COLUMBUS — Mount Vernon freshman Alex Taylor believes he’s the best wrestler in the room every time he enters one.
It’s an authentic, unique confidence – born from hard work, dedication and a father’s love.
“My dad puts (that confidence) in me. He assures me before every match that this kid can’t beat me. …” Taylor said. “It’s what I’ve done my whole life – I beat kids that are bigger than me.”
It was this confidence that allowed Taylor, the only freshman in the 215-pound weight bracket at this weekend’s Division I state tournament, to win five straight consolation matches after dropping his first in overtime on opening night.
It was this confidence that allowed Taylor to earn a spot on the podium – and make history in the process.
Taylor placed third in his weight class at the Schottenstein Center on Sunday, becoming Mount Vernon’s first freshman wrestler to reach the podium at state. He beat one sophomore, two juniors and two seniors on his tear through the consolation bracket, finishing his first state trip with a 5-1 record.
“As a freshman, and at the weight class of 215 – I mean, he’s going up against grown men, and he’s only 14 years old still. He’s a young freshman. And he’s obviously wrestled his whole life, and he knows what he’s doing, but we weren’t sure what this next level was going to entail, as far as what weight classes he was. He was wrestling against juniors and seniors and things like that,” Mount Vernon head coach Corey Firebaugh said.
“But with Alex, it didn’t matter. He takes on all challengers and he just loves to compete. He loves to wrestle – no matter who it is or how old they are, it doesn’t matter to them. It’s pretty cool.”
Taylor is Mount Vernon’s highest boys state placer since Lane Hinkle, who finished third in the 160-pound weight class in 2015. He is the program’s fourth boys wrestler to place third at state (five Yellow Jackets have placed second; none have placed first).
He was also one of four Knox County wrestlers to earn a spot on the podium in Columbus this weekend.
Mount Vernon juniors Brock Blankenhorn (106) and Emma Rinehart (115) each placed, with Blankenhorn taking sixth in the Division I boys tournament and Rinehart taking seventh in the inaugural OHSAA girls state tournament. Centerburg junior Caylan LeMaster (157) finished eighth in the Division III boys tournament.
Taylor came into Sunday having already made history, as his 3-1 victory over Austintown-Fitch junior Mark Stankorb in the second round of the consolation bracket Saturday afternoon guaranteed him a spot on the podium.
He went on to win again Saturday night, outlasting Lancaster junior Cole Dickerson, 2-1, to advance to the consolation semifinals.
But the freshman wasn’t done yet.
Taylor came out firing Sunday morning, forcing overtime against Stow-Munroe Falls senior Teddy Gregory after falling behind 3-2 on a takedown with 24 seconds left in regulation. He then capitalized on the opportunity, taking Gregory to the mat 15 seconds into overtime to win 5-3 and advance to the third-place match.
Taylor found himself up against another senior in his final match of the weekend. But he remained undeterred. After falling behind early to Little Miami’s Brentan Simmerman, Taylor stormed back, issuing a takedown near the edge of the circle to take a 2-1 lead heading into the third period.
He held on from there. Taylor scored on an escape, then Simmerman did the same, but the freshman from Mount Vernon never gave an inch, preserving his lead with strength and sound defense. Taylor scored on a takedown with four seconds left to come away with a 5-3 victory.
“He’s wrestled in a lot of big stuff (and on) big stages before, so I don’t think that bothered him too much. (But) to lose a tough match in the first round, in an ultimate tiebreaker, and then come back and win five matches to get third is pretty impressive for anyone, let alone a freshman, to come back and do that,” Firebaugh said. “I’m just super excited for him.”
When referees blew the final whistle Sunday, Taylor leapt off the mat and flexed for the crowd. He went over to his coaches, Firebaugh and Matthew Lybarger, and issued passionate two-handed high-fives.
Then, as an official raised his hand, he pointed to his parents, who cheered and snapped pictures from the arena’s second level.
“It means everything to me,” Taylor said afterwards. “I wanted first, so I got third. It is what it is. I’ll be back next year. Third isn’t good enough for me.”
Taylor (42-8) finished third at districts, first at sectionals and second at the Ohio Cardinal Conference tournament. He was ranked eighth in the state in BoroFan’s final regular season poll.
Taylor said once he lost his first match Friday, and a state title was no longer in-play, he shifted his focus towards the next best thing: claiming third place. And his approach to getting there was simple: taking things one move, one period, one match at a time.
“(It was just about) taking it one match at a time. I got this kid, beat him by 1. Wrestled the next kid, beat him by 2. I mean, I have to have the most mat time in the whole entire tournament, going 25-minute matches back-to-back,” Taylor said with a laugh.
“It’s just that I know each match, this is just one more kid along the road. Look at it one piece at a time.”
Taylor’s ability to refocus and execute after the first-round loss showed his maturity and mental toughness, Firebaugh said.
“It’s just (taking things) one match at the time. It’s cliché, but you just can’t get too far ahead. Once you drop one, the best you can get is third, and that’s your new goal. You reset the goal, and I think he did that. He just took it one match at a time and he was just mentally tough through the whole thing,” Firebaugh said.
“He had some tight matches, some overtime wins, and a 1-point match he won in the one that he dropped down to. But (he was) just mentally focused. He had a goal in mind and it was first (place), but when that didn’t happen, his new goal was third. And he accomplished that.”
Taylor was one of 22 freshmen to compete in this year’s Division I tournament, which included 224 wrestlers across 14 weight classes. He was the only freshman to qualify for the state tournament in a weight class heavier than 157 pounds (which includes the five heaviest weight classes).
And he was one of just nine freshman to place. Taylor said age or experience never crossed his mind during the heat of competition.
“I’m the best wrestler in this room,” said Taylor, when asked about his mentality heading into matches. “There’s not another kid in this room that can beat me in a match, no matter what I do, how good I wrestle or how bad I wrestle. I am the best kid in this room.”
Taylor, who won a middle school state title last year, has been wrestling for as long as he can remember. He’s traveled far and wide for tournaments, competing on behalf of Mount Vernon’s youth program and club teams.
Because of this, the freshman said he was not intimidated by the Schottenstein Center, which housed roughly 13,000 people this weekend during the preliminary and consolation sessions.
“I’m used to the lights,” Taylor said. “It’s not a surprise to me that I placed third. I expected it. It’s nice, but it’s not what I wanted. I want first.”
Expectations will be high for Taylor moving forward. Firebaugh called his ceiling “limitless,” given his work ethic and love for the sport.
“If he keeps working and stays healthy, the sky’s the limit, really,” Firebaugh said. “He just loves the sport. He loves to compete, no matter where it is or who it is (against). And with that mentality of just wanting to wrestle – and he does it pretty much year-round – the sky’s the limit for him.
“I’m not gonna make any predictions for the future, but I just know that if he keeps working the way he does, his trajectory is just sky-high.”
Taylor proved this year he could compete at 215 with the state’s best. His goal moving forward? Become Mount Vernon’s – and Knox County’s – first state wrestling champion.
“State champ, state champ, state champ. Undefeated from here on out,” Taylor said Sunday, when asked about his goals for the next three years. “I had (eight) losses this year. That’s unacceptable. I have to come back and have zero next year.
“That’s the goal. Every year is a state championship, no matter what.”
