A weight-by-weight look at the OHSAA Division III state wrestling tournament
The fun is about to start, with the OHSAA state wrestling tournament beginning Friday and running through Sunday.
Last year, Hunter Andel (Garrettsville Garfield), Keegan Sell (Garrettsville Garfield) and Tyler Shellenbarger (Mogadore) headlined the Greater Akron-area in Division III with historic state championships for programs that hadn't won one in decades (like the Wildcats) or ever (like the G-Men).
Who's next?
Here’s a weight-by-weight prognostication of Division III:
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 106 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: none
Favorite: Derion Williams, Trinity. One of 11 freshmen in this bracket, Williams showed the ability to win close matches at Independence, edging Waynedale's Brock Beckler 5-3 in the semifinals and topping Columbia's Michael Frye 3-1 in sudden victory in the title match.
Who's in the way: Braedyn Tammarine, Liberty Center. The sophomore has the most losses of any of the district champions, but don't be fooled. His year has included a win at the prestigious Ironman and three pins and a major decision to dominate the Rossford District.
Dark horse: Michael Frye, Columbia. Though he didn't win a district championship, don't look past Frye, who not only took Williams to overtime in Independence but also fell just 2-1 to Williams in their sectional championship match.
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 113 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Kaden Lawson, Tuslaw; Asher Crissey, Sandy Valley
Favorite: Adam Mattin, Delta. Mattin dominated the 106-pound bracket last year, winning state with four pins and needing just 1:14 to secure the championship match. His only two losses this year came to Perrysburg's Grey Burnett, a district runner-up in Division I.
Who's in the way: Scott Fuller, Genoa Area. It's quite possible the two best wrestlers in this weight class squared off in the Rossford District final, in which Mattin pinned Fuller. Fuller, like Mattin, boasts a history of success at the Schottenstein Center, taking third at 106 pounds a year ago.
Dark horse: Spencer Shore, Miami East. With an impressive 41-1 record, Shore is impossible to ignore. The freshman rolled to the Troy District finals with three pins, taking the title match via a 7-2 decision.
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 120 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Dominic Kemble, Southeast
Favorite: Trevor Wilcox, Otsego. Beyond his gaudy 45-3 record, Wilcox has plenty of experience faring well against top competition, including third-place finishes at the Defiance Border War and Perrysburg Invitational. He is a three-time state placer.
Who's in the way: Logan Dean, Bethel-Tate. The senior announced himself with a remarkable run through the Troy District, including a tech fall in the final over West Union's Ethan Cantrell, who himself pinned Legacy Christian's Eli Campbell (second in the state last year) in the semifinals.
Dark horse: Eli Campbell, Legacy Christian. District semifinal loss aside, it's hard to ignore the senior, who finished as state runner-up to Abe Hermes at 113 pounds a year ago. And it's worth noting that Campbell bounced back from his Troy District semifinal loss to cruise to third place courtesy of a first-round pin and a tech fall.
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 126 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: J.P. Wrobel, Crestwood; Evan Kusmits, Manchester
Favorite: Abe Hermes, Edison. A two-time state placer, Hermes earned gold at 113 pounds last year, capped by an epic 2-1 victory in the championship match.
Who's in the way: J.P. Wrobel, Crestwood. A four-time state qualifier, Wrobel is looking to get on the Schottenstein Center podium for the first time. The Red Devils senior should be buoyed by his dramatic victory over Perry's Riley Rowan for his first district championship.
Dark horse: Nathan Attisano, Legacy Christian. Fresh off his first district championship, the sophomore brings a nice mix of confidence and experience. A year ago, he won his first two state matches before falling to eventual state champion Max Hermes in the semifinals.
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 132 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Ethan Haer, Tuslaw; Nick Malek, Rootstown
Favorite: Dillon Campbell, Legacy Christian. Campbell looks to become a four-time state champion this weekend. Beyond his 12-0 mark at state, Campbell's 12 wins include five pins (four in the first round), four major decisions and three tech falls.
