High school wrestling preview: Aiden Kyser re-armed and dangerous for Vermilion

Now that Aiden Kyser has a taste of the state tournament, he hopes to land on the podium. The Vermilion junior finished one match shy of a state placement last year, though he was limited by an injury. He tore his left labrum and was basically wrestling with one arm during the postseason. "He knows not to take anything for granted," Vermilion coach Brandon Gilbert said. "With the injury he had last year, he wrestled the back half of the season with a torn labrum. His shoulder was reconstructed as soon as the season ended. His healing was so much faster than what we anticipated, he's back to full strength. He's been to the state tournament and knows what to expect. The stage isn't too big for him, now it's just his health. Actually being healthy, mentally, gives him more of a boost than anything else. He was like a one-armed man last postseason. He had no usage of his shoulder really, which made it more impressive what he was doing last season." Despite all that, he won the Sandusky sectional title and took third at the Norwalk district. He finished 29-12 at 144 pounds and holds a 58-24 career record. Now that he's healthy, he's ready to build off of last season. "I learned to never underestimate anybody," Kyser said of his state trip. "There have been some kids who I didn't really think they'd be very good based on records and what I've seen, then they come out and surprise you. You never want to get surprised by anybody. Always expect everyone to be good and wrestle the best you can wrestle." Kyser said he had surgery immediately after the season and his mobility was limited for the first three weeks. He couldn't do much work in the offseason as he focused on his rehab, which also prevented him from playing football. So while he was sidelined from football, he ran cross country to stay in shape. When he returned to the field, he had to convert to running back on offense as his injury limited his ability to play slot receiver. He also plays linebacker. But despite being limited, he still focused on getting better for the wrestling season. "I wish I could have done more," Kyser said. "Mainly I just watched wrestling, tried to watch better wrestlers and get some moves out of it. I ran cross country to stay in shape because I wasn't allowed to play football at first." When he's fully healthy, Kyser is a force just like his brothers. His older brother Owen was a state qualifier — who also finished one win shy of the state podium at 150 in 2023 — and is now an assistant coach with Vermilion. His younger brother Isaac is a freshman vying for time at the 170-pound weight class. And like his older brother, Kyser excels on top. He's worked to develop more moves to get out on bottom and improve his takedowns. "It's like drowning almost for the wrestler underneath him because he doesn't give you any room to breathe," Gilbert said. "He's a monster as far as what he runs with his leg series. It's definitely a strength of his. He's come a long way on bottom, not like he used to be. He took his lumps when he was a freshman. And he's learned to manage things on his feet. He's strong, hard to score on, but he's becoming more proficient on his feet. There's a premium on that with the change in scoring." And as good as he is on the mat, Gilbert added that Kyser is just as good off of it, providing a constant for the rest of the team to rally around. "For him I wouldn't say it's vocal so much," Gilbert said. "It's definitely more the actions. He's so steady. There isn't that ebb and flow of emotions that others experience during the highs and lows of the season. He walks through the door and you know what you're going to get. You know the energy level is going to be there, you know the attitude is going to be positive. He's so solid in that way. For a coach, it's a dream come true." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.