There’s a pipeline for Ohio State developing with Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy and its lightweight wrestlers.
The Buckeyes already have NCAA champion and former Royals four-time state champion Nathan Tomasello in the fold.
In a few years, the school will add the No. 1 wrestler in the country in Jordan Decatur (120 pounds) along with his brother Jacob (106).
Both are decorated wrestlers, who could have an immediate impact at OSU.
The sophomores had big-time interest from the Big Ten and were being looked at by the likes of Penn State, Michigan and Cornell as well as the Buckeyes and many others.
But Ohio State is a dream come true and the tandem will wrestle under Tom Ryan in a few years.
“I’ve had the ambition to go to Ohio State, especially after seeing Nathan have all his success,” Jordan said. “That was definitely motivation to give me the desire and the drive to attend Ohio State. Ever since I was young, I always asked for everything Ohio State. I even decorated my room Ohio State.”
Jacob, who finished sixth last year at the Division II state tournament, sees the Buckeyes as a dream school as well.
Carrying a 3.5 grade-point average and wanting to major in sports journalism, Ohio State grabbed his interest early and never let go.
“I always knew I wanted to go to Ohio State,” he said. “I wouldn’t have ever thought this dream would become a reality. It’s a huge deal. Ohio State is just the place we want to be. It’s a huge goal of ours.”
That said, the two know things won’t be handed to them despite their lineage. Jacob is slated to wrestle 125, while Jordan, who is ranked No. 1 in the country by internet giants FloWrestling and Intermatwrestle.com at 120, will bump up to 133.
It’s not something either is afraid of as they’ve wrestled tough competition in the past.
In fact, Jordan is already used to wrestling the elite and has the credentials as a two-time Fargo Cadet Freestyle national champ to back it up.
“I’m not scared at all,” said Jordan, who carries a 3.0 and wants to major in either sports or business management. “All the competition and all the competitive nature might have scared me when I was younger. I put a lot of pressure on myself, but as I’ve matured and gotten older I learned that pressure is only something you put on yourself.
“Now I look at it like I’m ready to go. It’s battle time. When I see my competitors rising to the occasion and they’re doing the best they can and looking good, I raise the bar.”
It’s a philosophy Jacob, who is ranked 13th nationally by Intermatwrestle.com, has adapted as well. The two spar in practice all the time, so seeing the elite won’t phase either in their quest to become great.
“In the room, going with Jordan every day, he’s No. 1 in the country,” Jacob said. “If I can hang with him, I feel like I can hang with anyone down there. It’s a huge honor to follow in Nathan’s footsteps. He’s one of the best. This is like a dream”