MOUNT VERNON — Alex Taylor smashed down the door at the Division I state tournament.

There’s no telling what Mount Vernon’s state champion heavyweight will do once he puts on a few pounds.

The newly-crowned North Central Ohio Wrestler of the Year, Taylor became Mount Vernon’s first boys state champ when he beat Massillon Perry’s Mike Millin 10-5 in the finals.

Before Taylor’s coronation, Mount Vernon had 23 state placers without a champ. That ranked behind only Groveport Madison (25) on the list of schools with the most state placers without a champion. Mount Vernon also ranked near the top of the list of schools with the most state runners-up without a champ (five).

“That was the infamous record we had,” Mount Vernon coach Corey Firebaugh said shortly after Taylor broke the curse. 

Taylor, who has verbally committed to Arizona State, tipped the scales at 264 pounds before his championship match. The ceiling for the heavyweight division is 285 pounds, meaning there is still plenty of room for growth.

“I’m cutting down to 240 for worlds, then building back up stronger and faster,” Taylor said. “I’ll be the best version of myself.”

A bigger, stronger Taylor is a terrifying prospect for any heavyweight in Ohio. He dominated the class at the Division I state tournament while regularly giving up anywhere from 10 to 20 pounds.

His closest match came in the quarterfinals against Massillon’s Chris Fair, an 8-7 win. Taylor was in control of the match but, by his own admission, made a mistake and got caught on his back.

“I was winning 7-1 and … I tried to hit a dumb tilt and the kid put me on my back and tied it up,” Taylor said at the time. “At the end of the day I don’t care how I win.”

Taylor did plenty of winning this year, finishing with a 40-1 record. He is 134-12 in three seasons. He placed third at state at 215 as a freshman and was fifth at 215 as a sophomore. 

Taylor is the crown jewel of an all-area squad that includes 21 state qualifiers and 15 All-Ohioans.

106 pounds

Caleb Snyder, Mount Vernon: Just a freshman, Snyder advanced to the Division I state tournament after finishing second at the Hilliard Darby district. Snyder was 1-2 at state and finished with a 32-7 record. 

113 pounds

Aiden Ohl, Ontario: If they gave out state championships for toughness, Ohl would have stood atop the Division III podium. The junior finished third at state on one leg after suffering a high ankle sprain in his quarterfinal loss. He won four consolation bracket matches despite the injury. A three-time state placer, Ohl finished his junior season with a record of 47-3 and is 134-10 in three seasons.

Max Ohl, Ashland: A sophomore and Aiden Ohl’s cousin, Max reached the Division I state tournament after finishing fourth at the rugged Perrysburg district. Ohl lost both of his matches at state and finished the season 41-12.

120 pounds

Tyler Turnbaugh, Ontario: A freshman and the nephew of Ontario coach and former state champ Wes Turnbaugh, Tyler added to the family legacy by qualifying for the state tournament. He won a sectional championship and finished fourth at the rugged Norwalk district. Turnbaugh was 0-2 in Columbus and finished 38-11 on the season. 

126 pounds

Gradey Harding, Galion: A junior, Harding was a controversial overtime loss away from a state title. He fell 4-1 in the championship match when Kettering Alter’s Bronson Begley was awarded a takedown on the edge of the circle. Harding was the state runner-up at 120 last year and fifth at 120 as a freshman. He was 41-5 this season and owns a career record of 122-22.

Mason Bauer, Ashland: A sophomore, Bauer reached the state semifinals before falling to eventual champ Karson Brown of Lakewood St. Edward. Bauer bounced back with a pair of wins in the consolation bracket to finish third. He was 51-7 on the season and is 98-12 in two years. He placed fifth at state at 106 as a freshman.

132 pounds

Carter Trukovich, Galion: A sophomore, Trukovich qualified for the Division II state tournament for a second straight year after placing fifth at 113 as a freshman. Trukovich was 1-2 in Columbus this year, finishing one win off the podium. He was 39-6 on the season and is 69-11 in two years.

138 pounds

Anthony Oscar, Clear Fork: Oscar capped a wildly successful freshman season with a fifth-place finish at state. He was 4-2 in Columbus and finished at 48-3 with sectional and district championships.

