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CLEVELAND — The wait seemed to go on forever for Ohio State redshirt freshman Ben Davino. The longer it went, the more he wanted the outcome to go against him.
Davino had appeared to get a late overtime takedown of Penn State true freshman Marcus Blaze in their 133-pound semifinal at the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena, but it wasn't called. The Buckeye coaches challenged the non-call, which led to the never-ending review.
"I was just in my head," Davino said afterwards. "I was trying not to focus on what they were going to say, and like I said, I was keeping myself in the match. I was hoping they would take that away from me. Thinking about it now, I wasn't actually hoping, because I wanted that takedown. I worked hard for it.
"But in middle of the match, I'm like, they're going to take it away from me. I'm going to beat them in doubles. I mean, I was just focusing on double overtime because the power of that (challenge) brick and that (Penn State) corner is different, and I was ready for that call not to go my way."
Which is exactly what Davino ended up doing, beating Blaze 3-2 in the 30-30 tiebreaker to advance to the March 21 national championship match. It was the third overtime match between the two, and the second consecutive one to go the way of the 31-1 Buckeye, who will now face Oklahoma State true freshman phenom Jax Forrest (17-0) for the title.
Davino went ahead in 2-1 in the first 30, escaping from Blaze with eight seconds remaining. A second stall on him in the second 30 allowed Blaze to tie the match at 2-2, but he ended up riding out the Nittany Lion to earn the win.
"Yeah, I mean, that one was electric," the second-seeded Davino said. "There was a lot of ups and down mid-match. Got hit for stalling early. I mean, they came out with a strong game plan, but at the end of the day, winners win, like I heard on the internet a couple of weeks ago when I lost to him. But winners win, I found a way."
Davino's one of two Buckeyes who'll wrestle for national championships on the final night of the tournament. Some 15 minutes after he won his semifinal, his practice partner, senior Jesse Mendez, won his 141-pound semifinal over Lehigh's previously-undefeated Luke Stanich in a 4-1 sudden victory win.
Mendez, who's 26-0, will look to become just the third Buckeye to win at least three national titles when he faces Oklahoma State true freshman Sergio Vega for the title. For all the history he will be chasing, and has already chased down, the four-time All-American couldn't help himself but be effusive in what his sparring partner had accomplished.
"Yeah, man, I could speak about Davino all day," Mendez said after beating Stanich. "That kid is, he's really the best. I mean, when you're so fortunate to have a guy on your team like Ben Davino, who is so passionate about what he does, he's a student of the game. And not only that, he's just a great kid and he loves what he does. So getting to do it by his side and see the way he's grown over the last two years to now seeing him as national finals, it just doesn't surprise me."
It didn't surprise Davino that he found himself in a low-scoring dogfight with Blaze, the four-time Ohio high school state champion from Perrysburg High School. All three of their matches this season were 3-2 matches decided in the 30-30 tiebreaker.
Blaze beat Davino Feb. 13 during their dual match in State College, Pa. The Buckeye returned the favor in the same town on March 8, winning in the title match of the Big Ten Championships.
So, Davino knew exactly what was going to happen in the rubber match in the Rock and Roll City.
"I mean, he's super hard to score on," Davino said of Blaze. "I only got to his legs once, I think, and that was in overtime. Or I got there at the beginning of the first two, but that wasn't a good bite. But I mean, he's just a great competitor. He stayed in a really good position. He's calm, he's points. Super structurally sound. Stays in a really good position. I mean, he just has all the fundamentals down that make a wrestler great, and breaking past all those things just helps me improve."
Davino was the graybeard of the 133-pound semifinal, even as just a redshirt freshman. The other three semifinalists — Blaze, Forrest and Virginia Tech's Austin Seibel — are all true freshmen.
Forrest, in particular, makes Davino seem like an aged veteran. The Oklahoma State freshman only graduated from high school in Johnstown, Pa., in December, but is seeded No. 1 in the weight class.
"I mean, he's super funky, but at the same time, he's good technically," Davino said of Forrest. "He's structurally sound as well. So I mean, he's a puzzle that nobody's been able to figure out. And I mean, I'm going to have a shot tomorrow night and I'm super excited to clash heads with him again, because I mean, he's a great competitor, good person, and there's nothing better than wrestling the best in the world."
