Victory Overcomes Expectations: Marla Laishley Surpasses All Odds in Dominant State Wrestling Championship Final

COLUMBUS — It wasn't the weekend Cambridge junior Marshall Laishley wanted, but it's the weekend he's happy he accomplished. He finished sixth at the OHSAA state wrestling tournament March 15 in Ohio State's Schottenstein Center "I came here to get first and be in the finals. Disappointed I got sixth.

It wasn’t what I was looking forward to, but at the end of the day I know I put in more work than anyone here," he said. A district champ coming into the Division II 150-pound weight class, Laishley got his tournament started with 14-0 major decision over Galion's Kane Hay. He lost a tough 4-1 decision in sudden victory to West Branch's Beau Nezbeth to fall into the consolation bracket.

He followed it with a 5-3 win over Ontario's Gavin Miller, but lost another heartbreaker to Perry's Chance Schlauch 9-4 in overtime. In the fifth-place match, it was a third close loss at 4-3 to Bellevue's Ben Jacobs that ended his season. "I definitely feel like I need to finish my shots quicker," he said.

"Every time I get in on a shot, I take a break and that’s where I lost every match because of that. " Basketball: Shenandoah rides stingy season long defensive mindset to Division VI regional berth Check it out: Hey, Guernsey County! Here's what you need to know to start your week Those are the lessons Laishley (48-9) will bring with him into next season.