MADISON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Tyler Newlan put the exclamation point on Ashland’s team title Saturday at the Ohio Cardinal Conference meet.
Newlan scored a reversal just before time expired in the third period for a wild 10-9 win over Wooster’s Jake Burns in an action-packed 285-pound championship match. Burns had taken a 9-8 lead on a reversal of his own just seconds earlier.
“I know he was bigger so he was going to try and bang on me as hard as he could,” Newlan said. “I had to do what I had to do.”
Newlan was one of seven individual champs for the Arrows, who punched their ticket to the next Sunday’s state dual team tournament earlier in the week. Ashland finished with 194 points, well ahead of runner-up Mount Vernon (137). West Holmes (126.5) was third and Madison (106) was fourth. Mansfield Senior (101), Wooster (75), Lexington (46) and Clear Fork (43) rounded out the team scoring.
“We’ve had a pretty special season,” said Ashland coach Sean Seder, who led the Arrows to last year’s OCC team title. “Our team is going to the state duals for the first time. That was a huge goal of ours.
“Of course, you can’t make the whole (list of) goals complete until you check this box off for the OCC.”
Ashland’s Austin McNamara got things going for the Arrows with an 8-4 decision over West Holmes’ Thane Kaufman in the 106-pound finals. Matt Taylor (126), Landon Plank (138), Sid Ohl (152), Devin Goschinski (182) and Josh Bever (195) all followed McNamara’s lead.
“We had eight in the finals and seven of them won,” Seder said. “That’s awesome.”
MVP: Madison’s LeConte Merrell was selected the meet’s Most Valuable Wrestler after winning the championship at 132 pounds. Merrell improved to 35-1, his only loss coming on a controversial unnecessary roughness penalty in the finals of the J.C. Gorman Invitational.
“I feel like I can definitely compete at the state level,” said Merrell, who finished seventh at state last year. “That’s why everyone wrestles, to go to state and win it.”
Quick Work: Mansfield Senior 220-pounder Brandon Myers didn’t log much mat time Saturday. He won both of his matches by fall, including a 51 second pin in the finals.
“I’ve got borderline pneumonia,” Myers said. “I don’t know how long I could have gone.”
Myers improved to 31-4.
“We think Brandon is a pretty dominant wrestler,” Mansfield Senior coach Billy Stevens said. “As the year has gone along he has improved quite a bit.
“Each week he keeps improving so come tournament time he will be peaking.”
Area Champs: Merrell’s Madison teammate, Carson Speelman, won a championship at 145 pounds with a 4-1 win over Mount Vernon’s Max VanFossen.
Clear Fork’s John Witschi earned a 5-2 decision over Mount Vernon’s Logan Tate at 160 pounds. Lexington’s Aidan Ammons beat West Holmes’ Josh Baldridge 7-3 in the finals at 170.
