ONTARIO — The season won’t officially begin for another week or so, but there was no shortage of storylines to emerge from Monday’s North Central Ohio Wrestling Officials Association Preseason Showcase inside the O-Rena.
The modified-format event, which serves as the unofficial kickoff to the high school wrestling season, featured wrestlers from nine north central Ohio schools. Each match consisted of three one-minute periods and there was no overtime.
While the action on the mat was exciting — only four of 20 bouts ended in pin and five were decided by two points or less — the more intriguing plot Monday evening concerned who didn’t wrestle.
Clear Fork’s Luke Schlosser, who placed fourth at last year’s Division II state tournament at 165 pounds, watched from the sidelines as he recovers from a leg injury suffered early in the football season.
Schlosser had surgery in September to repair a broken fibula and high ankle sprain and is still in a walking boot. He hopes to be back in time for the annual J.C. Gorman Invitational in early-January.
“I had to have two screws put in to bring my fibula and tibia back together,” said Schlosser, ranked fourth in Division II at 165 in Ohio wrestling guru Billy Schaefer’s preseason rankings. “I hope to be back by the end of the calendar year.
“I’m focused on getting healthy and staying in shape with some swimming and lifting.”
Rivalry on Hold
Schlosser wasn’t the only marquee name missing Monday.
Ontario’s Jacob Ohl and Galion’s Gradey Harding were both scheduled to wrestle, but scratched when their common opponent, Madison’s Mike Thomas, was unable to compete.
Ohl and Harding put on a season-long show for local fans last winter in what quickly became the area’s top rivalry. The two wrestled each other seven times with Ohl holding a 4-3 advantage.
Harding won the final three meetings, however, with injury default victories in the finals at the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference meet and the sectional meet and a memorable 3-1 overtime decision in the Norwalk district final.
A sophomore, Harding parlayed his late-season success against Ohl into a fifth-place finish at 120 at the Division II state meet last March. Ohl, a senior, was eighth despite the nagging knee and hip injuries that plagued him during the final month of the season.
“I love wrestling him,” said Harding, who is ranked third at 126 by Schaefer. “Any time I get a chance to wrestle a great guy I’ll wrestle him.”
On the Move?
There’s no guarantee the rivalry between Ohl and Harding will be renewed this winter. Ohl, who is ranked first at 120 by Schaefer, said he may drop to 113.
“I missed certification for (113) last year,” Ohl said. “I plan on going in to certification weighing 119 so I can certify for 113 for the end of the season.
If Ohl, who placed second at state at 106 as a sophomore, drops to 113, his younger brother will be on the move, too.
Sophomore Aidan Ohl, who wrestled at 113 Monday, would drop back to 106 after placing fifth at state in that class last year.
The younger Ohl wrestled highly-regarded Galion freshman Carter Trukovich on Monday. Trukovich, who was a junior high state runner-up last year and competed at the Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. and the Super 32 in Greensboro, N.C. during the off-season, earned a 2-0 decision with a takedown in the closing seconds of the final period.
“Obviously, I look forward to competing with guys like him. He’s a tough opponent,” Trukovich said. “In the long run, he’s going to make me better.”
Embarrassment of Riches
Galion coach Brent Tyrrell has more young talent in the lighter weights than he knows what to do with.
In addition to Harding and Trukovich, who is ranked third at 113 by Schaefer, freshmen Carsten Bransetter knocked off Willard’s Jose Figeroa 4-0 on Monday while sophomore Ryder Alberty dropped a 3-2 decision to Ontario’s Carson Barnes at 126 and sophomore Davon Trukovich wrestled admirably before falling 2-0 to Ashland senior Tyler Dodson at 138.
“We keep getting better,” Carter Trukovich said. “The room is intense.”
Harding agreed.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “There’s a lot of good matches that happen in there.”
Galion’s roster is hardly barren in the middle and upper weights.
Senior Aydan Reyes is ranked 12th at 150 and senior three-time state qualifier Alex Griffin is ranked third at 285.
“They’re young but, man, they get after it. Some of those guys have so much heart,” Griffin said of Galion’s young guns. “They just gang up on me.”
Coming Home
First-year Ashland coach Tommy Bauer was a standout for the Arrows in the early-2000s before becoming a three-time NCAA Division II All-American at Ashland University.
He inherits a program that won five of the past seven Ohio Cardinal Conference championships under Sean Seder.
“It’s a great program,” Bauer said. “It’s been a great program.”
The Arrows had four wrestlers in action Monday and all four, Tyler Dodson, Noah Fent, Angelo Seitz and Cayden Spotts, were victorious.
“Those are our leaders, right there,” Bauer said. “The kids can get their feet wet here with a short match. They can get ready to compete ahead of the season.
“We’ve got 10 returning letter winners and six returning starters. Then we’ve got 14 freshmen coming in, four that will probably make our starting lineup.”