State wrestling: Carter Wickes' journey to Columbus helped along by Brunswick alum Derek Fields

As Brunswick sophomore wrestler Carter Wickes prepares for his first Division I state tournament today at Value City Arena on the campus of The Ohio State University, a growing mentorship with a former Blue Devil great has helped him climb to new heights. Class of 2021 graduate and former North Carolina State wrestler Derek Fields jumped in to assist Brunswick coach Greg Seigler this season and has spent a significant portion of his time showing Wickes the ins and outs of what it takes to become elite. "It is amazing (to have him helping me)," Wickes said. "Derek is a great coach. Being able to go run a practice with him or work one-on-one with him is tremendous, because he's been at such a high level that he knows what you have to do to get to that level." Fields placed third at state as a senior before becoming a two-time NCAA qualifier for the Wolfpack. He also won the 2020 Perrysburg District and was set to enter state as a No. 1 seed before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the event. Fields' wisdom has been priceless for Wickes, who went from being a state alternate last season to finishing third at 165 at the Wadsworth District on Saturday to join teammate Brayden Miles (150) in Columbus. "I would wrestle with (Fields) and we would spar and find positions that I wasn't great at or I'd hesitate in," Wickes said. "He helped me tweak little things that helped me so much. "He's a great wrestler and a great coach that helped me correct so many flaws and find so much more offense in my wrestling." Along with the Brunswick duo, Medina County will be represented in D-I by Highland's Brandon Bickerton (113), Austin Bickerton (120), Kyle Scavuzzo (132), Brennan Kicker (150), Niko Giatis (165), Kallen Whitling (215) and Cody Bendau (285), Wadsworth's Blake Frantz (132), Kolten Mellon (144), Kyle Jardine (150) and Chris Earnest (285) and Medina's Dominic DiFilippo (113), Taegan Gilmore (120) and Cliff Nicholson (285). In D-II, Buckeye is sending Collin Bartos (120), Blake Bartos (138), Logan Letner (144) and Brody Zoul (165), while Black River is represented by Kayden Hendershot (165) and Mason Koberna (190) in D-III. In the girls tournament, Brunswick's Marisa McCartin (130) and the Pirates' Taylor Owen (155) return as placers and will be joined by Highland freshman Kelsey Denholm (140). The opportunity to work closely with Wickes has been just as beneficial for Fields, who was in the corner with former Wadsworth standout and current Brunswick assistant coach Jon List as Wickes qualified for the state tournament. "It's a big transition from competing and breaking down my own style to breaking down someone else," Fields said. "It's been a lot of fun. It's definitely helped me as a coach helping Carter all summer and this season. He's doing really well." The draw for Fields to return home was simple. He wanted to follow the lead of those who came before him when he was in high school. "I always liked when older guys would come in and help me out," Fields said. "I felt I got so much help from older guys that once graduated from Brunswick or even in my club. Now that I'm done competing, I figured it was my time to start giving back to the kids." The work and support of the room for Wickes goes beyond Fields' influence for Wickes, as it can be felt throughout Seigler and his staff. "We try to run our practices like a college program," Wickes said. "We've got (five) coaches that wrestled in Division I (Richie Spicel, Brady Chrisman and Ian Senz are the others), and they try to structure our practices like their practices were structured. It helps us jump levels and prepares us for the next level." The next level for Wickes is climbing onto the podium. With improved hand fighting, a more tactical offensive approach and careful opponent scouting, Wickes believes he can do that while acknowledging every opponent he's going to see at state is a tough challenge. Brunswick's last state placer was Eddie Skiba, who took sixth in 2024. "I'm just really looking forward to wrestling some really tough guys," Wickes said. "I've always felt I wrestle a better match the better a kid is. I'm just really excited to get some really, really good matches in. "Obviously, every kid at the state tournament has accomplished something and are a good wrestler. I'm excited to get to scrap with them." Always ready to learn from tough matches and losses — like when he gave up a pin with nine seconds left in his Wadsworth District semifinal against Canton McKinley's Adonis Kelley — Wickes feels he can use that knowledge to turn into the best version of himself. A great example was when he bounced back at districts to win his next two matches and make the state tournament. "This weekend, I've got to wrestle the way I know I can wrestle," he said. "At districts, I didn't like the way I wrestled when I lost. I don't think that was my best match. If I can give my best match, I know that I can go out there and get on that podium and wrestle with anyone in the state." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.