COLUMBUS – Guardian Miller’s finish in Columbus in 2025 gave him the opportunity to compete in the maximum of six matches.
He lost his opener, then won four in a row before a second loss that landed him in fourth place a year ago.
The junior decided to take the shorter, more illustrious path to the podium in 2026 at Ohio State’s Jerome Schottenstein Center.
Miller led Ashland’s five-man contingent over the three-day tournament, becoming the fifth Arrow to compete in a state championship match Sunday night.
A three-time state qualifier, he ran into a buzzsaw in his Division I 150-pound final, dropping an 11-0 major decision to St. Xavier junior and returning state champion Kane Shawger.
Despite the loss, Miller was upbeat about the opportunity he earned.
“It means a lot and it proves the stuff I’m doing everyday is the right stuff and I’m on the right path,” he said. “Basically, this is just like any other tournament, and you just keep growing.”
Miller had met Shawger once before, losing to him last spring during a high school national tournament in Virginia Beach.
He said Sunday’s matchup was a little more competitive than the first time around, but Shawger was one of the toughest opponents in the entire tournament.
A University of North Carolina commit, the St. Xavier product was one of seven returning Division I state champs. He finished the season 49-2 and now has a 134-10 career record.
He also placed third at state as a freshman, giving him a 13-1 overall mark in three trips to Columbus.
Takedowns in each of the three periods against Miller helped Shawger pull away Sunday.
“I’m still chasing guys like him and people that are better than me,” Miller said.
Miller joins Ashland lore
Still, the junior put his name in Ashland lore, joining Wyatt Music (first at 145 in 2013), Sid Ohl (second at 152 in 2017), Josh Bever (first at 220 in 2019) and Brady Welch (second at 175 in 2022) as Arrows to wrestle for a state championship.
All five of those matches have come in the last 14 years and Miller is the only one who wasn’t a senior when he wrestled for state gold.
“It definitely shows that what we’re doing (at Ashland), especially recently, is the right thing,” Miller said. “Hopefully we’ll get more to come.”
Miller will hit his senior year with a 141-21 career record. He had a single-season school record as a sophomore with 226 takedowns, then added another 225 this season.
As a senior, he and classmate Mason Bauer will attempt to become just the second- and third-ever four-time state qualifiers at AHS.
Miller also said he’s looking to wrestle collegiately at the Division I or Division II level.
In terms of this year’s team effort, the Arrows were able to seal their best-ever Division I finish, taking 10th place as a team with 52.5 points.
Ashland’s five qualifiers over the weekend – Miller, juniors Bauer (4-1) and Max Ohl (1-2), and seniors Talon Boyd (1-2) and Budda Martin (3-2) – all gathered at least one win and combined for a 12-8 record in 20 total matches.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that there’s several that didn’t qualify this year that are gonna be there next year,” Arrows head coach Tommy Bauer said before the tournament.
Below are photos from Miller’s championship match Sunday evening. Credit: Curt Conrad
Team results
Perrysburg beat out St. Edward for the Division I team title, 173.5-168.5. Both of them finished with three state champs and one runner-up, as St. Edward’s Karson Brown (138) was the lone wrestler in the tournament to win his fourth state championship.
Bishop Watterson (110.5) beat Columbus DeSales (94.5) for the Division II title while St. Paris Graham (148) cruised past Lake Catholic (88) for the Division III crown.
