COLUMBUS — They didn't allow the moment to become monumental. They weren't suffocated by the atmosphere. They didn't get blinded by the bright lights.

Instead, the four Marion County girls wrestlers handled their business and advanced out of the first night of competition Friday at the state wrestling tournament at Ohio State's Schottenstein Center in what was the first time girls competed alongside the boys for championships.

"Once you’re on the mat, you zone out completely," River Valley senior Lila Mencer said. "You don’t necessarily see or hear the things around you. You’re just focusing on what you’re doing, what your coaches are saying and how your opponent is working."

Before this weekend, they had never competed outside of a high school gymnasium since girls wrestling became a sport in Ohio in 2019-20, even in their previous state tourneys organized by the state coaches association. The 20,000-seat Schott as set up by the Ohio High School Athletic Association is unique, especially for first-timers.

"I’ve learned over the years how to block all that out," Mencer said.

Mencer won her opening match in the girls 125-pound division with a pin in 2:41 over Savvy Jacobson of Little Miami after falling behind 2-0 in the first period.

"That’s one of my strong suits. I’m not good on my feet at all. That’s my No. 1 worst thing. I can do really good at not getting pinned on bottom," she said. "I do tend to spend a lot of time in my matches there actually. It’s okay because sooner or later I get choice, and I find my way up, and I know how to pin rather quickly on top."

Highland freshman Emma Bolton, like Mencer, also won her first match of the night at 190 pounds after leading 10-0 and then closing it out with a pin in 5:38 over Elesia Guerra of Lebanon.

"When I first got here, I was scared," Bolton admitted "This place is big with lots of lights, lots of people, but it felt good though. I was scared and nervous, but I focus more on my coaches. I zoned out and only listened to my coaches and did what they said. It was nerve-wracking and a lot of people there. It was good nervousness. When I got out here, I felt great."

Elgin freshman Hallie Winslow at 115, River Valley senior Shayla Pappert at 125 and Ridgedale senior Nya Miller at 170 all lost their first matches, but bounced back in the Friday nightcaps to advance.

"Second day was my goal," Miller said, a former two-time state placer. "I set myself to low standards this year so just make it to state and then see where it goes from there. Now that I’m here, make it to the second day and have a good last go-round."

Miller admitted to nerves in her first bout, a tough 5-3 loss to Olentangy Orange's highly ranked Kascidy Garren.

"If I know she’s better than me, so give her a fight and don’t let her pin you. I lost by points, but I’d rather lose by points than anything else," Miller said.

She followed with a 10-5 win over Sandusky's Kathleen Ekleberry.

"I’ve got a good group of people around me this year. It lived up and it’s the best I could have asked for," Miller said of her weekend.

Pappert was pinned in her first match, but came back to take a 5-0 lead in the first period of her consolation bracket matchup with Clermont Northeast's Liberty Johnson. She overcame an injured shoulder and an illegal hold to hang on for an 8-6 victory.

"Fighting for my life," Pappert said after exiting the mat. "It means I’m still alive for now. Wrestling season is not over for me yet."

Like the others, the size and scope of the venue and the tournament exceeded her expectations.

"The tunnel is pretty cool. You get to see who were the past state winners three and four times," Pappert said. "It’s amazing. They made history by being champions more than once. I’m just making history by being here one time."

This is the first time girls wrestlers are competing in a state-sanctioned tournament by the OHSAA, and Pappert was there for the first-ever girls state tourney in Ohio held just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.

"My very first year when we had a huge girls meet, I was interviewed by the Marion Star, and they called us trailblazers. And we’re still blazing that trail," she said.

Indeed they are, and it's a fact not lost on Winslow.

"The first thing has hit so hard because it’s Elgin’s first-time sending qualifiers; I’m the first girl to wrestle at Elgin; and I'm the first girl to qualify for state. It’s the first year they had girls state (at the Schottenstein Center). It’s all the firsts," she said.

Winslow started the day being pinned. In her next match, she fell behind 4-0 before rallying to tie it at 4-4. From there, she pinned Hillsboro's Mia Skinner in 4:35.

"I want to prove to myself that I’m meant to be here," she said.

The hoopla and fanfare can be distracting, she admitted, but the mat is her sanctuary.

"Once I’m actually wrestling, don’t think, wrestle. I think that helps a lot. When I’m wrestling, I don’t think. It’s only the pre-stuff that messes with you. I have so many people here watching me, I can’t choke," Winslow said.

Cardington sophomore Cameron Sherman was pinned late in her first match, but came back to post a 6-4 sudden victory over Mentor's Maddie Menchaca to also move on to Saturday's action. Highland junior Madalynn Morrison was eliminated after a pair of pins at 235.

Like all the girls, Elgin's Kaiden Luikart was also a first-timer on the boys side.

"It was cool to be here and experience something that not a lot of wrestlers get to experience, walking through the tunnel, checking out the Schottenstein, walking through it to go to the warmup area, it’s really cool," Luikart said. "Knowing you have a hard match right off the rip is definitely something to take in."

He lost his first match at 150 pounds, pinned at the 3:05 mark in Division III. He returned later in the evening and showed composure in beating Kyle Langdon of Deer Park 6-4.

"It’s a relief to get through the first day. I think the first-day jitters are a real thing," Luikart said.

For him, it was all about calming down and having fun.

"You come here, especially being a first-timer to come here, we don’t expect a whole lot, but just being here and getting to enjoy the moments is what is all about," he said.

Boys winning their first matches from the area were Pleasant's Daxton Chase at 144 with an 8-2 victory, Northmor's Cowin Becker at 120 with an 11-0 win, Northmor's Carson Campbell at 138 with a 13-3 victory and North Union's Trace Williams with a pin in 5:27 at 120, all in Division III. In Division II, Highland's Konner Blaney won 10-4 at 106 and Caleb Wetzel won 7-5 at 132. Also moving on to Saturday was Highland's Cael Gilmore who shook off a pin to win 1-0 in the consolations.

Campbell, Blaney and Gilmore were making their first state appearances.

Elgin's Nels VanGundy lost his first two Division III 175-pound matches to get eliminated, while Pleasant's injured Julien Griffith lost his first match and could not go in his second one at 215. Marion Harding's David Backus lost his two Division I matches at 126. Northmor's Brady Carr was scratched from the Division III 106 field, allowing an alternate to take his spot.

For updates on how area high school wrestlers are faring at the state tournament throughout this weekend at Ohio State's Schottenstein Center, visit MarionStar.com or its app. Be sure to follow @McMotorsport on Twitter for updates, too. Watch for a complete recap of the weekend in Tuesday's print edition as well.