MANSFIELD — If the state championship was presented to the wrestler with the best sense of humor, Mansfield Senior’s Brandon Myers would have stood atop the podium at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.
Instead, the Richland Source Wrestler of the Year had to settle for third place — and the respect of any member of the media who had the good fortune to interview him after his pin of Olentangy Liberty’s Mike Ezenekwe in the Division I 220-pound consolation finals.
The athletic senior found himself in the consolation bracket after a stunning loss to Grafton Midview’s Spencer Berthold in the championship semifinals. Myers had beaten Berthold 12-6 in the semifinals of the Medina district a week earlier and had his way with Berthold in the offseason, winning six of seven matches at various tournaments throughout the summer.
Rather than stew over the setback, Myers had a little fun at his own expense at dinner after the loss. He and the Mansfield Senior coaching staff went to Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers near their hotel.
“You know how they ask you for a name for your order? The lady behind the counter asked for a name for my order and I said, ‘I am not a state finalist,’ ” Myers said. “So that was the name they called when my order was ready.”
While he may not have been a state finalist, Myers enjoyed a remarkable — albeit slightly abbreviated — senior season. He was 4-1 in Columbus, running his season record to 42-6 after missing some time early in the year — he suffered a knee injury near the end of football season.
“He’s worked his butt off,” Mansfield Senior coach Billy Stevens said. “This year he set his goal that he wanted to be on the podium and he did everything he needed to do to achieve it.”
Myers is the headliner of an All-Richland Source wrestling team that includes 11 state qualifiers and seven podium finishers.
106 pounds: Ashland’s Austin McNamara didn’t make weight for the individual tournament, but the sophomore captured J.C. Gorman Invitational and Ohio Cardinal Conference championships and also won his team tournament state quarterfinal match. The sophomore finished the year 34-5.
113 pounds: Mansfield Senior’s Damoni Williams took fifth at the Division I Toledo Waite sectional, just missing out on a district qualifying berth. The junior was 29-12 and took second at the Ohio Cardinal Conference tournament and fourth at the J.C. Gorman Invitational.
120 pounds: Mansfield Senior’s Josh Lyons took fourth at the Ohio Cardinal Conference match and was fifth at the J.C. Gorman Invitational. The freshman was 25-15 and finished sixth at the Waite sectional.
126 pounds: Ashland’s Matthew Taylor capped his career with a second straight trip to state and a second podium finish. After a sixth-place finish at 120 last year, the senior moved up two spots on the state podium with a fourth-place finish. He was 4-2 in Columbus, finishing the season at 47-9.
132 pounds: The season didn’t end the way Madison’s LeConte Merrell would have liked, but a 1-2 showing at the state meet couldn’t diminish an otherwise fantastic senior campaign. A three-time state qualifier, Merrell finished the year 43-4 with a sectional championship and a district runner-up finish. His only other loss came in the finals of the J.C. Gorman Invitational on a controversial unnecessary roughness call.
138 pounds: Madison’s Carson Speelman capped his senior year with a sixth-place finish at the state meet. Speelman was 3-3 in Columbus, bringing his season record to 44-5.
145 pounds: Loudonville’s Thomas Forbes had a tough draw at the state meet, opening against three-time state placer Derek Gross of Norwalk St. Paul. Forbes fell in the opener 5-2 and lost his second match by default after suffering an ankle injury. The senior was 38-12 on the season.
152 pounds: Ashland’s Sid Ohl reached the state championship match before running into a buzz saw in St. Paris Graham’s Rocky Jordan. Ohl dropped an 8-0 decision in the finals, capping a 3-1 weekend in Columbus. The senior and two-time state placer — he finished seventh at 145 last year — was 55-3 on the year.
160 pounds: Shelby’s Brahm Ginter concluded a break-through junior year with a seventh-place finish at the state meet. Ginter was 3-2 in Columbus to run his season record to 44-8.
170 pounds: The two losses Galion’s Garrett Kuns suffered at the state tournament were by a combined three points. The senior lost his opener 7-6 to eventual third-place finisher Logan Stanley of Waynedale. Kuns was 35-10 on the year.
182 pounds: There was some doubt if Ashland’s Devin Goschinski would be able to wrestle at the state meet after suffering a head injury in the district semifinals. The senior was 1-2 in Columbus to finish the year at 35-9.
195 pounds: The future is bright for Ashland’s Josh Bever. The sophomore finished was 3-2 at state, good for a seventh-place finish. Never was 41-10 on the season.
220 pounds: Mansfield Senior’s Brandon Myers went out in style with a third-place finish at state. The senior was 42-6 after pinning Olentangy Liberty’s Mike Ezenekwe in the consolation finals. Myers’ other three victories at state were by one point.
285 pounds: Shelby’s Devin Williams rebounded from a quarterfinal loss to take third at state. He was 5-1 on the weekend, running his season record to 51-3.
