Ohio high school wrestler rankings | State champ tops Greater Akron/Canton's top 20
The holiday tournaments are always places to make some noise, and Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers downright screamed. Only four spots held firm from the USA Today Network's original top 20 rankings and four other wrestlers made their debut.
Unfortunately, Alliance’s Aidan Mozden and Brecksville’s Rylan Seacrist joined the list of injured wrestlers needing time to recoup. Wadsworth’s Aaron Ries and Copley’s Javaan Yarbrough are still out. Here’s how things look heading into the new year:
1. Jaxon Joy, Wadsworth
150 pounds, senior
Previous: 1
Joy finished second at the Powerade Tournament, where the Cornell pledge beat Melvin Miller of McCort, Pa., the eighth-ranked wrestler in the nation, before falling 3-1 to national No. 2 Vince Bouzakis of Wyoming Seminary, Pa. He is ranked fourth in the nation by MatScouts.com.
2. Aidan Fockler, Perry
285 pounds, senior
Previous: 3
Fockler scored a pin and won by major decision twice, including a 10-2 win over Brecksville’s EJ German to secure his second consecutive Brecksville Holiday Tournament title. The Central Michigan pledge is ranked 15th in the nation by MatScouts.com.
3. Eddie Neitenbach, Buckeye
190 pounds, senior
Previous: 2
Neitenbach scored two pins and beat Delta’s Connor Sintobin by technical fall to win the Medina Invitational Tournament for the second consecutive year and help the Bucks to the team title. The Wyoming pledge is ranked eighth in the nation by MatScouts.com.
4. Colyn Limbert, Buckeye
113 pounds, senior
Previous: 5
Limbert scored bonus points in five of his six matches to win the Medina Invitational Tournament for the second consecutive year. The Pitt pledge also helped the Bucks to the team title.
5. Keegan Sell, Garrettsville Garfield
190 pounds, senior
Previous: 7
Sell won the Brecksville Holiday Tournament after finishing seventh last year. The returning state champion scored three pins and a decision and beat two-time Brecksville placer Colin Wooldridge of Cincinnati LaSalle 7-0 in the final.
6. Kaden King, Buckeye
165 pounds, senior
Previous: 6
King bettered his third-place finish from 2022 by winning the Medina Invitational Tournament. He scored four bonus point victories before the final and then beat returning state runner-up Kayon McKinney of Sandusky Perkins for the title.
7. Charles Curtis, Perry
138 pounds, senior
Previous: 11
Curtis took home a title at the Brecksville Holiday Tournament after finishing seventh last year. The two-time state placer scored bonus points in three of his five matches and beat Arizona state runner-up Giosue Hickman of Canyon View 10-2 in the championship.
8. Brayton Feister, Hoban
215 pounds, freshman
Previous: 8
Feister made his tournament debut at the Hudson Holiday Tournament and scored four pins before beating Medina’s Cliff Nicholson by tech fall in the final. He didn’t wrestle at Brecksville for precautionary reasons and will return to the lineup for the Knights.
9. Mason Rohr, Perry
126 pounds, sophomore
Previous: 12
Rohr scored bonus points in three of his matches on the way to a runner-up finish at the Brecksville Holiday Tournament. The returning state placer also beat reigning state champion Abe Hermes of Edison in the semifinals.
10: Brandon Bickerton, Highland
106 pounds, freshman
Previous: 9
Bickerton beat state placer Luke Green of Aurora on the way to a seventh-place finish at the Brecksville Holiday Tournament. The freestyle national champion is ranked 16th in the nation by MatScouts.com.
11. Johnny Green, Aurora
113 pounds, junior
Previous: 10
Green scored bonus points twice on the way to a fifth-place finish at the Brecksville Holiday Tournament. The freestyle All-American and two-time state placer beat Michigan state champion Haydn Nutt of Dundee 7-6 in his consolation final.
12. Israel Petite, Nordonia
150 pounds, senior
Previous: 14
Petite scored a pin and technical fall on the way to a second-place finish at the Barnesville Doan Ford Invitational. The two-time state placer lost by a point in the final to reigning state champion Reese Stephen of Barnesville.
13. Liston Seibert, Perry
113 pounds, sophomore
Previous: Not ranked
Seibert scored bonus points in four matches on the way to a third-place showing at the Brecksville Holiday Tournament. He beat Michigan state champions Haydn Nutt of Dundee and Wyatt Lees of Detroit Catholic Central along the way.
14: Emeric McBurney, Perry
120 pounds, junior
Previous: 15
McBurney scored two pins on the way to a third-place finish at the Brecksville Holiday Tournament. The returning state placer beat Perrysburg’s Alex Denkins 9-3 to help the Panthers to the team title.
15. Lincoln Rohr, Perry
106 pounds, freshman
Previous: Not ranked
Rohr beat freestyle national champion Brandon Bickerton 4-1 en route to a third-place showing at the Brecksville Holiday Tournament. He beat Dundee’s Mason Katschor, the No. 4 wrestler in the state of Michigan, in his consolation final.
16. Kolten Barker, Louisville
126 pounds, senior
Previous: 16
Barker scored three pins on the way to a Medina Invitational Tournament title. The returning state placer pinned Michigan state placer Preston Lefevre of Clarkston to win the title. Barker was runner-up at the Hoover Holiday Tournament.
17. Austin Bickerton,
Highland 113 pounds, freshman
Previous: Not ranked
Bickerton pinned state placer Johnny Green of Aurora and won by decision over Michigan state champion Haydn Nutt of Dundee on the way to a runner-up finish at the Brecksville Holiday Tournament. The junior high state champion’s only loss came to Perrysburg’s Grey Burnett, who is ranked seventh in the nation by MatScouts.com.
18. Blake Bartos, Buckeye
113 pounds, sophomore
Previous: 18
Bartos scored three pins and a technical fall on the way to a runner-up finish at the Medina Invitational Tournament. The state placer’s only loss came to two-time state finalist and reigning state champion Adam Mattin of Delta.
19. Gino Perrine, Nordonia
165 pounds, senior
Previous: 20
Perrine logged three pins and a major decision on the way to the final of the Barnesville Doan Ford Invitational. The returning state placer’s only loss came to West Virginia state placer Jameson Maynard of Wheeling Park in the championship.
20. Blaine Chrisman, Medina
175 pounds, senior
Previous: Not ranked
Chrisman pinned three individuals and won by major decision on the way to his title at the Medina Invitational Tournament. The returning state placer beat Canfield’s Tyson Seeshotz 7-4 in the final.
Others: Preston Bello, Southeast; Robert Davis, Stow; Steven Duffy, Woodridge; Braden Dunlap, St. Vincent-St. Mary; Marshall Geckler, Perry; EJ German, Brecksville; Luke Green, Aurora; Rylan Hurley, St. Vincent-St. Mary; Jace Jett, Brecksville; Jake Lyons, Tuslaw; Cody Miller, Canton South; Camryn Mitchell, Marlington; Jackson Phillips, Barberton; Evan Rizzo, Brecksville; Brett Stanley, Brecksville; Andy Vanscoy, St. Vincent-St. Mary; Taggert Wade, St. Vincent-St. Mary
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Greater Akron/Canton high school wrestler rankings bring change