Ryder Alberty, Galion: Alberty made the most of his first state tournament appearance, finishing seventh. He dropped his opener in Columbus but battled back with consecutive wins in the consolation bracket before falling to Clear Fork’s Anthony Oscar. He topped Ontario’s Gavin Miller in the seventh-place match and finished the season at 34-11.

Gavin Miller, Ontario: A sophomore, Miller qualified for state with a fourth-place finish at the Norwalk district. He dropped his opener in Columbus before securing a podium finish with a pair of wins in the consolation bracket. He fell to Galion’s Ryder Alberty in the seventh-place match and finished eighth with a 27-10 season record.

144 pounds

Guardian Miller, Ashland: A sophomore, Miller reached the state consolation finals the hard way. He dropped his first match of the tournament before reeling off four straight wins to reach the third-place match. He finished fourth and was 50-7 on the season. Miller was a state qualifier at 126 as a freshman and is 93-16 in two seasons. 

Chris Marshall, Centerburg: Like Ashland’s Guardian Miller, Marshall took a circuitous route to the consolation finals at the Division III state tournament. He dropped his first match to Northwestern’s Colton Morris then won four straight and avenged his loss to Morris in the consolation semifinals. He fell 8-7 in overtime of the third-place match and finished fourth. Marshall was 35-6 on the season and was the state runner-up at 138 last year.

150 pounds

Mason Turnbaugh, Ontario: Turnbaugh’s senior season came to a disappointing end after suffering a knee injury in the Galion district finals. Turnbaugh won his opener at the Norwalk district the following week, but defaulted after that and finished 21-3. He was a two-time state qualifier, finishing third at 138 as a junior. He finished his career with 150 wins.

157 pounds

Mavrik Gregory, Mount Vernon: A senior, Gregory qualified for the state tournament for a third straight year. He was 1-2 in Columbus, finishing one win off the podium. Gregory was a runner-up at the Hillard Darby district and finished the season 32-8.

165 pounds

Jake Taylor, Mount Vernon: A three-time state-qualifier, Taylor capped his career with a sixth-place finish in Columbus. He won his opener before falling in the quarterfinals. He won back-to-back matches in the consolation bracket to ensure his first podium finish. Taylor was 40-9 on the year.

Aiden Proctor, Madison: Just a sophomore, Proctor earned his first state tournament bid with a third-place finish at the Norwalk district. Proctor won his state tournament opener but fell in the quarterfinals to eventual state champ Gage Murphy of Cincinnati Reading. He won his first consolation match to guarantee a podium finish and placed eighth. Proctor was 42-12 on the year.

175 pounds

Blake Schlosser, Clear Fork: A senior cradle specialist, Schlosser dropped his opener at the Division II state meet but won back-to-back consolation bracket matches to ensure a podium finish. He avenged his opening-round loss to Canfield’s Joey Pannunzio with a pin in the seventh-place match. Schlosser was 3-2 at state, finishing at 47-6. 

190 pounds

Landon Sowards, Ontario: A senior, Sowards was one of the feel-good stories at the Division II state tournament. He dropped his opener before winning three straight consolation bracket matches to reach the consolation semifinals. Sowards placed sixth after going 3-3, finishing the year at 19-8. 

Blake Elliott, East Knox: A four-time state-qualifier and two-time podium finisher, Elliott placed eighth at 190 at the state meet. He became East Knox’s first-ever state placer when he was sixth at 190 as a junior. Elliott was 41-13 on the year and finished with 116 career victories.

Luke Mullins, Mount Vernon: A junior, Mullins reached the Division I state tournament for the second straight year after qualifying at 285 last year. Mullins was 27-15 and won a district championship at Hilliard Darby.

215 pounds

Drayston Martin, Ashland: Martin finished third at the Perrysburg district to earn a bid to the state tournament. He was 1-2 in Columbus, finishing one win from the podium. The junior was 47-8 on the year.

285 pounds

Jaxin Stancombe, Madison: A junior, Stancombe placed sixth at the Division II state tournament after winning sectional and district titles. He was 3-3 in Columbus and finished the year 45-7.