Garrison Weisner barely misses out on a state title

Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

Halfway through his wrestling career, Garrison Weisner has nearly reached the summit.
The Clay sophomore recently finished his season as the state runner-up at 120 pounds in Division I.
Weisner, who finished the season 36-5, lost, 11-7, in the finals to St. Edward sophomore Karson Brown. That was preceded by Weisner’s 9-3 victory over Perrysburg’s Alex Denkins, a pin in 3:04 over Brunswick’s Edward Skiba and a 3-1 win over Dublin Coffman’s Blaze Van Gundy in the first round.
Clay coach Justin Wharton talked about Weisner's mindset heading into the state tournament.
“I felt like the week leading into the state tournament and being down at the state tournament for the four days, he was very focused, and the things he needed to do to allow him to have success on the mat, the things he could worry about — diet, warming up, just the overall mindset and mentality — he took care of,” said Wharton. “As a coach, when the wrestlers feel good, you feel good. You could just tell he was dialed in. He is someone that has been competing and has had success at a high level for a long time. To see him locked in, have some autonomy, what he wants to do before a big match, it was really cool to see the maturity and growth set in as well.”
Wharton talked about Weisner’s performance on the mat.
“He opened up with Blaze Van Gundy from the Columbus area, who came back and placed. The kid was taller, he could scramble really well. Needing to go into the match, this one especially when you’ve never wrestled the kid, he was new to the scene. Garrison was focused on getting into the position that he’s best in, I think it was a two-point match,” said Wharton. “In the second round, wrestling against Edward Skiba, he took care of business, and in the semifinals, he wrestled the young man from Perrysburg. Those matchups have been fun to watch the last few seasons. It shows his ability to continue to adapt and make adjustments; he’s ultra focused, super focused once the whistle blew. When you go into the state tournament, it’s never easy because they know what you do really well, what you don’t do really well (if you’ve faced them before).
“From the time the whistle blew, he had a great attitude, great energy, and it translated into some wins,” he said.
Weisner also won the Solon Comet Classic and the Clyde Dale Carrol Invitational and had good showings at the Maumee Bay Classic and the Medina Tournament. He also had some marquee wins at the IronMan Tournament, one of the nation’s most prestigious events, in Cuyahoga Falls.
Wharton talked about some of the great wrestlers Weisner competed against and beat.
“(Weisner) started out in the IronMan in Cleveland,” Wharton said. “He didn’t place, but he had a win over a two-time Tennessee state champion, and he beat that young man by 12 or 13 points. At the Solon Tournament, he beat a pair of state qualifiers and he beat Louisville’s Colton Barker, who finished in seventh place at state and is a two-time state qualifier. In the Maumee Bay Classic, he beat a young man from Galion in the semifinals who was a state runner-up finisher.
“He had a lot of significant wins and just five losses. His losses were to the No. 1 kid in the country (from Pennsylvania). He lost to a state champion at the Medina Tournament and lost to another in the state championship,” Wharton said.
Weisner has a chance to put his name — if he hasn’t already — with the all-time greats that have wrestled in the program.
“He had a fantastic season. It just kind of shows what his work ethic and dedication are like. His success kind of gives off good energy, and the other kids feed off it,” said Wharton. “It’s been great having him in the program. It’s great to see the other wrestlers see what he’s achieving.
“He’s a fantastic young man when you get to know him. He’s a great mentor; he’s great to have around for the young guys. I’m excited to see what he’ll do in his last two seasons,” Wharton said.