Even at the start of the season when things were not going the way he hoped, Middletown High School 106-pounder Anthony Jagel still felt good about where his season would end up.

After a third-place finish at the Southwest Ohio Coaches Classic and fourth-place finish at the Greater Miami Valley Coaches Association Holiday Classic, Jagel broke through to win the Fairfield Invitational title.

After the win, he predicted he would be heading to the Division I state tournament.

“I called my shot,” Jagel said earlier this week as he prepared for the state tourney. “I just kept pushing myself to new heights and new levels and I actually did it.”

Jagel scored a 3-2 win over Patrick Kearney of Mason in the semifinals on his way to a district title, a win he hoped silenced some of his message board critics. Jagel had defeated Kearney two weeks earlier in the finals of the Greater Miami Conference tournament.

“All of the comments on there said if I wrestled him again I would lose and it was a fluke I beat him the first time,” Jagel said. “I wanted to prove that when I beat him the first time it wasn’t a fluke. I beat him fair and square.”

Jagel had even more motivation for beating Kearney. A loss would put him in the consolation finals against Butler’s Josh Heidkamp, who defeated Jagel in the sectional finals and was a returning state qualifier.

“I didn’t have any butterflies,” Jagel said. “I was real focused because I knew if I lost I would have to wrestle Heidkamp again.”

Jagel will be joined at state by teammate Jacob Globke (160). Globke, a state placer last year, has talked to Jagel about deadling with the nerves of wrestling at state for the first time.

“He has told me stories,” Jagel said. “I am not nervous at all. I will probably look up at the lights for five seconds and then I will go back to being focused.”

Franklin’s Chase Henderson enters the DII competition as the favorite at 285 pounds. The heavyweight followed his signature win over Beau Harmon of Ben Logan in the sectional finals with the title at the Bowling Green district.

Carlisle also could have an extended stay in Columbus. Brothers Jason and Jimmy Sandlin are both projected to be placers at 132 and 160, respectively. Jason is the projected champ. Marcus Smith (195) joined the Sandlins as district champs last week for the Indians.

Monroe’s returning state placer Chris Wilson (160) returns to state, as does as Franklin’s Forrest Brewer (113) and Valley View’s Zach Bussard (113).

Wrestling begins today at 3 p.m. with the first round in Division III, followed by DII and DI.