By MICHAEL S. BURICH

Assistant Sports Editor

The road to the state tournament for area wrestlers isn’t always a smooth one. Adversity of all kinds can pop up.

This season a snowstorm on Jan. 24 into Jan. 25 produced more than a foot of snow for many places in the area.

That meant adjustments to tournament schedules and the possibility of altered practice and training programs.

But wrestling coaches know differently.

“They told us with no school that we shouldn’t hold practice, but you just can’t do that with wrestling,” Southern Local coach Dennis Bowers said.

So, when the roads were nearly impassable and driveways were covered, he got in his four-wheel drive truck and headed out.

“I had parents calling that they couldn’t get out of the driveway,” Bowers said. “So I threw a snow blower in the back of my truck and went out and picked up all the kids for practice.”

This weekend there will no doubt be adversity within the Schottenstein Center as 10 area boys wrestlers will take their chances for the ultimate prize and this year might be one to remember.

Action will begin at 1 p.m. on Friday with Div. III action. Div. II will start at 2:15 p.m. Saturday’s action starts at 9:30 a.m. while championship semifinals and quarterfinals will begin at 5:30 p.m. Consolation bouts continue on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. with the championship finals slated for 5 p.m.

Jordan Bates

Beaver Local Beavers

106 pounds

Fr., 44-2

Bates is one of eight freshman in a field that features no seniors. He also might be the best of the lot. DubStat has him ranked first in his class and he could be the first Beaver to win a state title since 2002 if everything goes his way.

“Jordan has had a tremendous freshman season,” Beaver Local coach Johnny McComas said. “He has already proven he is among the best in the state through his performances at the OVAC, EOWL, Brecksville and district tournaments. Now he has his sights set on a state title, and I’m excited to watch him do it.”

Elyria Catholic’s Grady Moos could present Bates with his biggest first challenge in the tournament as they are set to clash in the semifinals. Moos is ranked second.

A freshman has not won the Div. II 106-pound weight class since 2021.

“One advantage for Jordan is that he simply loves wrestling,” McComas said. “Jordan’s confidence when he steps on the mat and his approach to the sport is what sets him apart. Jordan is always able to be at his best when the lights are the brightest because he trains and prepares every day for these moments. He is extremely focused right now, and I have no doubt he will reach his goal and stand on the top of the podium Sunday night.”

Kyle Ingram

East Liverpool Potters

106 pounds

Jr., 38-5

Ingram, ranked eighth in the weight class by DubStat, is making his first appearance at the state tournament after years of hard work.

“He has always possessed the skill to get to this level,” East Liverpool coach Jeremy Shaw said. “Maturity and hard work has led him to believing it now. A lot of kids put in the work and don’t believe in themselves like they should until they need to feel confident to push through. You have to take risks in this sport. Some kids wrestle and hold back. Others don’t. Once Kyle started stopping holding himself back and knowing what he quite capable of competing with anyone, he started believing and that has been the biggest thing for him.”

Ingram wrestled state weight-class contender Bates in the semifinals at district and held his own before getting pinned in the final period.

“Bates pinned everyone in like 30 seconds at OVAC but we had a 1-0 lead on him in the second period before losing 7-1 in the OVAC final,” Shaw said. “(Bates) was up 4-0 with two minutes left in the district semifinal and we missed a takedown that they called out of bounds. You know, I think if we just keep pressing forward we’ll get to that level but definitely think we’re capable of being somewhere close to where Bates is at.”

John Burkett

Beaver Local Beavers

113 pounds

Soph., 31-18

Burkett is a rising talent for Beaver Local having took fourth at the Gallia Academy district to earn his first state tournament berth.

“John is having a great season, and he is peaking at the perfect time,” McComas said. “His performance at the district tournament was unreal, and should give him a ton of confidence going into the weekend. He has continued to improve each week due to his work ethic and has benefited from great teammates that push him to get better each week.”

Burkett will get No. 6 ranked Bellville Clear Fork sophomore Caleb Snyder in his first match at state.

