COLUMBUS — As he left the mat following Saturday’s state semifinal victory, Galion’s Gradey Harding had a simple message for coach Brent Tyrrell.
“One more,” Harding said matter-of-factly as he confidently strode down the tunnel and into the bowels of Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.
For the second straight year, Harding will wrestle in a state championship match. The junior 126-pounder intends to take care of some unfinished business when he meets Kettering Alter’s Bronson Begley in Sunday evening’s finals.
“I feel great. I’m wrestling with a lot of confidence,” Harding said after dismantling Sandusky Perkins’ Sawyer Smith 10-3 in the semifinals. “I don’t know who I have in the finals and I don’t care. We’re just going to go get it.”
The top-ranked Harding reached the 120-pound finals last year but suffered a heart-breaking 3-1 loss to Medina Buckeye’s Colyn Limbert. He was a state semifinalist at 120 as a freshman.
“This time it means a little more to me,” Harding said. “The first time I made it to the semis and lost. Last year I won in the semis but didn’t win state.
“Hopefully, we’ll take the next step and win in the finals.”
Againt Smith, Harding was virtually flawless. He was able to get to Smith’s legs at will.
“He wrestled a perfect match,” Tyrrell said. “He was in on seven or eight leg attacks. That’s impressive.
“He did what he wanted to do.”
Harding will have the championship stage to himself among north central Ohio wrestlers, but several area athletes advanced to Sunday morning’s place matches.
Ontario’s Aiden Ohl (113) and Landon Sowards (190), Clear Fork’s Anthony Oscar (138), Madison’s Jaxin Stancombe (285) and Crestview’s Naomi Gearheart (145) will all wrestle in the consolation semifinals Sunday morning. A win would put them into the third-place match.
Ontario’s Gavin Miller and Galion’s Ryder Alberty wiłl square off in the 138-pound seventh-place match. Madison’s Aiden Proctor (165) and Clear Fork’s Blake Schlosser (175) also will wrestle in the seventh-place match.
All 10 wrestlers already have secured All-Ohio honors and podium finishes.
“It means a lot to get All-Ohio,” said Proctor, the younger brother of former Madison great Hunter Hutcheson. “Just getting down here was special and now to make it onto the podium. I’ll definitely got all-out.
“I’m not going to be satisfied with eighth.”
Clear Fork’s Schlosser took the long way to the state podium. He dropped his opener Friday before winning back-to-back consolation matches to guarantee an All-Ohio finish.
“It hit me kind of hard when I lost (Friday),” Schlosser said. “It was the first tournament all year that I didn’t win my first match.
“To get on the podium after losing my first match means a lot. I’ll be able to say I’m one of the top wrestlers in my weight class in the state.”
Crestview’s Gearheart reached Saturday’s state semifinals before falling to Greeneview’s Eve Matt 6-3. A sophomore, Gearheart placed fifth at 155 last year.
“It feels a lot better this year,” Gearheart said of reaching the podium again. “It’s pretty exciting.”