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Medina's Matt Hammer advanced to Thursday's semifinals of the Medina Invitational Tournament in the 138-pound weight class. Consolation rounds begin Thursday at 10 a.m. with the semifinals slated for 12:30 p.m. The finals will begin at 6 p.m.

MEDINA, Ohio – You’re a three-time state champion?

Yawn.

Oh, you made it to the state finals two years in a row?

Yeah, and…?

You say you’re a state finalist from two years ago as well?

Big deal.

When it comes to the 37th edition of the Medina Invitational Tournament, resumes mean very little and Wednesday proved it.

Genoa Area’s Felipe Martinez was supposed to breeze through his quarterfinal match with Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy’s David Gray at 170 pounds.

Someone forgot to tell Gray, who has never even been to the state tournament, as the senior won a hard-fought 11-5 match against the three-time titlist in which he dominated the final period.

“We surround ourselves with the best in the room and it pays off,” Gray said. “I’d watched him in the third period before and knew he got winded. That’s when I took advantage.”

It was advantage Andy Dobben of CVCA had as well, but the freshman’s big match came in the second round when two-time state runner-up Calvin Campbell was supposed to be an easy winner as the No. 1 seed at 120.

Campbell never had a chance in a 9-0 run-through by Dobben, who hasn’t been scored on yet at the MIT.

Couple the nine-point win with a 1-0 victory over Nick Burg of Richmond (Mich.) in the quarterfinals and the 2010 junior high state champion Dobben is ready for more.

“There was pressure, but I try not to think about it,” Dobben said. “We just go out and work our hardest. That’s what we do.”

Medina’s Matt Hammer worked his hardest as well, picking up a big quarterfinal victory over Massillon Perry’s Mitch Newhouse at 138.

That would be Newhouse, a state runner-up in 2010 for the Panthers.

Newhouse never had much of a chance, falling 9-4 in a match controlled by Hammer from the outset.

“Seeing (teammate Ryan) Hornack win his quarterfinal gave me a lot of momentum going into that one,” Hammer said. “We definitely feed off each other, but the goal isn’t to place here, it’s to win here.

“I want to be on that top step. In my head, I wasn’t going to lose. I’m hoping to beat everybody here. It doesn’t get any easier.”

While Hornack (113) joined Highland’s Lazar Vilimonovic (160) and Adam Kluk (182) in the semifinals, the day was Royal blue for the most part as Nathan Tomasello (113), Josh Decatur (132) and Matt Meadows (220) made it five CVCA wrestlers in the semifinals.

Not bad for the Royals, who are coming off a tournament win at Troy Christian.

“There’s pressure to succeed, but it’s a good pressure,” CVCA coach Don Lorence said. “These kids see the banners hanging in the gym and they want their own there.

“You see kids like Andy Dobben. He’s coming in as a freshman and it feeds him. It was huge to see him win against a two-time state finalist. That was a big match.”

Consolation rounds begin Thursday at 10 a.m. with the semifinals slated for a 12:30 p.m. start.

The finals will begin at 6 p.m.

MEDINA – Results Wednesday from the 37th annual Medina Invitational at Medina High School.

Team standings:1. Detroit Central Catholic (Mich.) 148.5; 2. Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy 107; 3. Massillon Perry 103.5; 4. Mason 92; 5. Olentangy 86; 6. Richmond (Mich.) 83; 7. Claymont 76.5; 8. Olmsted Falls 71.5; 9. Lancaster, Lexington 67.5; 11. Westerville North 65; 12. Highland 63.5; 13. North Canton Hoover 62.5; 14. Perrysburg 60.5; 15. Strongsville 58; 16. Beavercreek 54; 17. Hillard Darby 53.5; 18. West Holmes 49; 19. Elmwood, Pickerington North 48; 21. Oak Harbor 47.5; 22. Medina 46.5; 23. Perkins 45.5; 24. Tuslaw 43; 25. Buckeye 38; 26. Crestview 37.5; 27. Central Crossing, Northwestern 33; 29. Dublin Coffman, Genoa Area, Riverside 30; 32. Sandusky 29; 33. Canal Winchester 28; 34. Minerva 25; 35. New Lexington 24.5; 36. Northmor 23; 37. Triway 20; 38. Findlay, Wellington 18; 40. Liberty Center 17.

Semifinal pairings

106: Bavery (Per) vs. Disabato (WN); Warner (Cla) vs. Gutierrez (Pic); 113: Tomasello (CVCA) vs. Hornack (Med); Spearman (Lan) vs. Fausnight (Hoo); 120: Dobben (CVCA) vs. Lee (Elm); Toth (DCC) vs. Langdon (Cla); 126: Bade (DCC) vs. Gonzalez (Mas); Murdock (Dub) vs. Asadorian (OF); 132: Fiorucci (Olen) vs. Strope (Lan); Decatur (CVCA) vs. Amine (DCC); 138: Marcicki (DCC) vs. Hammer (Med); Roshopf (WH) vs. Niner (Lib); 145: Morradian (DCC) vs. Faust (Lex); Music (Cre) vs. Newton (Pburg); 152: Dailey (Per) vs. Bergman (OH); Warner (Cla) vs. Walden (Mas); 160: Garcia (DCC) vs. Arrendale (Per); Vilimonovic (Hig) vs. Corba (Bea); 170: Gray (CVCA) vs. Bownes (Hil); Montgomrey (Cre) vs. Pickett (CC); 182: Beazley (DCC) vs. Sheehy (Gen); Boff (Pburg) vs. Kluk (High); 195: Tayse (Per) vs. Rosborough (Riv); Carter (Pburg) vs. Lehner (Lex); 220: Meadows (CVCA) vs. Stinemetz (Ole); Baker (Elm) vs. Sebastian (Ric); 285: Brown (San) vs. Young (Ole); Younk (Rich) vs. Elfein (Pic).