“Wrestling at the state tournament has been on his mind for a while now and I am excited to see him walk out of that tunnel,” McComas said. “He will embrace the competition this weekend and enjoy the moment. I am proud of how far he has come, and I am confident he will take advantage of this opportunity to prove he is among the best in the state.”

Wyatt McCune

East Liverpool Potters

132 pounds

Sr., 33-10

McCune finished third at the Gallia Academy district to earn his first state bid.

“Ever since the start of his career his technique and record have improved,” Shaw said. “Last year was a strong season for him, probably one of his best and that led us into this year which has just been an incredible season.”

Shaw said McCune has a way of ramping up his performances as the season goes on.

“We’d call him March Madness,” Shaw said. “He would have a slow season and a slow start but then come March when kids are looking at the finish line he was just gearing up for a run at the state tournament. Every year he’d come in and he’d win sectionals and just wouldn’t do well at districts. He put in a little extra work over the summer and that has really helped him this year. To tell you the truth I’m going to be surprised and shocked if he’s not on the podium this year just with the way he is wrestling.”

Bobby Buchheit

Beaver Local Beavers

150 pounds

Sr., 30-2

Buchheit, ranked third in his weight class by DubStat, is a four-time state qualifier having placed seventh at 120 as freshman, fifth at 132 as a sophomore and sixth at 138 as a junior. Despite working through a season while recovering from knee surgery, Buchheit only managed two losses — one to West Branch’s Beau Nezbeth in the EOWL final and one to Cambridge’s Marshall Laishley in the district final.

“Bobby’s mental toughness, and the way he has been able to handle adversity is what sets him apart,” McComas said. “He has battled an injury but has used every opportunity available to him to get healthy and put himself in a position to be at his best for this tournament. When you have had the success he has had during his career you understand what it takes to be the best and he takes that approach to everything he does. The man he has become, his maturity, the way he battled through injury, his leadership ability, the way he competes and the type of role model he is to our younger wrestlers are all reasons to be proud of Bobby.”

In addition to Nezbeth and Laishley, the rest of the field at 150 is very talented. Buchheit will likely clash with Kenston district champion Chance Schlauch of Perry in the quarterfinal if he wins his first match on Friday.

“(Bobby) is unselfish, and has always put his team first,” McComas said. “He is an amazing kid, and has been a pleasure to coach the last four years. I’m looking forward to one more exciting weekend in Columbus to cap off his outstanding career. I can’t thank him enough for his hard work, and for being everything a Beaver Local wrestler is supposed to be.”

Beau Nezbeth

West Branch Warriors

150 pounds

Sr., 48-1

After spending a few years at Louisville, Nezbeth returned to his home district this season to make a push for big things at state.

“He’s been one to count on and has been pretty stellar,” West Branch coach Chris Dorris said. “He’s a kid that knows positioning. He’s a kid that knows what is at stake every time he steps on the mat. His aspirations have always been to reach the next level.”

Nezbeth, ranked sixth at 150 by DubStat, ripped off 46 straight wins to start the season before losing his first match with a 2-1 loss to eventual district champion Chance Schlauch of Perry in the district semifinal. He rebounded from that loss to finish third to earn his second trip to the state tournament.

“Beau’s pretty athletic,” Dorris said. “His wrestling IQ is pretty high. He understands mat situations and mat awareness. He’s a leader in the wrestling room and out of the wrestling room. He’s always doing the right thing. He’s not the most vocal leader but he will lead by example. He sets the tone in the room.”

One of his biggest wins of the season came at the Eastern Ohio Wrestling League tournament where he defeated Beaver Local’s Bobby Buchheit who was ranked ahead of him at the time. He also beat No. 2 ranked Ben Jacobs of Bellevue at a regular season tournament in Kenston.

“Those two were probably his most impressive signature wins because it just seemed that no matter what Beau did he wasn’t getting some of the respect those other guys did,” Dorris said.

Jake Hughes

Beaver Local Beavers

157 pounds

Soph., 41-4

Hughes, ranked second in the weight class by DubStat and 16th in the nation by FloWrestling, might be the Beavers’ other best chance at ending the school’s state championship drought.

