ONTARIO — Mason Turnbaugh knows better than to take anything for granted.
The Ontario senior has seen first-hand how quickly things can fall apart.
Turnbaugh enters the homestretch of his high school career as the state’s No. 3 ranked 150-pounder in Division II, according to Ohio wrestling maven Billy Schaefer.
If all goes according to plan, Turnbaugh could become Ontario’s fifth state champ and the first since his father, Ontario coach Wes Turnbaugh, reached the top of the podium in 1999.
Unfortunately, things seldom go according to plan.
Both of Mason’s older brothers, 2020 grad Colton and 2022 product Ethan, had state championship aspirations of their own. Those dreams were never realized during star-crossed prep careers.
“It was definitely not easy to see them go through all they went through and be so disappointed,” Mason said, ‘but that’s life, you know?”
Colton’s freshman season had barely begun before it ended. He suffered serious burns while lighting a fire in the fireplace of the family home and spent 17 days in the burn unit at Akron Children’s Hospital.
He returned in time for his sophomore season and earned his first state tournament berth with a third-place finish at 145 pounds at the Division II Norwalk district.
Colton reached Columbus again the following year, finishing fourth at 152 pounds in the Norwalk district. He had to default in the third-place match because of a shoulder injury, however, and was a shell of his former self the following week in Columbus.
Ethan Turnbaugh burst onto the scene that winter. He won a district title at Norwalk and joined his brother at the state meet, setting the table for what was expected to be a memorable 2019-20 season.
Then COVID hit.
Both Turnbaughs qualified for the 2020 state tournament, but the event was cancelled just days before it was to begin as the pandemic raced across the country. Colton’s third and final state tournament appearance and Ethan’s second ended before either began.
Ethan returned to state in 2021 and reached the 160-pound championship match at the Division II tournament. He fell to Licking Valley’s Dylan Dodson, a wrestler Turnbaugh had beaten early in the year, in the final.
“I’m a junior and the first person in 22 years from Ontario to be in the state finals,” Ethan said at the time. “It feels pretty good even though I didn’t get the win. It’s all about the experience.
“Plus, I’ve still got next year.”
The same injury bug that bit Colton two years earlier reared its ugly head during Ethan’s senior year. Ethan, a projected state finalist at 150 pounds, suffered a shoulder injury during the Norwalk district and defaulted out of the tournament.
“It seemed like Colton was dealing with shoulder issues every year during the sectional and district tournaments and the same thing happened to Ethan as a senior,” Wes Turbaugh said. “When he was going into the district tournament, he told me, ‘It’s bothering me really bad.’
“He wrestled his first match and won pretty easily, but afterward he said, ‘I can’t move my arm.’ It was heartbreaking when the No. 2-ranked kid in the state has to drop out at the district.”
Mason’s freshman year coincided with Ethan’s senior season. Mason was 41-10 at 132 pounds and reached the Norwalk district, but did not qualify for the state tournament.
He moved up to 138 pounds as a sophomore and earned his first state tournament berth, placing third at Norwalk. He won his opening-round match at state, but dropped the next two and didn’t place.
Last year, Mason won the Norwalk district title at 138 pounds and had high expectations going into the state tournament. It all nearly came crashing down with a disappointing 5-3 loss to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary freshman Taggart Wade in the opening round.
“Mason was cutting a ton of weight last year to get down to 138,” Wes Turnbaugh said. “He lost his first match at state to a kid he probably shouldn’t have lost to.”
When all seemed lost, all Mason did was win five straight matches over the next two days. He beat Carrollton’s Josh Carman 6-3 in the consolation finals to take third place.
“That first-round loss last year hurt, I was pretty upset,” Mason said. “I didn’t even want to wrestle (in the consolation bracket), but my whole family told me I couldn’t just give up.
“I was ready to go home, but everyone was pulling for me so I just decided to give it everything I had.”
A 10-2 win over New Philadelphia’s Tyler Ulmer in his consolation bracket opener re-ignited the fire. He locked up a podium finish with an 8-2 victory over Jefferson Area’s Jonathan Bissell and beat Steubenville’s Cal Beadling 3-2 in the consolation quarterfinals before dispatching Dayton Oakwood’s Garrett Meador in the consolation semifinals.
“After I won the match to make it to the second day, I was ready,” Mason said. “I started to feel the momentum building.”
A nagging injury delayed the start of his senior season, but Mason returned in time to win his third J.C. Gorman Invitational championship earlier this month. He is 6-0 on the season.
“I’m not going to push him to wrestle in every single event on the schedule,” Wes Turnbaugh said. “Our ultimate goal is the end of the season. I told him I don’t care if he wrestles until the conference meet.
“We don’t want to run through 40 matches if we don’t need to.”
The late start could be a blessing in disguise. Mason won’t have as many miles on the tires once the postseason rolls around next month.
“We’re mainly focusing on getting back to 100 percent right now,” Mason said. “The goal is to get to the top of the (state) podium. If that means missing a few tournaments during the regular season that is a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”