Who's in the way: Casper Caizzo, St. Paul. Beyond being on the opposite side of the bracket as Campbell (always helpful), Caizzo has amassed a remarkable 51-1 record, including a sudden victory triumph over Abe Hermes, another 2023 state champion.
Dark horse: Caden Schmeltzer, Waynedale. In a loaded bracket that includes Campbell, Caizzo and Lake Catholic's Joey Romano (fourth in the state at 120 last year), Schmeltzer bears watching. The three-time state qualifier gave Romano quite a battle in this last week's Independence District championship match.
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 138 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Phil Partin, Manchester; Nathan Lee, Rootstown
Favorite: Dakota King, Barnesville. Only six wrestlers enter the Schottenstein Center with more wins than the 52-2 King. A third-place finisher in the state at 132 pounds last year, King dominated his Heath District competition last week with three pins (all in under three minutes) and a tech fall.
Who's in the way: Chase Vanderhorst, Covington. After two straight years of finishing fifth in the state, Vanderhorst takes aim at even higher in 2024. The key is snapping his streak of losing in the quarterfinals in each of the last two years.
Dark horse: Wyatt Hinton, Norwood. Hinton and Vanderhorst staged a tremendous fifth-place match at last year's state tournament, which Vanderhorst won 3-2. Hinton won the rematch in last week's Troy District semifinals by a 3-0 margin.
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 144 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Tyler Paulus, Rootstown
Favorite: Brodie Dominique, Archbold. A four-time state qualifier, Dominique went 2-2 in Columbus as a freshman, earned runner-up honors as a sophomore and captured his first state title as a junior. At 52-1, he is in the midst of another remarkable season, including finishing sixth at the Ironman.
Who's in the way: Brock Durbin, Mapleton. Durbin has just three losses over the last two years, including falling in last year's state title match to Legacy Christian's Dillon Campbell. He was in fine form this past week at Independence, with two tech falls, a first-period pin and a major decision in the championship match.
Dark horse: Jordan Neal, Allen East. Unlike Dominique and Durbin, who boast plenty of state experience, Neal is a freshman making his debut. Still, at 46-2, Neal commands respect, including three pins in under three minutes last week to capture the Troy District title.
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 150 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Dominic Duvall, Rootstown; Jacob Lyons, Tuslaw
Favorite: Reese Stephen, Barnesville. A state champion as a junior and fifth-place finisher as a freshman, Stephen looks to repeat at 150 pounds. His 50-3 senior season includes four wins at the Ironman.
Who's in the way: Luke Dolan, Brookville. The senior leads Division III with 54 wins. The challenge for Dolan, who finished fifth in the state last year, is he will likely face Mt. Pleasant senior Daxton Chase, who was fourth at 144 in 2023, in the quarterfinals.
Dark horse: Jacob Lyons, Tuslaw. The senior has a knack for winning close bouts. His two wins at state last year included an 8-7 decision and Lyons also won last week's Independence District title by a 3-2 margin.
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 157 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Tristen McKibben, Rootstown
Favorite: Tristin Greene, Keystone. No matter the division, Greene is a force, finishing fourth in Division II at 138 pounds as a sophomore and winning the Division III state title at 157 pounds a year ago. Greene's 42-2 mark includes four wins at this year's Ironman.
Who's in the way: Skyler King, Barnesville. King has placed each of the last two years, placing sixth as a sophomore and fifth as a junior, and has 50 wins entering this year's state tournament.
Dark horse: Tristen McKibben, Rootstown. McKibben had a heck of a district tournament at Independence, going 4-1 with three pins and a major decision. His lone loss came to Greene and he gave the defending state champion a fight before falling 9-4.
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 165 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: none
Favorite: Kohen Horvath, Edison. A year ago, Horvath came oh so close to making the state title match, falling on a tiebreaker in the semifinals to eventual state champ Reese Stephen of Barnesville. Beyond his 53 wins, among the top figures in the state, Horvath is coming off an impressive Rossford District title.
Who's in the way: Braxton Quaintance, Lakota. What made Horvath's Rossford District title so impressive? The fact he topped Quaintance 6-3 in the semifinals. Last year, Quaintance went 3-2 at the state tournament, with his losses coming to eventual state champion Hunter Andel of Garfield in the semis (5-1) and to Oak Harbor's Hayden Buhro in the third-place match (3-2).
