CHOICES: The Road to State

“It comes with hard work and dedication,” says Beaver Local High School Senior Garrett Givens, who was one of eight qualifiers from the red and white to advance to the state wrestling tournament this past weekend. Beaver Local, a high school in Columbiana County with a long history of qualifiers defining its legacy, continued this tradition, again, with eight athletes punching their ticket to The Ohio State University. Among them were freshman Mark Emmerling Jr. (113), freshman Logan Ours (120), junior Cole McComas (126), junior Skyler Lasure (145), sophomore Logan Krulik (152), senior Beau Smith (170), senior Garrett Givens (220), and junior Daniel Wirth (Heavyweight). Cole McComas finished as runner-up, with Lasure and Ours both securing a sixth place podium placer. “It’s bittersweet. In your heart, you know where you’re at, and where you can be with these guys,” said Ours.

As the top sixteen athletes in each weight class travel to Columbus to compete in the highest level of performance for the high school season, it is a competition of the best wrestlers in the best wrestling state, and according to head coach Jordan Williams, it never disappoints. “Nobody makes it to the State Tournament by accident,” he states. Of those top sixteen, one goal is predetermined. Each of them is there with the aspirations of being the next state champion.

With such a competitive environment, the pressure is on high alert, but for these athletes, that energy is quickly channeled into motivation. The community support stands firm behind them, and although the feeling of stepping into the lights of the arena for the first time can be a mixture of surreal and overwhelming, it does not deter the focus of these competitors from singling out the task that they worked all season long to achieve. “We go to war,” says Lasure, confident as he recalls his third consecutive trip to the mats. To the wrestlers of Beaver Local High School, this is not only a sport. It is a lifestyle.

The process of punching the ticket to Columbus is long and grueling, and for most athletes, training is all year round. “It is a process,” Williams notes, “to get to the point where you are ready to compete at an elite level, but it comes down to a couple of things.” Provide the opportunity, embrace the competition, and focus on improvement. Every day requires an attitude and a commitment to become better than the day before, and this is a concept universally understood by athletes nation wide. There is a commitment to become stronger, to establish proper nutrition through a well-balanced diet, and taking the initiative to consider every opportunity a chance to become better. For many, this includes competing in numerous sports, using the diversity of athleticism to improve other aspects of muscle movement and activity different from wrestling, but beneficial, all the same.

Although the glamor of the arena lights are the long awaited goal, it is the early season that drives the more teachable moments. Every match is perceived as an opportunity to improve, ensuring that every match will mean something. The end of the season is the time for highly executed performances, but it all relates back to the opening matches; where learning and dedicating every match to be more proficient and stronger will lead to the day where the matches will count the most. “You have to know what your weaknesses are, and you have to work on them in order to improve,” Givens says, comparing how the early season prepared him for the competition that was to been seen at the Schottenstein Center. Smith agreed, adding on, “All the tournaments we went to this year were fairly tough, so by going to all of those got us ready for what we would see at States.” To describe the feeling of qualifying for State, Wirth was all too eager to reflect on that moment, where a win at districts would give him his round trip ticket aboard the bus, leading to where champions gather to compete.

“It felt great,” he beamed. “Knowing that, last year, I fell short and didn’t make it to States, but Coach Williams always kept my head up. He told me that I would make it this year, and to practice and trust the process. When you trust the process, then things get done. It was exciting.”

This season was record breaking for the Beavers, with many new milestones set by the team, as a whole, to be met again in the upcoming years. This year was the first time in school history that the team qualified for the State Duels, which took place at St. John Arena at The Ohio State University February 10, 2019, qualifying through a winning 4-0 record in regional action in Alliance, Ohio, to claim the title of Region 12 champions. Givens stated how this accomplishment will be an important tool for the underclassmen for the future seasons, as this experience was not only a challenge to be proud of, but “by giving them a taste of this sort of victory, we can continue this tradition. Beaver Local will become even better.” Fellow upperclassmen Lasure follows, claiming that even as the expectations begin to increase, there is no intimidation impeding the future of Beaver Local Wrestling. “They’ll continue to raise the bar higher than we did [this season].”

