GALION — North central Ohio has developed into a cradle of lightweight wrestlers.

The area’s well-earned reputation as a lightweight hotbed was on full display Saturday afternoon at Galion High School during the Division II sectional tournament.

Projected state champs Aiden Ohl of Ontario and Gradey Harding of Galion led the charge as area wrestlers won championships in five of the six lightest divisions.

A junior, Ohl got the party started with an 8-3 win over sixth-ranked Colton Wenger of Clear Fork in the 113-pound final. Ohl (38-2) was the state runner-up at 106 pounds last year.

Also a junior, Harding was the state runner-up at 120 last year. He was fifth at state at 120 as a freshman.

“There are a lot of great wrestlers in the area,” said Harding, who beat fourth-ranked Sawyer Smith of Sandusky Perkins 4-1 in the 126-pound championship match to improve to 34-4. “Everybody wants to be the best, so we’re clashing heads.

“I think I’m the best wrestler in my weight class,” he said. “I’ve got to prove it.”

Galion teammate Carter Trukovich is ranked sixth at 132. The sophomore placed fifth at state at 113 as a freshman.

“I’d say we have one of the best area’s in the state of Ohio for low weights,” Trukovich (35-3) said after tech-falling his way to the 132-pound sectional title Saturday. “We’ve got a bunch of young guys coming up who are solid.

“There are freshmen who are really solid like (Clear Fork’s) Anthony Oscar and (Ontario’s) Tyler Turnbaugh. We have sophomores and juniors who are going to go place high at state and win state titles.”

Both Oscar (138) and Turnbaugh (120) won sectional championships Saturday. Oscar, who is ranked third, beat 17th-ranked Ryder Alberty of Galion in the finals.

“Me and Alberty are real good friends,” said Oscar, who improved to 40-1. “I have much respect for him.”

Turnbaugh beat Galion’s Carsten Branstetter in the finals to improve to 35-7. He is the nephew of Ontario coach and former state champ Wes Turnbaugh and cousin to Colton, Ethan and Mason, the coach’s sons and state qualifiers. 

“I put in a lot of work the past two summers and gotten a lot better,” Tyler Turnbaugh said. “I’ve wrestled around with (his cousins) forever. They’re definitely ones I look up to.” 

Mason Turnbaugh reached the 150-pound championship match Saturday, but suffered a knee injury and had to default. His status for next week’s Norwalk district is up in the air.

“He’s soar,” Wes Turnbaugh said. “It was just the situation they got into. Mason went in on a shot and … his leg got caught.”

Madison produced a pair of sectional champs in 165-pounder Aiden Proctor and 285-pounder Jaxin Stancombe. Proctor beat Clear Fork’s Lakoda Leedy 9-1 in the finals, while Stancombe topped Sandusky Perkins’ Eli Sanchez 4-2.

“I think this is the best I’ve wrestled all year,” said Proctor, the younger brother of three-time Madison state qualifier Hunter Hutcheson. “I’ve beaten some good kids, but there’s some matches I should have won.”

Both Proctor and Stancombe won Ohio Cardinal Conference championships last week.

“I’m on a pretty good roll right now,” said Stancombe, who is the fourth-ranked heavyweight in Division II. “This feels pretty good.”

The area’s other sectional title came from Clear Fork’s Blake Schlosser. The 175-pounder pinned Norwalk’s Kevin Howard in the finals to improve to 41-3.

A senior, Schlosser fell 6-5 in the consolation semifinals at last year’s Norwalk district meet. Had he won that match, he would have qualified for state. The near miss has served as motivation this season.

“It’s been haunting me,” Schlosser said. “It’s motivated me this year.”