Dark horse: Greyson Siders, Dalton. Siders made state as a sophomore, going 1-2 at the Schottenstein Center. He just missed state as a junior, losing a heartbreaker in the blood round. Don't count out the 36-2 Siders, who won a Bill Dies Tournament title this season.
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 175 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Neil Miller, Chippewa
Favorite: Luke James, Edison. In his last two years at Graham Local, James was knocked out of the championship bracket by the eventual Division II state champ — Aurora's Tyler Lillard in 2022 and Buckeye's Kaden King in 2023. At 53-1, with a Rossford District title and Brecksville Invitational Holiday Tournament runner-up finish, James commands respect.
Who's in the way: Awsom Mitchell, Triad. Beyond boasting arguably the best first name in the tournament, Mitchell carries a 51-1 record with him to the Schott. His lone loss came to Shawnee's Riley Stevenson, who won two matches at state last year.
Dark horse: Kasen Wellman, Ayersville. Mitchell and Stevenson could square off in a state semifinal, but Mitchell would likely have to get by Wellman first, with Wellman boasting a hefty 52-4 mark and a sixth-place finish at 157 pounds last year.
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 190 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Keegan Sell, Garfield
Favorite: Keegan Sell, Garfield. Coming off winning the second state title in program history, the G-Men senior is in the midst of another remarkable season. Sell is 50-1 entering the state tournament, with his only loss coming to Division II Kenston District champion Eddie Neitenbach of Buckeye, and is coming off an impressive district title run in which he won all four of his matches with first-period pins.
Who's in the way: Xander Myers, Liberty Center. Sell isn't the only state champion in this bracket as Myers won a state title at 175 pounds last year and boasts a 40-3 record this season. Like Sell, Myers has faced stacked competition, including a third-place finish at the Perrysburg Invitational and three wins at the Ironman.
Dark horse: Ronnie Thomas, Mechanicsburg. A three-time state qualifier and fourth-place finisher a year ago, the junior could face Sell in a must-watch semifinal. They nearly met earlier this year in the semifinals of the Brecksville Invitational Holiday Tournament except that Thomas lost a 1-0 heartbreaker in the quarterfinals.
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 215 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Collin Sullivan, Fairless; Zach Babiczuk, Malvern
Favorite: Abe DeLano, Ayersville. DeLano has finished top four in the state in back-to-back years, with both of his state semifinal losses coming to eventual state champions — Berkshire's Lucas Stoddard (a 6-2 decision) and Garfield's Keegan Sell (4-1).
Who's in the way: Wyat Ripke, Archbold. Like DeLano, Ripke gave Sell quite a battle on the Garfield senior's path to a 2023 state title, falling 6-4 in the title match. Ripke has no shortage of experience in close state matches, with all four of his Schottenstein Center bouts last year decided by five points or fewer.
Dark horse: Danny Zmorowski, Lake Catholic. The only freshman in the bracket, Zmorowski isn't your ordinary ninth-grader as he proved when he won four straight consolation matches at the Ironman and then won the Independence District title with four consecutive pins.
OHSAA State Tournament Division III 285 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: none
Favorite: Dallas McCracken, United. A three-time state qualifier and two-time state placer, McCracken cut a remarkable path to the 285-pound state championship match last year, including a 2-1 first-round win and 3-1 quarterfinal win. The 2023 state runner-up also won last week's Independence District title match in sudden victory (and captured both his quarterfinal and semifinal matches by a point).
Who's in the way: Landen Thomas, Harrison Central. Thomas gave McCracken a heck of a battle in last year's state semifinal, with McCracken scoring the winning points in the closing seconds. Expect Thomas, who finished fifth last year, to be competitive once again.
Dark horse: Cohen Riggenbach, Dalton. Taking McCracken to overtime in their Independence District championship match was plenty impressive. Although he's making his state debut, Riggenbach is capable of making some noise.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: OHSAA state high school wrestling: Breaking down the D-III brackets
