NORWALK — Jacob Ohl held up his index finger as he exited the mat Saturday afternoon, but Ontario’s senior 113-pounder wasn’t having a look-at-me moment.
Ohl had just dispatched Galion’s Carter Trukovich 4-0 in the finals at the Division II Norwalk district tournament for his 150th career victory and he had a message for his freshman opponent.
“I held up one finger and said to him, ‘We’ve got one more match next weekend.’ And he said, ‘I know,’ ” said Ohl, a projected state finalist by Ohio wrestling analyst Billy Schaefer. “We expected to wrestle in the finals last weekend (at the Clyde sectional) and we expected to wrestle in the finals this weekend.
“We expect to wrestle next weekend at state, too.”
A third postseason meeting between Ohl and Trukovich would come in the state finals next Sunday evening at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center, but Ohl knows a lot of things have to break just right between now and then.
Ohl and Trukovich will be on opposite sides of the 16-man state bracket. That likely puts Trukovich in the same half-bracket with projected state champ Blake Bartos of Medina Buckeye, who won a district title at Kenston on Saturday.
“I know it will be (Trukovich) and Bartos wrestling in the quarters or semis, it just depends,” Ohl said. “I’ll either have him or Bartos one more time and I know how both of them wrestle.”
Ohl (29-2) and Trukovich (26-3) were two of the 11 north central Ohio wrestlers to punch their tickets to next weekend’s state tournament Saturday at Norwalk. The top four finishers in each weight class earned state bids.
The region produced three other district champs and two other runners-up.
Galion sophomore Gradey Harding defended his district title at 120 pounds, beating Napoleon’s Alex Gonzales 7-3 in the finals. Harding (37-7) is the projected third-place finisher at 120.
“There was a bigger target on my back this year after I won (a district title) last year, but that makes it more fun,” Harding said. “I know I’m going to take everyone’s best shot, but I like it.
“Two of the guys I’ve gotten beat by this year are going to be at state. It’s going to be exciting.”
Ontario’s Mason Turnbaugh is projected to finish sixth at state at 138. If this weekend’s performance was any indication, Turnbaugh (42-2) could find himself a few rungs higher on the state podium next weekend. The junior pinned his first three opponents before beating Elida’s Skyler Kirk 12-0 in the finals.
“I’m feeling like I’m on top of the game right now,” Turnbaugh said. “I’m feeling good.”
The area’s final district champ was Galion 285-pounder Alex Griffith. The senior, who has slimmed down considerably from year’s past, beat Hebron Lakewood’s Keegan Jacks 2-1 in a tie-breaker to become Galion’s first-ever four-time state qualifier.
“I’m normally at the very top of the weight class, but I’m at about 265 right now,” Griffith (38-5) said. “I feel quicker. I’m in better shape.
“I went into double-overtime twice. I’m able to grit these matches out that I don’t know if I would have been able to if I had 20 more pounds.”
In addition to Trukovich, Ontario’s Aiden Ohl (106) and Landon Campbell (215) took runner-up honors Saturday. Clear Fork’s Luke Schlosser (165) finished third, while Madison’s Mike Thomas (120), Ontario’s Cole Dille (157) and Lexington’s Aedan Nicol (285) placed fourth.
Division I
Ashland will send three wrestlers to the Division I state meet and two of them are freshmen. Mason Bauer (106) and Guardian Miller (126) both finished fourth at Perrysburg, as did 215-pounder Cayden Spotts. A senior, Spotts will be making his third straight state tournament appearance.
Five Mount Vernon wrestlers qualified for state out of the Hilliard Bradly district, including sophomore 215-pounder and district champ Alex Taylor. Brock Blankenhorn (113) was runner up, while Mavrik Gregory (144) and Jake Taylor (157) placed third. Luke Mullins (285) finished fourth.
Division III
Crestview’s Caleb Cunningham, the projected Division III state champ at 285, won a district title at Rossford, while teammate Qwintin Howard (126) finished fourth.
Plymouth’s Cameron Wagers (120) and Noah Robinson (215) both punched their tickets to state with fourth-place finishes at Rossford.
Mapleton’s Brock Durbin was the only local state qualifier out of the Division III Independence district tournament, winning a district title at 144. A senior and last year’s state runner-up at 144, Durbin is a projected state runner-up.
Meanwhile, at the Heath district, Centerburg’s Christopher Marshall (138) and East Knox’s Blake Elliott (190) both placed third. Fredericktown’s Trent Rooke (126) finished fourth.