wrestled at the sectional and district. This season, Kuhn beat Alec at the FC championships, but then Alec has rebounded with two narrow wins over him at the sectional and district. But before any thoughts of Kuhn come into play, the No. 6-ranked Homan could face returning state finalist Trey Allen of Mechanicsburg in the quarterfinals should they both open with a win. "It's tough, there's only 16 of the best kids at state obviously," Alec said. "We'll see what happens. It's about who has the biggest heart and who is ready to wrestle. It can be anybody's tournament, and I'm hoping to make it mine." At 138, Ashton Homan is ranked No. 3 in his weight, which features returning state champion Camron Lacure (Legacy Christian) on his side of the bracket. Prior to that, he could face off with Mapleton's Andrew Sas in another All-FC matchup in the quarters should they both win on Friday. "You don't worry about the rankings or where you are on the bracket, or any of that stuff," Ashton said. "You just go out there and wrestle your match … it's the last tournament of the year, so give it your all and lay it all on the line." At 144, Vogus is ranked No. 4. Defending state champion Jarrett Hornish (Haviland Wayne Trace) is No. 3, and Archbold's Brodie Dominique, who he lost to in the district title match last week, is No. 2. While neither wrestler is on Vogus' side of the bracket, he could see No. 1-ranked Pierce Taylor (28-1) of Cincinnati McNicholas in the quarters with a win on Friday over Amanda-Clearcreek's Bobby Pieratt (40-6). "They have me ranked fourth, but obviously the goal is to be at the top of the podium," Vogus said. "I've trained every day, all summer and fall, for this moment to be down at state and show people how good I really am and all the work I've put in. "But my mindset going in is to just have fun and enjoy it," he added. ":ay it all out there and wrestle my best. If I do that, good things should happen." Curtain call With each wrestler a year apart in age, last season and this season were the only chances for the three of them to compete at state together. So far, they have made the most of their opportunities like Nester had stressed. Not only are all three ranked among the top six in the state, but they helped the Eagles to a banner season as a team. Monroeville won the FC championship for the first time in 23 years on Feb.19, then followed with a sectional team title on Feb. 26 before placing sixth last week at the district. "They've been wrestling together since they were little kids, and now to be there as legitimate podium contenders at the Schott together is a pretty special thing," Nester said. "They've been really motivated all year and it's been awesome to watch. "And they've been great with teaching the other kids," he added. "It obviously paid off in the form of a conference and sectional title. So they've also done very well at helping their teammates out, which has been great to see." Ashton and Vogus are drill partners in practice each day, and both also train frequently with Alec given their close in weight. "We've been doing this against each other our whole lives and have been all over the country with camps and practices," Vogus said. "We've done everything together in wrestling." Ashton said as the older brother by two years, he and Alec "have our moments" in the wrestling room. "But in the end, it's all good," he said. ""I think it's awesome, especially because we're all chasing the same goal and outcome. We've been working hard all year and are hoping for the best results." Meanwhile, Alec is hoping this weekend is one where everyone comes home with a medial. "It's a pretty good feeling to be a four-time state qualifier," he said. "I'm glad to have all three of us back down there, and it's obviously the real fun time of the year to see all your hard work pay off. "Hopefully we can all finish strong and bring back some more hardware to Monroeville."