MOUNT VERNON – After just his first major tournament, Jake Taylor could be called the Master of the Comeback.
The Mount Vernon freshman trailed in his first three bouts in Saturday’s inaugural John Brown Memorial Tournament but managed to win all three. He then won a tight battle in the final to claim first place in his weight class.
“It’s such an honor to win this,” Taylor said after his bout. “Wrestling for Mount Vernon is an honor. I’m so proud to be wrestling for this team.”
Taylor (150 pounds), who is unbeaten so far this season, was one of two Mount Vernon Yellow Jacket wrestlers to claim first place at Energy Fieldhouse on Saturday. Colton Spurgeon, a senior who placed at the state tournament last season, came in first at 126.
Mount Vernon also claimed one runner-up and three fourth-place spots. As a team, the Jackets came in second out of 18 schools at the event. Dublin Coffman came in first, claiming nine championships in the 14 weight categories.
The tournament was held in honor of John Brown, who coached the Yellow Jackets from 1994 through 2016. In December 2016, Brown was killed in a one-car accident on a road in West Virginia. During his tenure, he coached 19 state placers and five state runners-up. He led Mount Vernon to a fourth-place finish as a team in 2004.
The tournament’s history actually goes back at least 20 years, known for years as the Wazie Tournament, then as the Bad Apple Brawl. The tournament was not held last season due to the pandemic and was renamed this season in memory of Brown.
“Everybody knows his name (around here). He was really good for the community,” Spurgeon said. “This is my last time wrestling in it, so I just wanted to go out with a bang.”
Taylor trailed in his first bout, 8-1, to Pickerington’s Lee Anderson, but managed to score a pinfall in the third round. He trailed again, 7-3, to Pleasant’s Sam Mentzer but again won via pinfall. Against Elgin’s Kaiden Luikart, Taylor rallied from a 6-2 deficit to pull off a 10-8 victory.
In the final, Taylor and Jonathan Alder’s Owen Crabtree – a district placer last season – wrestled scoreless for two periods. He scored a point when Crabtree allowed him up at the start of the third period, figuring a takedown would win it. The strategy backfired, however, when Taylor scored a takedown of his own with 1:10 remaining.
“I was trying to stay centered, because he was going to have to shoot (attack) to win,” Taylor said. “My leg defense has been pretty good, so I was able to hold him off and get my two points and get the win.”
Spurgeon, who placed seventh at state last season, scored a pinfall in his first bout Saturday. Spurgeon then went on win by a technical fall and a major decision. He dominated Jibreel Smith of Newark in the final, getting several takedowns and two near-falls to win by tech fall in the third period.
Brock Blankenhorn (113) was runner-up Saturday, winning his first three bouts – all by pinfall in the first round – before losing to Coffman’s Rahul Raghuram by 10-4 decision. Conner Lang (144) came in fourth, going 3-2 on the day. Kyler Howard (165) also went 3-2 and finished fourth.
