By Josh Lowe, Intermat Wrestle
March 12, 2020 was a day that will not be forgotten for winter sports athletes across the Buckeye State. After varying states of crowd restrictions had come into place from the beginning of that week related to concerns around the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, the call was made to postpone the girls’ basketball state semifinals minutes before the first game was slated to tip off at St. John Arena on the campus of The Ohio State University. Said postponement would ultimately become a cancellation.
It also impacted the boys’ basketball tournaments that were at the regional stage, the ice hockey tournament that was slated to have state semifinals played two days later, and the state individual wrestling tournament that was to start the next day at the Value City Arena on the campus of Ohio State. The “last Schott” for 294 state qualifying wrestlers from the Class of 2020 was denied, while 295 of the underclassmen who qualified for last year’s cancelled state tournament will be participating in this weekend’s tournaments.
Their journey for the podium, and ultimately that gold medal, will commence one year and one day after that cancellation. However, the tournaments will have a different feel this weekend. With Ohio State not available to host this year, each of the three divisions will have their tournament held at a different high school within the Central District; Division I is at Hilliard Darby, Division II is at Marengo Highland, while Division III is at Marion Harding. In addition, the tournaments will be held over two days instead of three, with there being split sessions on the first day for lower and upper-weights.
The last time the state tournament was not held at one venue was in 1978, when the Class A tournament was held at Otterbein College, while the Class AA and Class AAA tournaments were hosted at St. John Arena on the Ohio State University campus. In that year, Lakewood St. Edward won their first individual team state title, and Brian Heffernan became the first state champion in program history.
Among the individual state champions that season was Tom Gallagher, who earned his title at 145 pounds in Class AAA for Mayfield Village Mayfield. This season his son Padraic competes for St. Edward at 160 pounds, and is one of ten former state champions in the field.
Within Division I, he is joined by Dustin Norris (Cincinnati LaSalle) at 126, Victor Voinovich (Brecksville-Broadview Heights) at 145, and Seth Shumate (Dublin Coffman) at 195; in Division II, the trio is Garrett Lautzenheiser (126) and Davin Rhoads (138) from Louisville and Alek Martin (145) from St. Paris Graham Local; while Division III features Zack Mattin (Delta) at 132, Casey Barnett (Milan Edison) at 138, and Gavin Brown (Xenia Legacy Christian Academy) at 145.
Division I
Before the cancellation of last year’s state tournament, St. Edward had won five consecutive team titles, along with 21 of the last 23. The Eagles enter this weekend’s event with 13 state qualifiers, which is the most in any of the three divisions. Six of those wrestlers were district champions: freshman Ryan Bennett (106), junior Wyatt Richter (113), returning state runner-up Sean Seefeldt (120), two-time state placer Richard Delsanter (132), Gallagher, and junior Luke Geog (170). Among those that finished as district runner-up are two-time state qualifier Evan Bennett (152) and returning state placer Hudson Hightower (182).
The battle for the runner-up trophy could yield a for the Central District, as Dublin Coffman could become the first team from that part of the state to finish either first or second in the standings of either the big-school (Class AAA or Division I) or single-class state tournament. The highest finish is third, most recently by Powell Olentangy Liberty in 2017.
Eight Shamrocks qualified for this weekend’s state tournament, including five as district champions: Shumate; freshmen Omar Ayoub (113) and Ethan Birden (132); as well junior Ismael Ayoub (126) and senior James Baumann (138), each of whom are three-time state qualifiers. Also making state are two-time state qualifiers Dez Gartrell (160) and Mitchell Broskie (182), along with three-time state qualifier Riley Ucker (285).
However, that battle will also be contested by 2018 state runner-up Brecksville and 2010 state champion Wadsworth. Brecksville qualified a school-record 11 to state in winning the North Canton Hoover district tournament, with five of those eleven earning district titles: sophomores Kaden Jett (120) and Brock Herman (126) each also qualified last season, freshman Kael Voinovich (145), Victor Voinovich, along with 2019 state runner-up Ben Vanadia (220). Two additional wrestlers each qualified for their third state tournament, seniors James Bronstrup (138) and Anthony Rizzo (170).
