Buckeye Local's Brian Palmer Jr. has control of the leg of Delta's Evan Perry during their Division III, 152-pound quarterfinal match Saturday night in Marion. The Panthers' senior advanced with a 7-2 victory.

MARION — Brian Palmer Jr. has been a man on a mission all season.

Saturday night inside Marion Harding High School, the Buckeye Local senior completed half that mission with a pair of victories in the second session of the 84th annual Ohio state Division III wrestling tournament.

With a 15-3 major decision of Burton Berkshire’s Josh Brown in his opening match and a 7-2 triumph over Delta’s Evan Perry in the quarterfinals, Palmer Jr., now a sparkling 41-1, advanced to Sunday morning’s 152-pound championship finals, which began at 10 a.m.

“I’m two away,” Palmer Jr. said. “Two away.”

A four-time state qualifier and now three-time placer, Palmer Jr. said the key was his conditioning.

“All the credit goes to my strength and conditioning coach. We run the hallways (at school) after every practice.”

Palmer Jr. was sixth as a freshman at 120 before moving to the third step on the podium as a sophomore at 132. He was among the state’s best last season before COVID-19 shut everything down.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a wrestler reach the state semifinals,” Buckeye Local head Guy Nestor said. “Brian’s goal at the start of the season was to get to the finals, and then win it. It’s one match at a time.

“Brian dominated both of his opponents today,” Nestor noted. “He looked really good.”

Palmer Jr. is paired with Garrettsfield Garfield freshman Keegan Sell (31-2). He posted 7-3 and 3-2 decisions Saturday.

“It’s going to be a battle,” Palmer Jr. said.

He was one of three local wrestlers who earned all-state honors during the second session.

Barnesville’s Cameron Woods (160) and Martins Ferry’s Kameron Hughes (170) each bounced back after first-round losses to win a pair of consolation bracket matches. The Purple Riders’ Zak Dobson (220) lost his first-round bout but stayed alive with a consolation win. However, he was defeated in the second round of consolations.

Woods, after losing 3-0 to Troy Christian’s Connor Havill in his first match, the Shamrock senior turned in back-to-back victories over Carey’s Gage Summit (7-1) and Jefferson Area’s Colt Edgar (9-0). Woods is now 43-9.

“I’m happy for Cameron,” Barnesville head coach Jayson Stephen said. “He’s worked really hard for four years, and he’s been a state alternate twice. I’m proud of him.”

Hughes was blanked 2-0 by Pemberville Eastwood’s Jimmy Recknagel in his opening bout. However, he rebounded with a pair of 3-2 nods over Covington’s Trent Anderson and Allen East’s Blake Hershberger, the second coming via the ultimate tiebreaker. Hughes improved to 37-9.

“I’m really proud of Kameron for the way he bounced back,” Martins Ferry head coach Chad Ware said. “I’m also pleased with the way Zak wrestled.”