ASHLAND, Ohio — Sid Ohl may not have won the state championship he coveted, but the senior cemented his place in Ashland wrestling history.
Ohl, the Richland Bank Athlete of the Week, placed second at 152 pounds at the state tournament in Columbus over the weekend. He fell to St. Paris Graham’s Rocky Jordan 8-0 in the Division II finals, finishing the season with a school single-season record 55 wins.
Ohl also owns Ashland’s record for career victories (161). He finished seventh at the Division II state meet at 145 as a junior and was a state alternate at 145 as a sophomore, when the Arrows were still in Division I.
“His goal this year was to make it to the finals and he made his goal come true,” Ashland coach Sean Seder said. “He’s Ashland’s first born-and-bred state finalist.”
Wyatt Music won a Division I state title for the Arrows at 145 in 2013, but Music transferred to Ashland after spending his first three seasons at Crestview.
“Everybody is going to look up to him for a while,” Seder said. “Any time he’s back from college, he’ll come in the room and be a celebrity to some of those kids.”
The third-ranked Ohl, whose father was a state champ for Ontario, opened state action with a 3-2 win over Granville’s Luciano Mendicino. He beat Canfield’s Anthony D’Alesio 10-4 in the quarterfinals and knocked off Akron Hoban’s Quinton Kelley in the semifinals.
That set up a rematch with Jordan, the son of Graham coach Jeff Jordan. The junior beat Ohl 17-1 in the 145-pound state quarterfinals last year on his way to the state title.
“I had a better tactic going into the match,” Ohl said. “I’m just glad I wasn’t turned left and right.
“I tried to hang the best I could. I’d say it was a pretty good match, probably one of his closest all year.”
Jordan finished the season 30-0. He didn’t surrender a point in four wins in Columbus.
As for Ohl, he won just about everything other than the elusive state championship this year. He captured J.C. Gorman, Ohio Cardinal Conference, sectional and district titles and was part of an Ashland team that reached the quarterfinals of the team state tournament.
“This year was huge for Sid,” Seder said. “Last year he was disappointed with seventh place. He made it his goal to make the finals and he made it come true.”
While he plans to continue his career in college, Ohl isn’t sure where yet. He said he has his list narrowed to two or three schools.
“I’ve got to get back in strong,” he said. “I’ve got big plans for college.”
