Wrestling TYLER STEIN Canfield
Tyler Stein earned the proper send-off to his high school wrestling career.
In his senior season, Stein took home the Division II 220-pound state title for the second consecutive season and formed the grand finale after Canfield teammates Anthony D’Alesio (182) and Nick Crawford (195) won their respective titles.
Billboards featuring the three champs dot U.S. Route 224.
“It’s been great [for me] and it’s been great for these guys too,” Stein said. “I saw the billboard as I was driving by to get food and I was like, ‘Wow.’ It was pretty cool.”
From start to finish, Stein defended his No. 1 in the state status. He beat the No. 2-ranked Blake Robbins of Louisville four times over the course of the season. He won the first Eastern Ohio Wrestling League title of his career and dispatched Bowling Green’s Max Fausnaugh in the state final with little trouble for an 8-3 victory.
“There really aren’t words that you can use to describe how hard it is. You can describe it as insanely hard, but that still doesn’t describe it,” Stein said of his sport. “It’s a lot of pain and a lot of sweat. If you’ve never been in a room and been through it, it’s hard to understand.”
Stein finished the year with a 45-2 record with both of his losses coming in the Walsh Ironman Tournament to wrestlers from outside Ohio. He competed there two weeks after playing football for the Cardinals, who made a deep run to the regional final.
“I was horrible. I was out of shape,” Stein said. “Wrestling is just totally different [than football]. You’re working every muscle for six minutes. It’s horrible, but it’s good.”
Stein will continue his wrestling career at Ohio State.
“I just want to go and have fun just like I always have. I’m going to make new friends. I’ll miss [my teammates] and everyone here, but I want to go up there and just scrap every day,” Stein said. “I know I’m probably going to get my butt beat the first few months, but my goal is to get better.”
— Brian Dzenis, The Vindicator