Don't call it a comeback: Schlosser, Hoskins, Ohl elevating teams after returns from injury
ONTARIO – LL Cool J said it best in his hit, ‘Mama said knock you out’.
Don’t call it a comeback.
On Friday afternoon at an assembly dual at Ontario High School between the Warriors and Clear Fork Colts, two of Richland County’s best wrestlers returned to midseason form after suffering injuries. Clear Fork’s Luke Schlosser and Peyton Hoskins and Ontario’s Jacob Ohl put on an absolute show in front of the entire Ontario student body.
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It was Senior Day, with flowers going to the mothers (who may have given their sons the same advice LL’s mom gave him), but it almost felt more like Comeback Friday. So many of the storylines from the meet involved wrestlers bouncing back this season from injury.
Schlosser, the area’s top returning state medalist, only began competing in mid-January after needing ankle surgery and missing most of the football season.
He needed only 68 seconds to pin his opponent in the 165 class on Friday. This was his third dual meet since returning to the lineup and he was runner-up in his only tournament so far, losing 2-1 in the finals.
“I think I’m about 90-95 percent,” he said. “It’s just conditioning, getting back to feeling the way I did, timing, all of that. I feel pretty close.”
Schlosser hated missing the J.C. Gorman Invitational, the area’s biggest tournament, but he was glad to see his younger brother Blake win a title. Blake followed Luke on the mat Friday and needed only 65 seconds to win his 190 bout.
“I wanted to come back (for the Gorman) and talked to all my coaches,” said Luke, who is ranked fifth in the state after earning a fourth-place medal in 2023. “I wasn’t going to risk the future and making it back to state just so I could wrestle in the Gorman.
“I’d love to be on top (of the state podium), but I’m just trying to wrestle my hardest. Whatever it gets me, it gets me.”
Friday was the first time back on the mat for Hoskins since having to exit the Gorman early with a strained knee ligament.
In the only match between returning state qualifiers, it looked like Hoskins was headed for at least a major decision over Julian McGinty at 132. Instead, he got thrown to his back in the third period as the student section went berserk.
Somehow, Hoskins avoided getting stuck, literally flipped the script for a reversal and turned that momentum into a pin. Whew.
“(The crowd) kind of pumped me up as well,” he said. “(Ending up on my back) caught me off-guard a little bit, but we’ve worked on these situations. We’ve had practices where we work out of throws.”
Ohl knows how he feels. Even though Ohl was a state runner-up two years ago and made it back on the podium last year, a knee injury derailed his chances of winning a title in 2023. And, now he’s dealing with an ankle injury, just recently getting out of a walking boot.
“It hurts right now, but I really wanted to wrestle today,” said Ohl, ranked No. 2 in the state at 113. “I like these (assembly meets). It’s a good environment.”
Ohl put up a gutsy postseason as a junior last year battling through multiple injuries to earn a state berth and eventually a podium finish as he had to withdraw from his seventh-eighth-place match at state due to multiple injuries. With the walking boot off, Ohl brought a different energy level to his senior day meet and helped the Warriors to a 42-39 victory over their MOAC rivals.
Clear Fork coach Nick Allerding sees the same energy shift for his Colts with Schlosser and Hoskins back in the lineup.
“Luke elevates everybody,” he said. “He busts his butt and he’s the hardest worker. When you come back from injury, and it’s an ankle, you’re limited to upper body stuff. He didn’t really do anything on his ankle until Christmas, so getting back in shape as fast as he has is exciting.
“Peyton’s the same way. Nobody wants to wrestle him in the room because it’s going to be intense. Whether you’re just drilling or going live, he’s going to come hard.”
And all three will look to make their mamas proud in a couple of weeks as they look to deliver the knockout on their way to MOAC championships.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Don't call it a comeback: Schlosser, Hoskins, Ohl elevating teams after returns from injury
