The 63rd edition of the J.C. Gorman Invitational has come and gone and, as usual, north central Ohio’s premier wrestling tournament didn’t disappoint.
I’ve covered the event on and off since the 1990s and every year since joining Richland Source in 2014. I can’t remember a time when there were more high-level wrestlers gathered inside Pete Henry Gym.
This year’s Gorman featured 92 ranked wrestlers, according to borofanohio.net. That group included 35 returning state qualifiers and 15 returning state placers.
The crown jewel of the tournament was the 138-pound class. It featured Medina Buckeye’s Blake Bartos, Ashland’s Mason Bauer and Galion’s Ryder Alberty, among others.
Bartos beat Bauer 4-2 in overtime in the finals for his fourth Gorman championship. He joined Lexington’s Nick Hile (2008-11) as the only other four-time Gorman champ. He also became the first three-time tourney MVP.
The finals match between Bartos and Bauer, a two-time Gorman champ and two-time Division I state placer, was billed as the potential match of the tournament and it lived up to its marquee billing. It was the type of match you expect to see in the state semifinals or finals.
“It was a great match,” said Ashland junior Guardian Miller, Bauer’s classmate and a three-time Gorman champ after claiming the 150-pound title.
So was the 120-pound final between Ontario senior Aiden Ohl, a projected state finalist, and Clear Fork senior Colton Wenger, the sixth-ranked Division II 120-pounder. Ohl won his second Gorman title with a thrilling, 4-1 victory.
Ohl and Wenger have a long history and will likely run into each other several more times this year.
“We’ve wrestled so many times,” Ohl said. “That was my first time seeing him this year, but I’ll possibly see him four or five more times.”
Ohl is one of several area wrestlers who will likely reach the state podium in mid-March. Galion’s Gradey Harding is a projected Division II state champ at 132 after taking runner-up honors at 126 last year. He recently committed to the University of Buffalo.
“I feel like I’m as good as I’ve ever been, but I’m not where I want to be,” Harding said. “I’m ultimately chasing a state title and then doing more once I get to college.”
Clear Fork sophomore Anthony Oscar is a projected state finalist at 144. He was fifth at 138 as a freshman.
Galion’s Alberty is ranked third at 138 in Division II. Ashland’s Miller is ranked fifth at 150 in Division I. Clear Fork’s Caleb Snyder is ranked third at 113 in Division II. He was a Division I state qualifier for Mount Vernon last year.
A couple of area luminaries, Galion’s Carter Trukovich and Madison’s Jaxin Stancombe, sat out the Gorman with injuries. Trukovich is ranked third at 126 and was a state qualifier at 132 last year. Stancombe is ranked third at 285 after placing sixth at state in the heavyweight division last year.
The J.C. Gorman Invitational is one of the oldest regular-season tournaments in the state and the first destination for area wrestlers on the road to the state tournament.
If last weekend was any indication, it’s going to be an exciting couple of months.