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ben Davino survives review, Marcus Blaze, to make NCAA wrestling final
Continue reading...
Davino had appeared to get a late overtime takedown of Penn State true freshman Marcus Blaze in their 133-pound semifinal at the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena, but it wasn't called. The Buckeye coaches challenged the non-call, which led to the never-ending review.
"I was just in my head," Davino said afterwards. "I was trying not to focus on what they were going to say, and like I said, I was keeping myself in the match. I was hoping they would take that away from me. Thinking about it now, I wasn't actually hoping, because I wanted that takedown. I worked hard for it.
"But in middle of the match, I'm like, they're going to take it away from me. I'm going to beat them in doubles. I mean, I was just focusing on double overtime because the power of that (challenge) brick and that (Penn State) corner is different, and I was ready for that call not to go my way."
Which is exactly what Davino ended up doing, beating Blaze 3-2 in the 30-30 tiebreaker to advance to the March 21 national championship match. It was the third overtime match between the two, and the second consecutive one to go the way of the 31-1 Buckeye, who will now face Oklahoma State true freshman phenom Jax Forrest (17-0) for the title.
Davino went ahead in 2-1 in the first 30, escaping from Blaze with eight seconds remaining. A second stall on him in the second 30 allowed Blaze to tie the match at 2-2, but he ended up riding out the Nittany Lion to earn the win.
"Yeah, I mean, that one was electric," the second-seeded Davino said. "There was a lot of ups and down mid-match. Got hit for stalling early. I mean, they came out with a strong game plan, but at the end of the day, winners win, like I heard on the internet a couple of weeks ago when I lost to him. But winners win, I found a way."
Davino's one of two Buckeyes who'll wrestle for national championships on the final night of the tournament. Some 15 minutes after he won his semifinal, his practice partner, senior Jesse Mendez, won his 141-pound semifinal over Lehigh's previously-undefeated Luke Stanich in a 4-1 sudden victory win.
Mendez, who's 26-0, will look to become just the third Buckeye to win at least three national titles when he faces Oklahoma State true freshman Sergio Vega for the title. For all the history he will be chasing, and has already chased down, the four-time All-American couldn't help himself but be effusive in what his sparring partner had accomplished.
"Yeah, man, I could speak about Davino all day," Mendez said after beating Stanich. "That kid is, he's really the best. I mean, when you're so fortunate to have a guy on your team like Ben Davino, who is so passionate about what he does, he's a student of the game. And not only that, he's just a great kid and he loves what he does. So getting to do it by his side and see the way he's grown over the last two years to now seeing him as national finals, it just doesn't surprise me."
It didn't surprise Davino that he found himself in a low-scoring dogfight with Blaze, the four-time Ohio high school state champion from Perrysburg High School. All three of their matches this season were 3-2 matches decided in the 30-30 tiebreaker.
Blaze beat Davino Feb. 13 during their dual match in State College, Pa. The Buckeye returned the favor in the same town on March 8, winning in the title match of the Big Ten Championships.
So, Davino knew exactly what was going to happen in the rubber match in the Rock and Roll City.
"I mean, he's super hard to score on," Davino said of Blaze. "I only got to his legs once, I think, and that was in overtime. Or I got there at the beginning of the first two, but that wasn't a good bite. But I mean, he's just a great competitor. He stayed in a really good position. He's calm, he's points. Super structurally sound. Stays in a really good position. I mean, he just has all the fundamentals down that make a wrestler great, and breaking past all those things just helps me improve."
Davino was the graybeard of the 133-pound semifinal, even as just a redshirt freshman. The other three semifinalists — Blaze, Forrest and Virginia Tech's Austin Seibel — are all true freshmen.
Forrest, in particular, makes Davino seem like an aged veteran. The Oklahoma State freshman only graduated from high school in Johnstown, Pa., in December, but is seeded No. 1 in the weight class.
"I mean, he's super funky, but at the same time, he's good technically," Davino said of Forrest. "He's structurally sound as well. So I mean, he's a puzzle that nobody's been able to figure out. And I mean, I'm going to have a shot tomorrow night and I'm super excited to clash heads with him again, because I mean, he's a great competitor, good person, and there's nothing better than wrestling the best in the world."
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ben Davino survives review, Marcus Blaze, to make NCAA wrestling final
Continue reading...
