Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Clay High School senior Garrison Weisner captured his school’s fourth all-time Ohio High School Athletic Association individual state wrestling championship with a 7-4 sudden victory in overtime over Massillon Perry’s Mason Rohr at 144 pounds on March 15 at The Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center.
“Honestly, I never thought I could do it,” Weisner said. “I believed in myself, but not to the point where I actually thought it was going to happen. I cried. I can't believe I did it.”
Weisner (39-4), who won his first state title after placing at the state tournament in each of his first three seasons, joins Richie Screptock, who won a 132-pound title in 2014 and Matt Stencel, who won titles at 195 pounds in 2015 and 220 pounds in 2016.
Weisner’s performance helped the Eagles finish 16th overall in the team standings with 27 points. Perrysburg won its first-ever team state title, knocking off 10-time defending state champion, St. Edward.
Clay head coach Justin Wharton described Weisner’s performance as fearless.
“He left it all out there and was very confident,” he said. “In order to achieve the thing he just achieved, you need to be fearless and confident, and he did just that. I’m extremely happy for him.”
Weisner had taken a 4-1 lead, but saw his lead slowly disappear into a tie. In overtime, he secured the sudden victory.
“It was dramatic,” Wharton said. “It was intense. It was one of the more intense wrestling moments that I've been through as a coach, definitely — the most intense. It was also satisfying because that young man works a lot and is a great individual and a great young man, so for him to end up on top there at the end, it was kind of cinematic, if you were to say.”
Weisner suffered a tough defeat to Brecksville’s Cole Speer in the Division I district championship match on March 7. Now, he has defeated a defending state champion in Rohr, and along with a seventh-place finish at state last year, coming in second as a sophomore, and finishing fourth as a freshman, capturing it all means that much more.
“Taking second last weekend, it kind of, I don't know, I cried after that match,” he said. “I haven't won a district title. Then to come in here and win, I mean, it's amazing. I can't believe I did it, dude.
“I worked really hard for it though. Everybody pushed me in the wrestling room, trusting in God, and praying every night. It just (goes) a long way, working hard. Placing in Ironman this year was a big goal. Taking seventh last year wasn't part of the plan, but ... I mean, I got hurt and still placing at state's amazing. Taking second my sophomore year and fourth as a freshman … it's just a lot to battle from. I lost to Mason freshman year two times here in close matches, but he's a tough wrestler. I haven't beat him since we were little. So that's a big win for me.”
Weisner celebrated his title with a corkscrew backflip on the mat, which he said he’s been doing at least in a similar fashion since he was young. He told his practice partners he was going to do it if he won state.
“I've done some pretty cool ones, but that was pretty cool,” he said.
For Wharton, he’s happy not only for Weisner, but his parents, especially his dad. They’ve put a lot of time and resources into the sport, and he said it was pretty cool for them to be rewarded.
“I would just describe it as him being very trustworthy, trustworthy of himself and of the coaching staff and of the training that we're doing,” he said. “And that's not easy to do, to put all your trust into all these things, especially if you've got some bumps and bruises along the way. But, you know, he's done that. Man, just really happy for him.”