The Grizzlies bring nine of their own to state, led by four district champions of their own: freshman Jaxon Joy (106), along with 2019 state placers Mason Brugh (106) and Jon List (195), as well as 2018 state placer Logan Messer (170). Four additional Wadsworth wrestlers have now made it to state multiple times: two-time state placer Landen Hacker (145) is a four-time state qualifier, three-time state qualifier Mikey Lewarchik (126), along with Chris Earnest (132) and David Shue (138).
One of the tournament’s most robust weight classes is at 182 pounds, where the four district champions have two losses in aggregate. Jake Evans (Elyria) placed fourth at state in 2019, and earned his district title with a 3-1 victory over fellow 2019 state placer Hightower. The district champion in the half-bracket with Evans is sophomore Camden McDaniel (Ashville Teays Valley), who enters state as a two-time state qualifier with a 38-1 record on the season. Hightower is in the other half of the draw, and in the same quarter-bracket as Owen Amburgy, a three-time state qualifier who is an undefeated 28-0 on the season. Also in that top half-bracket is 2019 state placer Salvatore Perrine (Macedonia Nordonia), undefeated at 45-0, including a 3-2 victory over Evans on December 30th; it was the only loss of the season for Evans.
The district title earned by Gallagher, which was the fourth of his career, certainly did not come easily. In the semifinal, he beat returning district champion Derek Fields (Brunswick) by a 16-7 major decision despite giving up the first takedown of the match. It should be noted that Fields beat two-time returning state champion Bryce Hepner in order to win that district title. Then to win the championship Gallagher rallied from a 5-2 deficit to upend 2019 state runner-up Enrique Munguia (Elyria) by a 12-7 score. Both those wrestlers were undefeated for their season before facing Gallagher. Munguia and Fields find themselves in quarter brackets with district champions that have just one loss on the season.
A Division I high of four returning state placers populate the 145-pound bracket. Two of those were district champions Nate Burnett (Elyria) and Darnai Heard (Cincinnati LaSalle), who are both in the bottom half-bracket. A third such placer is in that half of the draw, as Hacker could face Heard in a quarterfinal bout. In the top half of the draw, 2019 state placer Jack Haskin (Toledo Whitmer) was undefeated before a 3-2 loss to Burnett in the tiebreaker at the district final; he would be in the same quarter as Kael Voinovich. Also in that half-bracket is three-time district champion Connor Euton (Westerville North), who has not lost since his elimination from the 2019 state tournament.
Victor Voinovich seeks to bookend his career with state titles, and will do so in a field with two additional undefeated wrestlers. Three-time state qualifier Alex Garee (Perrysburg) is also undefeated on the season and in the same half-bracket as Voinovich, while 2018 state placer Austin Mullins (Huber Hts. Wayne) also did not lose a match though he had a very limited season prior to the sectional tournament due to injury. The other district champion in the half-bracket with Mullins is returning state placer Lucas Uliano (Olentangy Liberty), whose only loss of the season is to Voinovich.
The other Division I weight class with three undefeated wrestlers is at 220, where 2019 state runner-up Ben Vanadia is paired in a half-bracket with fellow undefeated Jake Nelson (Groveport-Madison), who is a repeat state qualifier; while three-time state qualifier Tyler Cobb (Oregon Clay) sits in the opposite half-bracket.
Other notable teams in terms of state qualification numbers include Perrysburg with a record-tying eight; Cincinnati LaSalle and Elyria each with seven to state; while Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller and Marysville each saw six qualify.
Division II
Prior to last year’s state tournament being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Graham had won the individual state team title in 19 consecutive years. However, Louisville was in position to legitimately dethrone the Falcons, as both teams had qualified eight to the state tournament; the Leopards had upended Graham in the 2020 state dual meet final.
