COLUMBUS — Guardian Miller needed a mental-health minute.
Ashland’s 144-pounde sophomore admittedly found himself in a bad headspace after dropping his opening match at the Division I state meet Friday inside Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.
The 10-2 loss to Cincinnati Anderson’s Marshall Morency exiled Miller to the consolation bracket before most fans had settled into their seats.
“The best thing that I did was, after I took that loss, I went and relaxed. I chilled for a minute and gave my body and my mind a rest,” Miller said. “I feel like that mental reset helped me.”
The reboot worked wonders for Miller, who will wrestle in the consolation semifinals Sunday morning after three straight wins following his loss in the opener.
He already has secured All-Ohio honors and could reach the third-place match with a win Sunday morning.
“That first match after (Friday’s loss) was definitely the toughest,” Miller said. “I feel like I’m in a good spot now. I’ve just got to keep the momentum going.”
Miller’s classmate, 126-pound Mason Bauer, won his opening match Friday and followed with a resounding 7-1 win over Springboro’s Jack Bratton in the championship quarterfinals.
Bauer, who finished fourth at last week’s Perrysburg’s district, fell to junior and two-time defending state champ Karson Brown of Lakewood St. Edward in Saturday evening’s semifinals.
Bauer will wrestle in the consolation semifinals Sunday. Like Miller, Bauer will finish on the podium and earn All-Ohio honors.
“I kind of expected to be where I’m at, even though I finished fourth last week (at the Perrysburg district),” said Bauer, who placed fifth at state as a 106-pound freshman last year.
“I believed in myself because I’ve been here before. I’ve walked the walk.”
Like Bauer, Crestview’s Naomi Gearheart fell in the state semifinals Saturday night.
The sophomore 145-pounder will wrestle in the consolation semifinals after placing fifth at 155 as a freshman.
“It feels a lot better this year,” Gearheart said. “It’s pretty exciting.”