IBERIA — To say Caylan LeMaster was caught off-guard heading into his final match Saturday would be an understatement.
The Centerburg junior still had his warm-up pants and jacket on when his name was called. The referee – and LeMaster’s opponent – were standing on Northmor High School’s center mat, ready to go.
Chalk it up to miscommunication between the tournament and its wrestlers. And it wouldn’t have been hard to do; this year’s Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference tournament featured middle school and high school wrestlers from eight schools, competing simultaneously on three mats.
Regardless, LeMaster needed to hurry. So he jogged over to the scorer’s table, ripped off his warm-up attire, and took to the mat, arriving just in time for a quick hand-shake and the opening whistle.
It wasn’t how he would have started the match, if given the choice. But the 157-pounder made it work. He battled through adversity and remained focused despite the circumstances.
And six minutes later, here he stood: KMAC champion for the second straight year.
“It does feel amazing,” said LeMaster, who has state aspirations this year after falling one match short last season. “I mean, I definitely have to stay humble, have to keep the big picture in mind, but the wins always feel good.”
LeMaster came out firing in the 157-pound championship match, scoring a takedown early on Elgin sophomore Quinten Harrison and taking a 2-1 lead into the second period. The junior coasted from there, using impenetrable defense and savvy offense to outlast Harrison. LeMaster led 4-3 heading into the third period before claiming the 7-5 victory.
“I’ve wrestled him before, so I know his go-to move is a nice slide-by, he has a really nice slide-by. He’s taller than me, so I had to keep my distance a little bit and kind of wait for him to make mistakes, instead of just forcing moves and stuff,” LeMaster said afterwards.
“So my mindset in that match was just, ‘Keep a good defense (and) work your offense that he gives you. Don’t really try to force anything.’ That was the goal going into that match.”
LeMaster said he had no issues remaining focused, despite the rushed start.
“They called 157. I went up and they said, ‘Hurry up, you guys are up now,’” LeMaster said with a smile. “So I just had to do what I had to do.”
LeMaster finished the day 5-0, pinning his first four opponents before grinding out the title match. He was named the tournament’s “Outstanding Wrestler” for his efforts.
It was a familiar experience for the junior, who went undefeated in last year’s KMAC tournament as well, winning the 150-pound weight class with a 4-0 record.
LeMaster will head into the postseason with high expectations. He fell one win short of a state tournament berth last year, placing sixth at districts (2-3) after a second-place finish at sectionals (3-1).
He still remembers vividly the bout that decided it all. Amanda-Clearcreek senior Grant Guiler pinned LeMaster 20 seconds into the second period of the “go-to” match at Heath High School, where the winner punched their ticket to the Division III state tournament by advancing to the third-place match.
“I was beating the guy for my go-to match, then I got lazy on the bottom, made a sophomore mistake, and he capitalized on that and ended up pinning me,” LeMaster recalled. “One match away.”
LeMaster said he spent the entire offseason thinking about that day.
“It fueled me quite a bit,” the multi-sport athlete said. “I went to a lot of open mats before football season. I practiced way harder. Last year, I had a bad habit of just going through the motions during practice. This year, I’m sweating every single day.”
After qualifying for districts for the first time his sophomore year, LeMaster is looking to make his first state appearance this spring. The key, he said, will be “taking it match-by-match.”
“Definitely don’t take practices for granted because practices matter. You have to get ready for it and you have to be mentally prepared,” said LeMaster, when asked about what he learned last year that he’ll carry in this postseason.
“And don’t take Day 2 for granted. Just because you’re in the semifinal match doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to make it all the way.”
Ohio’s wrestling postseason will begin this weekend with sectionals. Centerburg and Fredericktown will compete alongside 13 other schools Saturday in a Division III sectional tournament at Ridgedale High School.
OTHER KNOX COUNTY WRESTLERS SHINE: LeMaster was one of 14 Knox County wrestlers to compete in this year’s KMAC tournament.
Three other Trojans won their weight classes Saturday. Freshman Thomas Hause won the 144-pound weight class with a 4-0 record, pinning all four opponents. Junior Charlie Sargent claimed the 215-pound weight class with a 5-0 record, including four pins. And senior Mason Lanthorn took home gold in the 285-pound weight class, pinning all five opponents and finishing undefeated.
Centerburg sophomore Christopher Marshall placed second in the 126-pound weight class, falling in the championship bout to Northmor sophomore Cowin Becker, a returning state placer. Senior Justis Schultz finished third in the 120-pound bracket and sophomore Theodore Stygler finished third in the 175-pound bracket.
Seven Fredericktown wrestlers competed Saturday as well. Sophomore Trent Rooke (113) and senior Lucas Herbst (285) both placed second in their respective weight classes. Sophomore Dalton Lang (132), freshman Brice Hay (144) and senior Mason Hoeflich (190) all took fourth place in their respective weight classes.
Junior Konner Manley finished the day 0-2 in the 175-pound weight class, while freshman Wyatt Todd finished 0-5 in the 157-pound weight class.
Elgin won its second straight KMAC team title Saturday. The Comets recorded 283 team points, with three wrestlers winning their weight classes, five finishing second and four finishing third.
Northmor placed second with 221.5 team points, Centerburg placed third with 186, and Loudonville placed fourth with 181. Fredericktown and Lucas tied for fifth place with 70 points apiece, Cardington finished seventh with 66 points and Mount Gilead finished eighth with 26 points.
Click here to see full results from this year’s KMAC tournament, including all individual weight-class champions.
