In a state like Ohio, where the high school sports competition is among the most heated in the country, it’s a massive achievement to climb to the top of the mountain and win a state title. And local athletes were able to do just that this year.

The highlight was Monroe Central High School’s boys basketball team reaching a pinnacle not tread by a local team in decades. The Seminoles won the Ohio Division VI state championship, never trailing in a 42-35 win over Marion Local in Dayton.

That title is the first state championship for a local Ohio basketball team since Yorkville won the Class B championship in 1943. Martins Ferry also won the Class A state title two years earlier.

The Seminoles used spirited defense to jump ahead early. Monroe Central forced six Marion Local turnovers in the first eight minutes, including three on the Flyers’ first four possessions.

That allowed the Seminoles to stake a 7-0 lead to open the game and a 14-6 lead after the first quarter. Sophomore Corbin Farnsworth scored a team-high 12 points.

Monroe Central finished the season at 26-3.

Steubenville High sophomore Talea Guntrum added to the local medal haul this year with her second straight state girls wrestling title. For the second consecutive season, Guntrum, now 50-4, defeated Olentangy Orange sophomore Mackenzie Carder for the title.

The Big Red wrestler was well in control in the match, leading 11-5, when she scored a pin in 5 minutes, 49 seconds for the crown.