WRESTLING | Smithville's Michael Harris named Most Outstanding Wrestler at Wayne Invitational

SMITHVILLE — Michael Harris doesn’t mind facing guys a little bigger than him. It comes with the territory as a middleweight wrestler.

The Smithville senior used a relentless attack for three periods in downright wearing down Conner Varnes of West Holmes en route to capturing the 144-pound title with a 13-2 major decision Saturday at the Wayne Invitational Tournament.

“I think I fair with them well, because I'm always wrestling bigger guys,” said Harris, who was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.

Harris was one of six locals to take home individual titles in the 49th edition of the event. The West Holmes trio of Brady Smith (106 pounds), Mason Taylor (112) and Dylan Strouse (138) all posted victories to lead the Knights to a runner-up finish in the 19-team tournament, and Dalton’s Greyson Siders (157) and Rittman’s Justin Metheney (175) also were victorious.

In one of two all-area finals, however, Harris was downright impressive. After the returning state placer fought off a shot from Varnes in the closing seconds of the first period and another one to open second, he took control and pushed his lead out to 11-0 before sealing off the victory with a final takedown.

Varnes, the Knights’ usual 150-pounder, moved down a weight class to replace the void left by Tucker Kauffman, who is still working his way back after the lengthy postseason run by the school’s football team.

“I think just having more stamina and being better conditioned helped,” Harris said. “Having that technique, stamina and just being more focused … it all helped.”

That ability to wear down opponents was the theme, early on in finals, for both Smith and Taylor.

The two lightweights dominated their way to respective technical-fall victories, with Smith outlasting Harrison Central’s Justin Sampson 19-4 and Taylor posting an 18-3 decision over Marcus Fricke of Massillon.

“I've wrestled him before, so I know what he does,” Smith said of Sampson. “He likes to come at me really hard, but I knew I could wear him down ... it's easy to wear guys down when they come at you that fast. I just had to control him.”

It was Smith's fifth tech-fall win of the season, while teammate Taylor matched his team-high total from a year ago with his second.

“I need to catch up,” Taylor joked. “Last year I had the most on the team, so this year he told me he was going to beat me. We've just been going at it.”

Strouse also made quick work of Smithville’s Devan Greathouse after a reversal in the closing minute of the second gave way to the senior putting together some nice work on top to turn hm for a pin at the 3:43 mark.

“I wanted to wear him out so it was easier in the second period and easier in the third period ... just needed to keep working my stuff,” the 138-pounder said. “My top game was really good this weekend. It just took a bunch of setting up, but I was able to score a lot.”

Despite those three victories, third-place finishes by Grady Toye (120) and Blake Norman (150) and 191 points overall, the Knights came up five points short of beating Massillon. Triway was fourth, while Dalton (7th, 113½) and Chippewa (9th, 92) also were top-10 finishers.

The move of the day came in the 157-pound title bout in which Dalton sophomore Greyson Siders turned a two-point lead into a second-period pin of Wadsworth’s Adam Ryder.

As Ryder tried to get up out of a hold, Siders — a state qualifier last winter — was able to tip him on his shoulder and then secure the pin in less than five seconds.

“In the first period I was a little sloppy, so I had to get to my breakdown,” Siders said, “He stepped up and I was able to collapse him and lock my legs. At first, I didn't think I was going to get it, but I did.”

The win came on the heels of Siders' tech-fall loss last season to Ryder last season, which was on the mind of the underclassman in the hours leading up to the finals rematch.

“He embarrassed me last year, so it was good to get him back,” Siders said. “I just had to come in with the mindset that I can beat this kid and I have the ability to be out there. So, I just worked what I do. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, because he's smart.”

At 175, Rittman sophomore Metheny knocked on the door of potential pins twice — once in the final 20 seconds of the first period and again with 10 ticks left in the second — before finishing Bladen Garland of Newcomerstown with 36 seconds left in the match.

“When I knew I was up, I knew he was going to try and do something big,” Metheny said. “I just hipped into him every time and I got the dub.

“When he was up top, I tried not to let him cradle me, because that's what those tall guys like to do. I kept trying to get his shoulder down and just roll him.”

Fellow underclassmen Ethan Cuarenta of Triway and Micah Blair took runner-up honors at 120 and 126, respectively, while Norwayne senior Gibson Moore (132), Dalton senior Sean Geiser (190) and Chippewa junior Nate Morris (215) also placed second.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: West Holmes places second at Wayne Invitational wrestling