Moon, Cobb ‘heartbroken’ over state cancellation

For Clay’s five wrestlers headed to the Division I state meet, finding out on the way to Columbus there was going to be no tournament was a shock.
Clay junior Jacob Moon was 39-3 and having a great season, qualifying for state at 113 pounds.
“I think it went well, overall, until obviously the state tournament,” Moon said. “That was heartbreaking. It’s just super disappointing. They (teammates) feel the exact same way. We found out on the bus on the drive to Columbus. We were just kind of speechless — we didn’t know what to say.”
Moon and Ty Cobb can testify that they have been part of one of the state’s best programs, and they are proud to be a part.
“It’s an awesome thing,” said Cobb, who was 39-10 and qualified for state at 195. “We have some good coaches, we have a great team, we work hard and it’s awesome. Our coaches push us to what we can do, and it really shows against whoever we wrestle.”
Moon says if you want to be a part of the Clay wrestling program, expect to be pushed hard.
“It’s tough because the coaches have high expectations for us and for us to win the league 11 out of 12 years, we just work hard for it,” Moon said. “That’s really it — just put in the hard work and extra time.”
Unfortunately, Clay’s state qualifiers did not get a chance to wrestle at the state meet because the Ohio High School Athletic Association “postponed indefinitely” the state wrestling tournament because of the Coronavirus COVID-19.
Clay’s other state qualifiers are freshman Micah Medina (38-13) at 106 pounds, sophomore Tyler Weseman (40-13) at 170 and junior Mike Daly (38-13) at 132. Clay’s two state alternates were Dominico Migliori and Jacob Meek.
“Not having the state championships this year is a devastating blow to these kids and their families,” Clay coach Ralph Cubberly said. “At the time it was canceled I was disappointed and I felt like I was in a haze. The work these kids put in was amazing and they were all peaking at the right time. They were all expecting great things at the state championships. 
“However, with what we are facing today and the fight we are in against this pandemic, I believe it was the right call. I always tell my athletes to make the most of every season because you may not get another chance to compete. The best part about this whole situation is that six of these seven athletes will be back next year and hopefully will get another shot at a state title.
All state qualifiers are honored on the Alan Miller Jewelers All-Press Honor Roll as well as district, sectional and league champions. This year, The Press is not choosing a Wrestler or Coach of the Year since there is not state tournament.
Cobb, who says he’s still working out at home in case the OHSAA decides to go ahead with the tournament this spring, says the celebration began when he finished third at the district meet and knew he would advance to state.
“It was a great feeling. All the hard work that we built up for the year just coming to a state tournament,” Cobb said.
 
Already thinking about next year
Cobb says if the state tournament does get canceled permanently, at least he has the offseason with the Oregon Clay club travel team to look forward to, and since he’s a sophomore, two more years to qualify for state.
“I’m just looking forward to competing at state,” Cobb said. “We’ll go down to Disney Duals this summer, and hopefully we can do a pretty good job down there. They are really fun. It really gets us a head start on the next season. Our coaches really like us doing that, and we also do Lake Erie (club wrestling), which is Freestyle and that also helps a lot, too.”
Two of Moon’s three losses were to the same wrestler, an Illinois state qualifier, at Walsh Jesuit’s Iron Man Tournament. Moon took fourth in the Iron Man, which he calls “the toughest tournament in the country.” One of his biggest wins was bumping up to 120 and defeating Elyria senior Bryce Allison, 7-5, in overtime during the Division I team duals regional final.
Moon has a career record of 120-15 and Clay coach Ralph Cubberly calls him a “great” wrestler who “was poised to make a deep run into the state tournament.” Moon is already being recruited by several NCAA Division programs, says Cubberly.
“I think Jacob has the chance be very competitive in the college wrestling world. He will have to increase both his conditioning and strength levels,” Cubberly said. “Jacob is a self-driven kid with big goals. He is a hard worker who trusts his coaches. He is a great kid with great attitude and a feel for the sport of wrestling."
Cobb has a career record of 86-25 and only needs 14 more wins to reach the 100-win career mark. His biggest thrill this year was seeing his team defeat Perrysburg, 32-29, in the regional team duals semifinal.
“Ty was doing his best wrestling at the end of the season and we were looking for big things from him at the state championships,” Cubberly said.
“Ty is a great wrestler for his size and age, (since) he is only a sophomore. I think he has the chance to be really special if he elects to do the necessary work required. I have already been asked about him by several D-1 colleges,” Cubberly continued.
“Ty is a tireless worker who knows what he needs to do to accomplish his goals. He has an awesome family with great support. He understands what it takes to be a champion.”