Already a highly experienced year-round wrestler, Hughes has shown he can compete with the best. His main target in this bracket might be Millersburg West Holmes’ Louden Dixon. Dixon, ranked third, beat Hughes at the sectional and Hughes returned the favor in the district final.

“Jake has had another incredible season,” McComas said. “He has had the opportunity to see some great competition and has taken full advantage of those opportunities to prepare for this weekend. His performances at Brecksville and the district tournament prove that he can beat anyone in his bracket this weekend. He is more focused right now than I have ever seen him. He has his sights set on a state title, and I am confident he can get it done.”

Columbus Bishop Watterson’s Tommy Rowland, the No. 1 wrestler in the weight class, is on the other side of the bracket along with Dixon, so Hughes’ path to the state final might be a bit easier where he is at.

“Jake is no stranger to the big stage or high level competition,” McComas said. “He has been seeking out the best competition not only in the state, but the country his entire career. Jake is a special talent. He believes in what he is doing and is confident through his preparation. He prepares every day for these moments, and loves these types of challenges. He will be ready to go, and I have no doubt we will see his best this weekend.”

Evan Ours

Beaver Local Beavers

Jr., 35-9

Ours, who finished third at the same weight class last year at state, is ranked eighth at 165 by DubStat. The deep run last season will no doubt serve him well heading into this bracket with five returning state placers.

“Evan is having another great season,” McComas said. “He has proven he has the ability to battle through tight matches and come out on top against some of the best in the state. Being a returning state placer comes with high expectations, and I am proud of the way he has handled that pressure all season. His previous state tournament experience will be a huge advantage for him this weekend.”

If Ours wins his opener, he’ll likely have No. 1 ranked Cael Gilmore of Marengo Highland in the quarterfinal. Marengo is a three-time state placer and was third at 157 last season.

“The way he performed at the state tournament last season was outstanding, and something he will be able to build on this time around,” McComas said. “He has been there before and understands what it takes to stand on the podium come Sunday night. Evan needs to stay relaxed, confident and trust his offense. He is in for another great weekend in Columbus.”

Xavier Lara

East Liverpool Potters

190 Pounds

Jr., 22-10

Primarily a football player, Lara pulled off the comeback of the year at the district wrestling tournament as he went from an alternate getting the call to compete on Tuesday to being a state qualifier on Saturday.

“You know he will tell you that he loves football more,” Shaw said. “But you can’t discount the skills he has on the wrestling mat.”

Shaw said he got sick around the time of sectionals and didn’t have enough to finish in the top four. Instead he was fifth and thought that his season was over. The second-place sectional finisher Timmy Kirkpatrick of Minerva could not go at districts so everyone moved up one spot and Lara got the call to go to Gallipolis.

He did not say yes immediately.

“It took a little bit of convincing,” Shaw said. “Ever since November he’s been training every day with conditioning and everything that is required of them. They kind of see the daylight at the end of the tunnel at that point and a chance for a break, but he said he was ready.”

In the district semifinals he was beating eventual district champion Tyler Stevens of Miami Trace 5-0 and ended up losing in the last 18 seconds.

“It just goes to show you how determined he is when put on the spot,” Shaw said. “Our hopes are he is going to shock the world when he goes to state. That’s just where he is at.”

Rowan Wiley

Southern Indians

157 pounds

Sr., 46-9

Wiley placed fourth at the Independence regionals and is the only area wrestler to qualify in Div. III. He was 0-2 at state last year at 165 and started the season out at 165 before changing course.

“He probably should have dropped down to 157 earlier,” Southern coach Dennis Bowers said. “He was just afraid of losing his strength by cutting weight because if you look at him you’ll notice he’s a well put together guy.”

After a group discussion with all of Southern’s coaches, Wiley safely cut weight and arrived at 157 in time for the Eastern Ohio Wrestling League tournament.

“I told his job this year was to get us free tickets to the state tournament,” Bowers said. “Well he said to us he’s not only going to do that but he’s going to get us on the podium.”

Unranked Wiley has fifth ranked Lane Lopez of Delta first.