UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The name Marcus Blaze was well known within Ohio wrestling circles and that subset of fans who pay attention to age group wrestlers.
After this past weekend, the entire USA Wrestling apparatus — administrators, wrestlers, coaches and fans alike — are fully aware of who he is and who he might be one day.
The 17-year-old Perrysburg High School junior placed third at 57 kilograms in the 2024 Olympic trials on Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center. That finish earned him a spot on the U.S. National Freestyle Team, meaning he will have access to coaching, training, potential travel and competition opportunities, as well as the financial support that comes along with that access.
“It’s a feeling like no other. I’ve been able to compete on the world stage, and I won. That was like the peak. This definitely feels really good. I mean, now I’ve got a bunch of fans,” he said, pausing to turn and point to kids hanging over the railing screaming his name. “It’s awesome.”
Spencer Lee won the weight class and will compete in next month’s World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, with the top three finishers in that weight class earning spots in the Paris Olympic bracket.
Blaze, however, made quite the statement in finishing third. Pre-seeded 11th out of 11 wrestlers his weight, Blaze won three of his four matches that took place over the two-day tournament.
“Marcus definitely has put himself on the map,” Perrysburg coach Scott Burnett said.
In his first match of Saturday, against Penn State recruit Luke Lilledahl, Blaze spent the first period dodging and feinting, trying to get the measure of Lilledahl. Blaze was put on the clock for passivity and eventually gave up a point with a minute left in the period.
The opposite happened early in the second, with Blaze being awarded a point after Lilledahl was put on the clock and couldn’t score. With the score tied 1-1 but Blaze now leading on criteria, Lilledahl picked up his pace.
In the process, he was perhaps a bit overeager as Blaze found an opening and converted on a quick, slick low double and went immediately into a leg lace and roll for two and two and a 5-1 lead.
“I felt him fade a little bit with that two-on-one,” Blaze said. “He wasn’t too strong, not as strong as he was in the first period. I knew my two-on-one’s pretty good. So, I pulled it down, the leg presented itself and then I went to the lace. That’s just mental reps. It was just like water.”
Lilledahl feverishly attacked, but lessons learned in his loss to Nick Suriano in his opening bout of the tournament served Blaze well. Lilledahl couldn’t penetrate Blaze’s baseline defense, and Blaze emerged with a 5-1 win.
He was supposed to wrestle veteran Daton Fix in his next match, but the former Oklahoma State star forfeited, setting up another showdown with one of a trio of uber-talented high school wrestlers at 57 kilos, Jax Forrest.
While he’s sure Blaze wanted the experience of wrestling Fix, Burnett said Blaze wasn’t going to dwell on it.
“He just takes what’s in front of him,” Burnett said. “That’s his approach, control what he can control and try his best to improve as much as he can. Then just wrestle who’s in front of him.”
Much like his match with Lilledahl, Blaze trailed at the end of one, having ceded a passivity point. In the second, however, Blaze finally found the openings he was looking for. He scored a takedown with 2:07 left in the period to take the lead and then hooked up a gut wrench for two more and a 4-1 lead.
“I've got a pretty good gut wrench,” Blaze said. “It’s kind of hard to get on these guys at the senior level. They're really good at defense on the mat. I was just staying patient, sticking to what I’m good at. I knew he was a wild wrestler and he's really good at what he does. So, I just knew I had to stay patient and get to what I’m good at.”
With Forrest in desperation mode, Blaze calmly played defense and then turned Forrest’s aggression into more points of his own with a takedown and exposure in the final seconds to set the final at 8-1.
In defeating both Lilledahl and Forrest, some would argue Blaze established himself as the future of the 57-kilo class for Team USA.
“I know he’s going to continue to do the things that it takes to continue to be near the top of the pile,” Burnett said.
Blaze said his performances in this tournament validates where he is as a wrestler and what he could be in the future.
“If I wrestle that great for a whole tournament, I could see myself in the finals,” he said. “It just gives me the confidence to be able to wrestle with anyone.”
For Blaze, the difference between third and first might not be that much. He has already plotted a plan to try to bridge that gap.
“You know, I think I'm just missing a little piece of my wrestling,” he said, “and I think my physical build and the physiques these guys have are just a little more grown up than mine. I just think that's a big factor. Maybe it was a little bit of wrestling error. I think I can go back and fix it and be 100 percent better.”
Based on his performance this weekend, that bodes well for his future.
First Published April 20, 2024, 9:44 p.m.
