Dlorrah Harrold was on the doorstep of the state tournament last year. She led Emily Jirousek of Keystone in the first round before being pinned. The Mentor wrestler then battled back, recording three straight pins, including one over returning state placer Chelsea Gipson of Cleveland Heights, to be in the go-to state consolation semifinals. She met Jirousek again and once again had the lead before she was pinned. Related Articles Hockey area stat leaders for Jan. 6 News-Herald hockey Top of the Crop for Jan. 6 Perry Pin City wrestling: Pirates rounding into form at the turn of the new year Mentor vs. Cleveland Heights boys basketball: Cardinals’ comeback bid falls short, 78-70 PHOTOS: Mentor-Cleveland Heights boys basketball, Jan. 3, 2025 A run like that ending just short of the big stage either demoralizes a wrestler or has them excited to step on the mat again. “It gives me something to base myself off of,” Harrold said. “I could look at the small things and the details that a lot of people might not notice. It was really the small things like that in a match between two girls that is always so close. You have to be able to perfect the small things in that moment which makes all the difference. And after one of those matches doesn’t go your way, you can take a step back and look at it, almost like a blueprint in a way.” Harrold began her senior season with a strong start, taking third at the Ashton Hynd Battle by the Lake at Madison. She wrestled up a weight class at 235 pounds from the 190 where she wrestled the past two seasons. As a sophomore, she was a state alternate for the Cardinals and finished sixth in the district tournament last year at the weight. This year, it was a different challenge starting the season up a weight class for the first time in her career. Mentor girls wrestling coach AJ Carl said over the preseason, you could see a different side of Harrold as a competitor. She was ready for the challenge the upcoming season held. “After regionals you could tell that she was really disappointed,” Carl said. “Over the summer it lit a fire under her. She got hurt during rugby and that put a little damper on that. But what happened at regionals last year and going down to state and seeing all the girls that she beat that were wrestling in Columbus, that lit a fire under her and she was ready to go.” But Harrold didn’t expect to stay up at 235 all season. She planned to return to the weight class she had called home for the last two years. Her transition to 190 came at a unique time. She dropped back to the weight class at the Lady Longhorn Invitational on Dec. 27-28, just after the two-pound allowance for wrestlers. Harrold pins Katie Bolen of Massillon Washington (Ben Hercik) But she had to make scratch weight first and that was  difficult. She made the weight but fell to Nadia Gates of John Adams in the first round. Harrold rebounded to win her next three matches, all by fall. “For dropping weight classes, you have to be a lot quicker with things,” Harrold said. “You need to pay attention to their quicker reactions and reflexes. That match with John Adams was fully on me, I went for a move and wasn’t fully committed to it. I didn’t get the end result I wanted but you just have to keep working on it and going from there.” Harrold is the senior leader of the team. Julia Marshall and Nora Tulanson are also seniors, but Harrold brings the most experience. With that comes younger wrestlers approaching during practice or after matches for advice. Harrold has learned from Lorelai Megery and Maddie Menchaca what it’s like to be a leader for Mentor. “It’s kind of great,” Harrold said. “Especially with our team, we’re not as big as some of the others so we’re extremely close. So it’s kind of easy on our team because everyone cares about everyone else. They want to know what you think, how you think they can improve. They want to get better and are eager for feedback. It’s good leadership, there were great leaders before I was a senior, and I learned from them how to lead a team.” Harrold can be the vocal leader when needed but her go-to style of leadership is leading by example. None other exemplify that than in the lead up to the Lady Longhorn Invitational. Not only did she decide to drop a weight class, but she didn’t make weight until the day of the tournament. While wrestlers not making weight until the day of the tournament usually stresses out coaches, Carl was confident in Harrold. He knew that no matter what the mountain was, Harrold was going to climb it. “She was over by six the practice before,” Carl said. “But she got in her extra workouts, got her weight down and she’s really focused now. She’s working hard and getting after it. She has to keep her head on straight and stay focused. Just not think too much and stay focused on her goals. We all know that she can do it, it’s just about being focused and ready.”