Turn to this year, Graham is back in the catbird seat, as they have qualified 12 wrestlers to this weekend’s tournament at Marengo Highland. This includes eight district champions led by 2019 state medalist Nolan Gessler (126), two-time state runner-up Nick Moore (138), and Martin; also winning district titles were now two-time state qualifiers Nick Hart (132) and Nolan Neves (285), freshmen Beric Jordan (106) and Carter Neves (182), along with junior Evan Lykins (220).
Qualifying the next most wrestlers to the state tournament is Louisville, which advanced eight to state, equal to last year’s school-record total. The Leopards’ delegation is led by three district champions in Cameron Brazek (285), along Lautzenheiser and Rhoads. It is a second state tournament qualification for Pablo Castro (132) and Daniel Kennedy (152), while Dan Adams (113), Brenden Severs (182), and Noah Peterson (195) are first-time qualifiers.
Potentially the premier state finals bout in this division could come at 138 pounds, where Rhoads and Moore anchor the weight class. Earlier this season, Rhoads beat Moore via 7-4 decision in the OHSWCA State Duals championship match. Another potential high-profile clash between these two teams could come at 126, with Lautzenheiser and Gessler positioned in opposite half-brackets; when the pair met in that same dual meet, Lautzenheiser earned an 8-3 overtime victory.
Looking at the state tournament field for returning state champion Martin, he is in the opposite half-bracket of the undefeated Logan Ours (Lisbon Beaver), a three-time district champion and 2019 state placer.
Three additional wrestlers join Moore as having earned a previous runner-up finish at state, and each was a district champion this year: Kenneth Crosby (Akron SVSM) at 113, Douglas Terry (Granville) at 152, and Dylan Fishback (Aurora) at 195. Crosby is in the opposite half-bracket of the undefeated Marlon Yarbrough (Copley), who is a two-time district champion; while the fields facing Terry and Fishback are more robust.
Terry, who is now also a three-time district champion, is in one of two weight classes in this division with three multi-time district champions. Sitting in the opposite half-bracket are Peyton Kellar (Vincent Warren) and Elijah Hunter (Sandusky). Kellar is a four-time district champion and two-time state placer, who has not lost since the 2019 state tournament, while Hunter placed third in the 2019 state tournament and is a two-time district champion. The other weight class with three multi-time district champions is 132 pounds; Hart and Koen Kish (St. Clairsville) are in the bottom half-bracket, while Kyren Butler (Copley) is in the top half.
Fishback is the lead figure in the lone weight class of this division to have three undefeated wrestlers. He is in the opposite half-bracket of 2019 state placer Hadyn Danals (Caledonia River Valley), who has not lost since that event, and Austin Starr (Wintersville Indian Creek).
One additional high-profile weight class is 182 pounds, which features a pair of multi-time state placers anchoring the bracket. Cole Hivnor (Mentor Lake Catholic) is in the same half-bracket as undefeated freshman Carter Neves, while Justin Mayes (Bellevue) is undefeated and in the other half of the draw.
Other teams to watch include Lake Catholic, which qualified seven led by a pair of district champions in returning state placer Brendan McCrone (120) and two-time state placer Cole Hivnor (182); Wauseon, which qualified six; along with district tournament champions Lisbon Beaver and Medina Buckeye, who are among the seven schools that qualified five to state.
Division III
When COVID stopped everything last year, it was a really tough development for Milan Edison. The Chargers were in position to win a first state title in the individual tournament, after finishing third in back-to-back seasons as well as in 2015; those third-place finishes are highest in program history. After setting a program record with ten state qualifiers last year, Milan Edison out-did themselves to qualify 11 to state; each of those totals was highest of the Division III field.
Four Chargers’ wrestlers won district titles: sophomore Max Hermes (106), who earned the second of his career; 2018 state champion Casey Barnett (138), a two-time state medalist; along with juniors Shadrick Slone (160) and Remington Bauer (170). An additional four of their wrestlers enter the state tournament coming off of fourth-place finishes.
