MANSFIELD — It could be an Ohl family reunion Saturday night.
Wrestling from opposite sides of the bracket, Ontario’s Aiden Ohl and Ashland’s Max Ohl both reached the 113-pound semifinals on the opening day of the 62nd J.C. Gorman Invitational inside Pete Henry Gym on Friday.
The cousins could meet in Saturday evening’s finals if they can navigate their semifinal matches. Aiden will wrestle Sandusky Perkins’ Marco Muratori, while Max will face Northmor’s Carter Thomas.
“Two Ohls in the finals … that would be awesome,” said Aiden, last year’s Division II state runner-up at 106 pounds. “I wrestled him two or three years ago in middle school, but we don’t have a lot of history.”
A Gorman runner-up last year, Aiden Ohl thundered into the semifinals with a pair of pins and a tech fall. The junior and two-time state placer is 17-0.
“I always like the Gorman because I can see where I am against better kids,” said Aiden, the projected Division II state runner-up at 113. “It’s always a good measuring stick.”
Max Ohl, who placed third at the ultra-competitive Medina Invitational Tournament last week, reached the semifinals with a pin and a 7-4 win over Clyde’s Heath Norris, the 10th-ranked Division II 113-pounder. Max is ranked 10th at 113 in Division I.
North central Ohio wrestlers dominated the light weights. Ashland’s Mason Bauer and Galion’s Gradey Harding both reached the semifinals at 126. The two met in the third-place match last week in Medina, with Bauer holding on for a 1-0 lead. The two are longtime friends and training partners,
““We’ve trained together since we were little,” Bauer said. “It’s fun, but also we know everything about each other so it’s hard to wrestle each other.
“There’s no secrets between us.”
Harding wouldn’t mind getting another shot at his longtime friend.
“He’s a great wrestler and a great friend of mine,” said Harding, who was the Division II state runner-up at 120 last year after placing second at the Gorman. “Last week didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but I’ve got to just keep working harder and learn from my mistakes.”
Ashland’s Isaak Wickham and Galion’s Carter Trukovich are both semifinalists at 132, while Ashland’s Guardian Miller reached the semis at 144. Ontario’s Mason Turnbaugh and Centerburg’s Chris Marshall are in the 150-pound semifinals.
Madison’s Aiden Proctor (157), Ashland’s Talon Boyd (165), Clear Fork’s Blake Schlosser 175, Ashland’s Cooper Smith (190) and Drayston Martin (215) and Shelby’s Gavin Garrett (285) and Jaxin Stancombe (285) also reached the semifinals.
Ashland leads the team standings with 117.5 points. Medinal Buckeye (115) is second and Sandusky Perkins (103) is third.