‘Why not?’ shot ends up at state meet
Among the 102 area wrestlers competing in the state tournament today through Saturday at Value City Arena, the name Michael Ayers sticks out like a sore thumb if only because of the 11-2 record attached to his name in the bracket.
After a long, difficult football season marred by preseason surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, Ayers resigned himself to skipping his
wrestling season at Walnut Ridge to focus on conditioning before playing football at Ashland University next fall.
But after some cajoling from his father, Steve, who is the Scots’ wrestling coach, Ayers agreed to return long enough to help his team win the City League Duals and a third straight City League championship. He also captured his third individual title.
“After that, I sat down with him and said, ‘ Hey, it’s your senior year. Why not go ahead and give the sectionals a try,’” Steve said.
“You never know what can happen. Plus, there’s no pressure. You’ve got nothing to lose.”
Then, a strange thing happened. Ayers placed third at 182 pounds in a Division I sectional, then knocked off two sectional champions to take runner- up in the district meet. His only two defeats came to Hilliard Darby’s Jared Ball, who is projected by many to win the state title.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect this at all,” Michael said. “The only goal I had was to help us win the City again. I guess you can say I’m the ultimate dark horse or underdog at the state. People are going to see my record and wonder, ‘ Where did that guy come from?’ As far as I’m concerned, I’m just going to go out and see what happens. I can tell you I don’t like to lose.”
Although Ayers is a long shot to contend in his first trip to state, he is not lacking in talent or experience. His father taught him to wrestle to age 7.
“Based on my own experiences, I’ve always felt that football and wrestling go hand in hand,” Steve said.
“Wrestling is a big reason why he’s physical, strong and such a sure tackler in football. Even though he’s almost 6 feet 3, Michael is very athletic and quick, and that length and strength really work to his advantage. He also has a lot of mat savvy.”
Steve and Michael have a healthy father- son rivalry. After a superb football career at Brookhaven that culminated in a Division I state semifinal appearance, Steve earned a Division I scholarship to play defensive back at Bowling Green. Michael, also a defensive back, hoped to play Division I football before settling on Division II Ashland. Michael, however, will always be able to say that he qualified for the state wrestling tournament, something his father was unable to do.
“We compare resumes and throw our accolades around at each other all the time,” Steve said, chuckling.
He added that he and his son planned to spar Wednesday for the final time.
“I’m getting too old and Michael is getting too strong for me,” Steve said. “But when he made state, I told him I owed him a sixminute match. We’ll roll around one last time for old times’ sake.”