MANSFIELD — If J.C. Gorman Invitational officials handed out an award for perseverance, Ashland’s Talon Boyd would have been the runaway winner.
A 165-pound junior, Boyd was one of four Arrows to win individual championships Saturday evening when the 62nd edition of the Gorman concluded inside Pete Henry Gym. Boyd beat Medina Buckeye’s Brody Zoul 4-3, capping a weekend in which he went 5-0 with two pins to improve to 20-6 on the season.
That Boyd won a title is a testament to his resolve. He didn’t place at last year’s Gorman and finished his sophomore season with a sub-.500 record.
“I just kept going to practices and open mats and doing all the offseason stuff,” Boyd said. “I kept showing up and getting better day-by-day.”
Ashland coach Tommy Bauer marveled at Boyd’s progress.
“The secret to his success is consistency. We talk about it every week,” Bauer said. “Our process works and he trusted the process.”
Ashland’s other individual titles came from sophomores Mason Bauer and Guardian Miller and junior Drayston Martin. Bauer, the coach’s son, beat Galion’s Gradey Harding 1-0 in the finals at 126 while Miller knocked off Northmor’s Cowin Becker 12-3 at 144. Martin knocked off Indian Valley’s Jaxon Burcher 9-8 at 215.
Both Bauer and Miller won Gorman titles last year, Bauer at 106 and Miller at 132.
“I think it was harder to defend it than it was to win the first one,” Miller said. “There were a bunch of tough guys, but I got the job done.”
Ashland finished second in the team standings with 225 points. Medina Buckeye defended its Gorman team title with 227 points. The Arrows knocked off Buckeye for a team title at last week’s Medina Invitational Tournament.
“We didn’t have a full team, so we knew our backs were against the wall,” Bauer said. “Buckeye didn’t have a full team either, so they were down in strength as well.
“When you look at it, there were probably a lot of matches where we could’ve found a couple of points but it didn’t happen.
“We would have liked to have won, but we’re pleased with the way our guys are wrestling.”