Xenia Legacy Christian Academy is the primary team to challenge Milan Edison this weekend. The Knights qualified seven to state, which is joint second-most in the division. Very important is the five district champions that they bring into the tournament: freshmen Eli (106) and Dillon (113) Campbell, returning state placer Cameron Lacure (132), returning state champion Gavin Brown (145), and now two-time district champion Nicolas Alvarez (170).
The 126-pound weight class features a Division III tournament high of four returning state placers in the field. Two-time state third place finisher Caleb Edwards (Rootstown) is undefeated on the season, and could draw returning state placer Troy Kennedy (Troy Christian) in the quarterfinal round. While in the other half of the draw, the district champions are two-time state qualifier Trey Allen (Mechanicsburg and returning state medalist Alec Homan (Monroeville). Homan is scheduled to face 2018 state placer Kellan Anderson (Covington), who is now a four-time state qualifier, in the opening round.
Only two weight classes in this division pair undefeated wrestlers against one another. Two-time state qualifier Lucas Stoddard (Burton Berkshire) and returning state placer Trevor Stewart (Springfield Greenon) are in opposite half-brackets at 182 pounds; it should be noted Stewart is the only returning state placer in this weight class field. The other two district champions in this weight are two-time state qualifiers; Carson Meyer (Archbold) is paired with Stoddard, while Will Hash (Bidwell River Valley) is paired with Stewart.
At 220, junior Austin Kohlhofer (Delta) is now a two-time state qualifier, while Austin Ryder (Dalton) is making his state tournament debut; the pair are in opposite half-brackets. The other district champion in the Kohlhofer half of the draw is freshman Julien Griffith (Marion Pleasant), while the weight’s lone returning state medalist Kaden Kidd (Creston Norwayne) is a possible quarterfinal opponent for Griffith. It should be noted that Ryder has handed Kidd his only two losses of the season, including 4-2 in the district final.
Potential high-profile clashes could occur in the finals at 120, 132, and 138 pounds. At 120 pounds, Brandon Hahn (Pemberville Eastwood) and Max Shore (Casstown Miami East) are the lone returning state placers in the weight class. The lone loss for Hahn on the season came against Riley Prosser (Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic) in the sectional tournament, but was reversed in the district final; Prosser could face Shore in the quarterfinal round.
The 132-pound weight class features three returning state placers. Zack Mattin is in the opposite half-bracket from both Cameron Lacure (Legacy Christian) and Gavin Owens (Eastwood); it should be noted that Mattin beat Owens 7-2 in the district final, and it was the same individual matchup as in the Division III 106-pound state final from 2009. Owens and Lacure sit in opposite half brackets within the top half of the draw. An interesting point is that Lacure handed Mattin his only loss of the season in an 11-2 major decision during the semifinal match of the OHSWCA State Duals.
The 138-pound weight class also features three returning state placers. Casey Barnett and Logan Hursey (Newcomerstown) are both four-time state qualifiers, who have placed twice at the state tournament, and sit in opposite half-brackets at the state tournament. Hursey is undefeated this season, and could face yet another two-time state placer and four-time state qualifier in Cael Vanderhorst (Covington) in the quarterfinal bout. Barnett sits in the bottom half of the draw where the other district tournament champion is now two-time state qualifier Pierce Taylor (Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas).
Gavin Brown at 145 pounds is in the opposite half-bracket from three-time state qualifier and returning state placer Dylan Matthews (Liberty Center), while the weight’s other returning state placer Austin Shepherd (Norwanye) won his second consecutive district title and is joined in his half-bracket by fellow undefeated wrestler Donnell Marshall (Centerburg).
Other teams with a noted plethora of state qualifiers include Delta and Sandy Valley each with seven; while Barnesville, Mechanicsburg, and Oak Harbor each qualified six to state. For Sandy Valley, that number breaks school record, while at Barnesville it at minimum ties the school record milestone.