ASHLAND – It might have been when they started rolling around with each other on wrestling mats as 5-year-olds.
It could have been when they were part of the “Killer Bees” youth wrestling program in Mount Vernon until fifth grade.
Then again, maybe it was when they both were cutting their teeth on the mats as middle schoolers with the Wrestling Factory of Cleveland.
Whenever it was, at some point, Ashland seniors Mason Bauer and Guardian Miller simply became inevitable.
The duo – essentially inseparable in the wrestling room and continually feared by opponents throughout high school – have firmly placed themselves among the best athletes ever to walk the halls at AHS.
Their recent college commitments further solidified that fact, with Bauer heading to Ohio State University and Miller on his way to Kent State University.
“They’ve been ready every day to train, to go to school, to be good friends and good community leaders,” said Ashland wrestling head coach Tommy Bauer, also Mason Bauer’s father. “They’ve really been into that and, to the core, have been true to themselves.
“It’s been a process of continued development and it’s awesome to see.”
There are just three NCAA Division I schools in Ohio with wrestling programs (Ohio State, Kent State and Ohio), and just 78 across the country. And with Division I teams now capping their rosters at 30 wrestlers, spots at the highest level have become more scarce than ever before.
With each of their scholarships coming via a mix of athletic and academic money, Bauer and Miller agreed that their journey to this point has been unforgettable while navigating it together.
With close-knit families, the two grew up side-by-side. It’s been more than a decade since the story of a pair of Ohio’s very best wrestlers hit Chapter One.
Tommy Bauer built a friendship with Guardian Miller’s father, Arrows assistant coach Wade Miller, while Bauer was engineering a career as a three-time All-American at Ashland University.
Miller also wrestled for the Eagles, calling himself a “utility” guy who competed there for three years as a walk-on prior to Bauer’s arrival.
Both of the coaches have deep-rooted history at AHS as well.
Bauer was a two-time state qualifier while helping spur the Arrows to multiple conference titles before his graduation in 2001. He’s still third in career takedowns at AHS (438) and has led the program to three conference crowns, two district titles and a Top 10 finish at the Division I state tournament in just three years as head coach.
Miller, meanwhile, came through the Arrow program during the 1990s, when his father, Lonnie Miller, was the team’s head coach.
As a sophomore football player, he suffered a devastating knee injury that required reconstructive surgery. Still, Wade qualified to a pair of district tournaments on the mats before eventually competing at AU, then becoming one of the longest-tenured wrestling coaches in this area.
This winter will be his 30th year as a coach. He’s been on staff at Ashland three times as an assistant and also spent seven seasons leading the program at Clear Fork.
The two coaches’ sons have followed in those wrestling-savvy footsteps.
Wade said watching them grow from those early days to now has been extraordinary.
“It has been one of, if not the greatest, blessings of my coaching career and life to be a part of these two young men’s wrestling journeys,” Miller said.
Asked recently if it was hard not to be excited knowing both of their futures in the sport now look to be as bright as their electrifying AHS careers, the two seniors couldn’t help but grin.
“I think it’s super cool (to be on the same path with Mason),” Guardian said, “with how rare it is to be a Division I wrestler and how rare it is to stay in the state.”
“With wrestling, really, the pinnacle is college,” Mason added. “You’re honestly training to be a professional athlete when you’re in college.
“Sports like football, there’s still another level. But where we’re going, it’s pretty much the top.”
Already with a combined 291-36 record and five state medals, Miller and Bauer will leave a trail of history in their wake when they finish their time as Arrows.
Both are among the top students academically in Ashland’s Class of 2027. With a senior season on the horizon, here’s a deeper look at where they’ve been and how they got here.
Mason Bauer
Bauer went on a visit to the University of Pennsylvania earlier in his junior year and had been contacted by a few smaller, out-of-state Div. I programs. He also had been in touch with The Citadel Military College of South Carolina.
But the pace of things really picked up after he secured his second consecutive third-place finish at the OHSAA state championships last March.
With a 52-3 junior season behind him, Bauer competed in the National High School Coaches Association national tournament (Virginia), the Fargo Nationals (North Dakota) and was asked to join Team Ohio for a two-day dual tournament in Wisconsin.
“Being on Team Ohio, you talk with and see kids that you’d normally be competing against and you’re actually on a team, so it’s kind of a cool thing,” Bauer said. “I enjoyed talking to people and making those connections.”
Eventually, he went on visits to both Kent State and Ohio University and said he enjoyed both. But after putting in some mat time at the Ohio Regional Training Center with a few Ohio State coaches, Bauer made connections that led to a visit with the Buckeyes in September and his commitment quickly followed.
He will compete at 144 or 150 pounds as an Ashland senior and said he’ll likely weigh in at 149 or 157 as a first-year Buckeye.
Bauer is one of just two Ohio wrestlers from the Class of 2027 to commit to OSU and said that having a civil engineering major available at Ohio State also was critical.
“It’s just one less thing you have to worry about,” Bauer said of making his college pick.
“Who wants to go into their senior year talking to colleges at the state tournament instead of just going out and competing and having fun for your last time?
“That’s the nicest part, and just having fun, knowing where you’re going and starting to build relationships now with all the teammates you’re gonna have.”
