COLUMBUS — Blake Elliott thought his season was over.
The East Knox sophomore sat in a hospital bed on Dec. 17, after dislocating his right elbow at a tournament in North Canton, and he listened to doctors tell him that he wouldn’t wrestle again this school year. They said he might have a torn ligament, and he might need surgery.
Elliott made it to state his freshman year. He won conference and sectional titles, then placed second at the district tournament. He seemed poised for another trip to Columbus this season – and potentially an appearance on the podium.
And now this?
“I was wrestling my teammate at a tournament. He went to throw me and I kind of just posted my arm, and it just turned into a mess. …” Elliott recalled.
“It was disappointing. I hated to see it like that because I was gonna have a really good year.”
Elliott rehabbed his elbow every day. He stretched it until he regained full motion in it, then he hit the weights, working to regain the strength he’d lost.
Still, he never imagined he’d be back on the mat this season. Until the Monday before sectionals – the official beginning of the wrestling postseason – when the improbable happened.
“I went to see a doctor that Monday, to see if I needed surgery or not. …” Elliott recalled. “And they said, ‘Your elbow looks good.'”
Elliott’s father asked if he could wrestle that Saturday. The doctors said he could, as long as he still wanted to.
“And I said, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna wrestle,'” Elliott recalled with a grin.
East Knox Athletic Director Scott Brickner contacted Beau Rugg, the OHSAA’s director of officiating and sport management, and asked if Elliott could be accepted into a sectional tournament as a late entry.
Rugg said he could, and by Thursday, Elliott had a spot in the 190-pound bracket at Heath High School.
Elliott will admit he was rusty. He hadn’t wrestled in a match in over two months, and his conditioning was off.
But he battled. He fought. And over the next two weeks, the improbable became possible once again.
Elliott placed second at sectionals, advancing to districts with a 2-1 finish. He then finished third at districts, going 5-1 and winning four straight consolation matches to punch his ticket to state.
Elliott made his way back to Columbus, despite the odds. And on Friday, his improbable comeback continued.
The sophomore knocked off Miami East junior Drake Bennett, 9-6, in the first round of the Division III boys tournament.
He will wrestle in the championship quarterfinals Saturday at 9:30 a.m.
“It feels pretty good,” Elliott said afterwards, a grin stretching across his face. Friday marked his first state win, as he finished 0-2 there last year.
“I mean, that’s what I wanted to do when I came down here today, and I hope to carry this momentum on forward.”
A packed Schottenstein Center watched Friday as Elliott gutted out another postseason win. The East Knox sophomore led 6-4 after one period, then 8-5 after two periods, before locking down a victory in the third.
And when all was said and done, Elliott had his hand raised – on the state’s biggest stage, less than three months after his season was informally declared over.
Brickner, who was in attendance and watched from the nosebleeds, said the moment spoke to Elliott’s toughness and character.
“He’s an amazing person,” Brickner said of Elliott. “You can’t just be an amazing athlete to do the things he does. You have to be an amazing person, too.”
Even though Elliott hadn’t wrestled in two months, Brickner said he felt confident entering him into a sectional bracket. The last three weeks have shown why.
“The kid is absolutely relentless,” Brickner said. “And my thought (heading into sectionals) was, ‘If anybody can do this, it’s Blake.’ Normally, after being out that long, their conditioning wouldn’t be there and it would just take them too long to get up and into shape.
“But in Blake’s case, he’s just amazing. He’s a super athlete. He’s incredible during football season; he’s incredible during wrestling season; he’s incredible all the time. So when you’ve got someone special like that – a really great kid and a great student – you want to try and make opportunities for that kid to really shine, because you know they’re gonna do it when their time comes.
“And he’s done exactly what I expected him to do: wrestle his tail off and really fight to have a legit chance at winning a state title this year. I’m super proud of him, and everyone in the East Knox community is as well. He’s an amazing kid to have as a Bulldog.”
While Elliott said Friday he’s focused on taking things “one match at a time,” and that his focus had already shifted to Saturday, he did take a second after the first-round match to reflect on all he’s accomplished so far.
He said he’s wrestling with a different perspective this postseason, given all he’s been through. Through all the pain and heartbreak, a new wrestler has emerged.
“It just makes it even bigger,” Elliott said of his postseason run. “Not having a season, and then being able to come back like that and fight through the past three or four months, has been really good for me.”
FOUR OTHER KNOX COUNTY WRESTLERS ADVANCE: Four other Knox County wrestlers advanced Friday to the second day of competition in Columbus.
Mount Vernon junior Brock Blankenhorn (106) defeated Westlake junior Brad Cerankosky, 5-1, in the first round of the Division I boys tournament. He will wrestle in the championship quarterfinals Saturday at 10:45 a.m.
Friday marked Blankenhorn’s first win on the state stage, as he qualified last year but finished 0-2.
Mount Vernon junior Emma Rinehart (115) pinned Alter freshman Alora Strauser 25 seconds into the second period of their first-round match in the inaugural OHSAA girls state tournament. She will wrestle in the championship quarterfinals Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
Rinehart, who competed in the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association’s Girls State Tournament the last two seasons, now holds a 6-3 record in state competitions.
Centerburg junior Caylan LeMaster (157) gutted out a 6-4 win over Monroeville sophomore Brencyn Evans in the first round of the Division III boys tournament. He will wrestle in the championship quarterfinals Saturday at 9:30 a.m.
This is LeMaster’s first trip to the state tournament.
And Mount Vernon freshman Alex Taylor (215) battled back from a 3-2 overtime loss to Springboro sophomore Aidan Weimer in the first round of the Division I boys tournament to emerge victorious in the evening session.
Taylor defeat St. Edward sophomore Behlen Waugh, 1-0, in the first round of the consolation bracket. He will wrestle in the second round Saturday at 1:35 p.m.
THREE KNOX COUNTY WRESTLERS BOW OUT: Three Knox County wrestlers saw their seasons end Friday at the Schottenstein Center.
Centerburg sophomore Christopher Marshall (126) fell to Troy Christian senior Jason Shaffer via major decision, 12-1, in the first round of the Division III boys tournament. He then lost to Delta senior Evan Hanefeld, 4-3, in the first round of the consolation bracket.
Marshall finished the season 39-10. He placed third at districts, first at sectionals and second at the Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference tournament.
Mount Vernon freshman Mavrik Gregory (144), a state alternate who was afforded the opportunity to compete after another qualifier scratched mid-week, also lost twice on opening night.
He fell to Massillon Perry sophomore Marshall Geckler, 7-6, in the first round of the Division I boys tournament, then lost to Middletown senior Jacob Castillo, 8-6, in the first round of the consolation bracket.
Gregory finished the season 29-14. He placed fifth at districts, third at sectionals and first at the Ohio Cardinal Conference tournament.
And Mount Vernon sophomore Jake Taylor (150) saw his season end as well. He lost to Sycamore junior Eugene Harney, 10-3, in the first round of the Division I boys tournament, then fell to Brecksville junior David Zambounis, 6-1, in the first round of the consolation bracket.
Taylor finished the season 34-13. He placed third at districts, first at sectionals and second at the OCC tournament.
Wrestling will resume at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus. Click here for information on how to attend.