Jordan Williams began his career leading the Beavers into wrestling battle nine years ago, taking over the program as head coach, and continuing the legacy that is everbuilding as generation after generation rise to fulfill the shoes left behind from the predecessors. The roots run deep, at least one qualifier representing the school for the past thirty years, and branches out to include some of the most memorable names of the community. One, of which, includes Carl Hoppel, described by Williams to be the most notable wrestler to come from the Beaver Local community, with his achievements paving the way for athletes after him to keep their pursuits high, and their potential unlocked. Hoppel earned his state titles three years as a freshman, junior, and senior, dominating the mat in 1959, 1961, and 1962, and a third place finish putting him on the podium, as well, in 1960. Mr. Hoppel maintains the honor of being the first freshman to win the State Title in Ohio history, was awarded Ohio’s Top 15 High School Wrestlers in 2000, and carried a 99-2 win/loss record. He was recognized by the OHSAA State Wrestling Tournament, as well as remains featured along the arena floor in the “Showcase of OHSAA Champions”, for his extensive accomplishments. In the sixty years that Beaver Local has successfully continued to be competitors in the state tournament, the program has produced 121 state qualifiers, 46 place winners, and 6 State Champions.

“Just having my name up on that board and knowing that I accomplished something that all of those other people accomplished is pretty amazing, especially because there are some pretty great people up there,” says Smith. Krulik agrees, commenting on how great of a feeling it will be to be able to look back on the years to come, a permanent reminder of the hard work and dedication that it took to accomplish this feat. With a program as tight-knit as the Beavers, having such a strong legacy to look up to is part of the foundation of the program, giving numerous names to be remembered, and a lineage of top-notch competitors to model. With a program having such an enriched history and a tradition of top performances in an atmosphere of high level competition, it all comes down to the core elements that stabilize and maintain all fundamental characteristics of a champion attitude. Ask any Beaver, and they will all point to the same conclusion: choices and family.

“Choices” and “Family” are not just words to these inspiring group of individuals. They are the embodiment of what it means to be successful, and a strategy of how to pursue life in any direction it takes, striving to accomplish any goal with the same persistence and relentlessness as would be expected on the mat. They are elements that extend far beyond the wrestling room, and for Williams, it is an important life lesson that he instills in every one of his athletes. “The choices you make will affect the outcome of the situation and/or, your success. We want them to think about that, and make choices that help them to be the best versions of themselves,” he explains.

The CHOICES movement is one that has taken the community by storm, and it is a motto that has developed to connect not only the athletes, but the community, as well. Walk through the school, and it is plastered on t-shirts, wrist bands, and other various apparel. Scroll online, and pictures are hashtagged with the single word. As the athletes were escorted out of town on their way to compete, signs and posters lines the center of town, and still the word repeated in abundance. While the young men improve on the mat, it is evident that the lessons taught in the sport extend far beyond the wrestling room. Life lessons, self accountability, character development. These are all essential skills that have molded the young men to pursue success, and while it may correlate to their attitude in the gear, it is clear that it holds a much more versatile meaning that they are prepared to accept as an anthem to life, in general. “We act as a family”, says Ours, “and we know that life comes down to choices. You can make good choices, or bad choices, but the result will always show.”

Wrestling at State is an exclusive privilege, and it is not one to be taken for granted. With so many aspiring champions on the grind day in and day out, the wrestlers of Beaver Local know that they are no exception, but it is no mistake as to why they continue to achieve soaring heights. Family, CHOICES, and a strong sense of community are the building blocks that lift their program up and onto its pedestal, and there it will remain so long as these fundamental values remain both implemented and cherished as core principles in the development of both athletic and personal career. The future of wrestling looks bright, and although the road to state is a long and disciplined process, it is obtainable. As Givens reminds, it comes with hard work and dedication, but as any of the eight will confirm, the result will be an unforgettable experience.