Bauer will compete at Ohio State for renowned head coach Tom Ryan, who has led the program to powerhouse-level heights since taking over in 2006. Only twice during his tenure have the Buckeyes finished outside of the Top 10 at the NCAA Championships.
Ohio State has had five national runner-up finishes since 2008 and claimed its first national title in 2015. That championship season also was the first of three Big Ten crowns in four seasons for the Buckeyes.
Before his time with the Arrows is done, Bauer said he’d like to reach 200 wins. His 150-15 career record has him just 23 victories behind program record-holder Josh Bever (173 from 2015-2019).
Currently with 85, he said he also wants to take over the career pins record held by Jake Bever (119 from 2018-2021).
If Bauer does reach 200 wins and 120 pins for his career, he would be the first in Ashland-area history to capture either of those totals, according to OHSAA record books.
The Bauer File
AHS Career – 150-15, 85 pins, 407 takedowns.
Junior – 52-3 (3rd at state), 37 pins (2nd in AHS history), 151 takedowns.
Sophomore – 51-7 (3rd at state) – 21 pins, 150 takedowns.
Freshman – 47-5 (5th at state) – 27 pins, 106 takedowns (most wins ever for an AHS freshman).
Guardian Miller
For a guy who calls himself a “homebody,” Miller has spent a career wrestling like he would take on anyone, anywhere.
The senior made a visit last year to well-known NCAA Division II giant Pitt-Johnstown and had been in contact with a few other programs.
But Miller said Kent State reached out prior to the state tournament last March, just before he became the first Ashland junior ever to wrestle in a state championship match.
When Golden Flashes assistant coach Devin Schroder visited him in Ashland over the summer, he said his hopes to stay in Ohio at the next level were becoming more and more realistic.
“(Schroder’s visit) really stuck out to me and made me feel like they were pursuing me,” Miller said.
Once he found out Kent State carried his two desired majors – actuarial science and data science – Miller felt the Portage County program, just an hour away, was an optimal fit.
With college schedules typically loaded with dual meets, he also was excited about the possibility of his family seeing him compete once he’s able to crack the starting lineup.
“I think it was just the perfect scenario,” said Miller, who sees himself likely slotting in at 165 pounds in college. “… I thought for days and couldn’t think of anything that was going to make me pick any other college.”
Kent State will celebrate its 100th season of wrestling during Miller’s time there and he will be part of a relatively new era for the Golden Flashes.
Josh Moore is heading into his second season leading the program, which hasn’t won a Mid-American Conference title since 1990, but has had 13 All-American performances since 2009.
Moore was the head coach for seven seasons at Cleveland State and was one of the best wrestlers in Penn State University history as a two-time All-American and a national runner-up in 2004.
Ironically for Miller, Kent State is where his father first attended college, competing for a year on the school’s power-lifting squad.
Guardian said he’s also leaned on his sister, Kenna Miller, for Division I athletics advice. In 2025, she was on the Bowling Green State University cheerleading squad that won a small coed national championship ahead of teams from Minnesota and Penn State.
“She’s been a very big role model at how to work hard,” Guardian said. “… I’ve talked to her a lot and she’s someone I’ve really looked up to.”
Like Bauer, Miller competed in the NHSCA national tournament earlier this year, but he opted to rest a shoulder injury after that – forgoing a heavier summer schedule to instead be sure he was 100 percent entering his senior season for the Arrows.
If he’s able to stay healthy and keep his winning pace from previous years, Miller could land somewhere near 190 career wins.
In terms of a program record on his radar, he’s eyeing the career takedowns mark held by Sid Ohl (585 from 2013-2017). Miller already has 568, and if he matches his numbers from the past two seasons, he could post close to 800.
According to the OHSAA record books, fewer than 20 matmen in state history have reached that total.
The Miller File
AHS Career – 141-21, 57 pins, 568 takedowns (2nd in AHS history).
Junior – 48-5 (2nd at state), 20 pins, 225 takedowns.
Sophomore – 50-7 (4th at state), 20 pins, 226 takedowns (AHS record).
Freshman – 43-9 (state qualifier), 17 pins, 117 takedowns.
Ready for a send-off
Both Bauer and Miller said they will have plenty of daunting challenges on the mats as Ashland seniors.
In late October, they will compete at the Super 32 Challenge in North Carolina among plenty of nationally-ranked competitors.
That will precede the Powerade Wrestling Tournament in Pennsylvania in December for the Arrows, known as one of the toughest in-season tournaments in the country.
Hopes of Ashland one-upping its 10th-place finish in Division I last season are also high between the two stars, who are beginning to realize their time as everyday wrestling partners is finally nearing its close.
“(Not being together) will take a little bit of getting used to,” Miller said, “because for the past three years, and even growing up … we worked out with each other because we were the best partners for each other in the room.”
Tommy Bauer said it makes perfect sense that the road for the duo has led to this point.
“Schools have to be really selective, so you take the opportunities when you get them,” he said, “and those two have gotten strong offers and are both going to do great at the next level.
“I think they’re proud of being from Ashland. I think they’re proud to represent Ashland and they just want to make everybody proud.”
