Lybarger says good-bye

COLUMBUS — Four years ago, Mount Vernon’s Michael Lybarger got his first taste of the State Wrestling Championships at Value City Arena. He was new to the sights, the sounds, and even the smells. On Saturday, he bid farewell to a place where he proved he belonged. Only the most elite wrestlers in the state get the chance to experience it — and Lybarger made the trip four times. He becomes the second Yellow Jacket in school history to qualify every year of his high school career.

“Michael has been a tremendous athlete. He has the school record for wins with 161, and has demolished half of the school records in his four years,” said Mount Vernon head coach John Brown. “He has just been an outstanding young man to have and he will be sorely missed.”

Lybarger (44-3) lost to Germane Lindsey (47-3) of Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller in overtime, 8-6, on a single leg straight take down in the Division I State Championship 140-pound match. Earlier this season, Lybarger defeated Lindsey by a 13-7 decision.

“I thought we had a lot of opportunities. We had one late there in the third period where, I think, if we would have stepped over leg as opposed to try for the backs, I think we could have probably scored the two and been up,” said Brown.

It was Lybarger’s last chance at a state title, and for the second year in a row he grabbed runner-up honors.

“With Michael, I was confident from the opening whistle, and all the way until the time he took us down in overtime. Michael is the type of wrestler where you feel he is going to pull it out, and this time he didn’t,” said Brown. “He has had a tremendous season and career, and hopefully his one missing part of it will propel him to greater things down the road.”

Brown feels part of Lybarger’s motivation to succeed was his drive to become a state champion.

“He really longed for the title. I know his dad had been a qualifier and maybe a placer and I know Mount Vernon has never had a state champion. I think from early on, that is what he wanted — that piece of history to be the first one — so I think that makes it a little harder,” said Brown.

With an outstanding high school wrestling career under his belt, Lybarger is seriously considering wrestling at the collegiate level. For Brown, there are hopes that Lybarger’s second-place finish helps fuel his desire to accomplish even greater things in the future.

“He has had a few colleges talk to him and he is real interested in that so we’ll see,” Brown said. “Like I said, I hope it propels him to better things.”

A change of colors

Lybarger had always been a leader for the Yellow Jacket wrestling team, but this year was different. He faced his senior season without teammates Trever Davis and Jedd Moore. Davis, his training partner since the seventh grade, and Moore transferred to Division III Marion Pleasant.

“With the other two guys that left it put him in the spot where he had no choice. It became his team. He stepped up and did a nice job,” said Brown.

Last season, Lybarger and Moore grabbed runner-up honors and Davis placed seventh to help lead the Yellow Jackets to a fourth-place team finish.

“Here and there we’ve seen them, not that there is bad blood, but there are still loyalty issues,” said Brown. “They were a part of something that was very special last year when we were fourth in the state and I guess they decided they were better than that. I am not really sure. There is not a lot of contact — what they do is their business.”

This year, Moore won a state title in the Division III 152-pound weight class, and Davis placed fourth at 145 pounds. The Spartans were runner-up to Troy Christian (154 points) with 151.5 points.

“At first, it wasn’t hard but it was different and a little bit awkward for me (the transfer),” said Moore. “I knew Steve (Wilson, 160-pound Division III state champion) before I came here and a couple of other guys on the team. Trever came with me, and it has been good. Nobody has really treated me bad or anything.”