• Sports

Pride of the WCAL: Lemon, Geiser working for state wrestling titles

• By Aaron Dorksen
• February 12, 2022
• 1674

Waynedale’s Peyton Lemon and Dalton’s Tate Geiser were nice enough to talk to a group of about 30 Golden Bear youth wrestlers recently.

They were peppered with a variety of questions: Who’s the better wrestler? Who’s the better football player? What was it like to wrestle at state?

The grade-school grapplers hung on just about every word the senior two-sport All-Ohioans had to say and with good reason.

Lemon and Geiser are everything parents or coaches could want in student-athletes. They get good grades, excel in sports and are team captains.

After both finished as Div. III runners-up at last year’s state wrestling tournament, they’re both ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes and working to go all the way in 2022.

Geiser will try to become the first Dalton grappler to win a state title while Lemon is hoping to become the fifth Golden Bear to capture a crown.

“There's a commonality with Peyton Lemon and Tate Geiser: They’re both hard workers and grinders,” Waynedale wrestling coach Louie Stanley said. “Last year at districts and state, they could be in a battle or even losing early in the match, but you don't want to be wrestling those two in the third period.

“A lot of kids will wrestle hard early and then kind of fizzle out or get tired. Every coach in America will tell kids they have to wrestle a full six minutes, but it’s not easy to do. Peyton and Tate not only go the full six, but they turn up the heat as the match goes along, and that’s why they both made the finals last year.”

Lemon owns a 12-0 record this season, has 131 career wins and is ranked first at 175 pounds in Div. III by borofanohio.net. He dropped a 5-2 decision in last year’s 170 title bout to since-graduated Sevi Garza of Rittman.

“It was definitely disappointing at the time just because you know you're so close to your goal and then you don't get it, but I did take a step back and appreciate the journey,” said Lemon, who has committed to sign a football scholarship to play quarterback at Div. II Ashland. “There were definitely learning points from that match and that season, and it just helps me to be extra motivated this season.”

Geiser has a 27-3 mark this season, is ranked first at 157 and is 119-19 for his career. Buckeye Local’s Brian Palmer scored a 5-1 decision over Geiser in last year’s 152 championship.

“It wasn't really what I wanted, but I guess it showed me that I am up there with those top guys,” said Geiser, who’s committed to wrestle at Div. I Cleveland State. “It gave me confidence, and I’m doing everything I can to win the title this year.”

Lemon underwent thumb surgery to repair torn ligaments after the football season, but after getting a late start, he said he feels close to 100%. The three-year starting quarterback is Waynedale’s career record holder for yards passing (4,907) and TD passes (44) and set the single-season mark for TD passes (22). He also racked up 1,920 career rushing yards and 24 TDs.

“I've always loved wrestling, but I've had the dream of playing college football since I was really young,” Lemon said. “There's just something about it that you can't get anywhere else.

“I'm hoping that I'm around football as long as possible, maybe coaching after I'm done playing. Ashland seemed like a really good fit. They have a really good academic program, and I like the coaches and facilities.”

Dalton’s football team had a memorable season, finishing at 11-3 as WCAL champs and Div. VII, Region 25 runners-up. Geiser led the team with 121 tackles while carrying the ball 142 times for 891 yards and 17 TDs.

The Dalton middleweight was impressed after visiting CSU and looks forward to spending his college years on the lakefront.

“I like the Cleveland State coaches, and I think they do a really good job,” Geiser said. “I think the program is heading upward, and it’s a really nice campus.”

Dalton wrestling coach Kenton Lemon said Geiser is one of the hardest workers he’s been around.

“Tate is constantly grinding, and he works his butt off every day,” said coach Lemon, a 2009 Waynedale graduate and a third cousin of Peyton Lemon. “I think that's probably the biggest difference that separates him.

“It's easy to work hard every once in a while, but he does it every day. Tate was really laser focused his first three years. He still works extremely hard, but I think he’s enjoying wrestling more this year. He’s really good at pulling the younger guys along, and he can kind of lighten the mood at times.”

Dalton has arguably its best wrestling team in school history and hopes to challenge Waynedale for the WCAL title. The Bears will put a record 10-year title streak on the line when they host the league meet on Feb. 19.

“The league is always interesting, and Waynedale is the measuring stick,” coach Lemon said. “If you want to be the measuring stick, you’ve got to knock them off the top. It will be interesting.”

No matter where Peyton Lemon and Geiser end up down the road, their coaches and teachers are confident they’ll be successful.

Lemon, the son of Mark and Melissa Lemon, has a 3.82 GPA and plans to study exercise science.

Geiser, the son of Traci and Jason Geiser, has a 3.3 and will major in business finance.

They’re both regarded as team-first athletes with high character.

Stanley said both boys were raised by great sets of parents.

“They had great role modeling at home, and they bring it to the academic arena as well as athletics,” Stanley said. “It just makes coaching fun because they just do everything right.

“If they could do it over again, most dads and coaches would probably say they wish they would have worked harder. Peyton and Tate won’t have that regret. They’re the rare kind of kids who make us turn the lights out and tell them to go home at night.”

Aaron Dorksen can be emailed at aarondorksen24@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AaronDorksen.