A weight-by-weight look at the OHSAA Division II state wrestling tournament
For wrestling fans, it's showtime.
The OHSAA state wrestling tournament returns to the Schottenstein Center in Columbus this weekend and there is plenty of intrigue in Division II.
Will this be the year St. Paris Graham's 21-year grip on the state title comes to an end? Buckeye and Columbus St. Francis DeSales will have a big say in that.
Every bracket provides its own story in Columbus.
Here's a weight-by-weight breakdown of the field in Division II:
OHSAA State Tournament
Division II 106 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Dom Prosperi, Canton South
Favorite: Aiden Ohl, Ontario. A fifth-place finisher at this weight last year, Ohl wants to join big brother Jacob on top of the podium this winter
Who's in the way: Prosperi. The Wildcats little big man had a weird ending to his district tournament when his finals opponent was disqualified. He has only two losses this season and has looked strong throughout.
Dark horse: Marius Garcia, Bexley. Garcie upset Ohl in the final of the Wilmington district and comes in undefeated. Can the freshman handle the pressure at state?
OHSAA State Tournament
Division II 113 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Kaiden Barker, Louisville; Aiden Bean, Marlington; Renzo Tello, Canton South
Favorite: Blake Bartos, Buckeye. Bartos finished fourth last year as a freshman, and Buckeye needs him to win if it hopes to compete for the team title.
Who's in the way: Jacob Ohl, Ontario. After a state runner-up finish as a sophomore, the older Ohl brother had to settle for eighth last year at 120. Back at 113, he looks set for a semifinal showdown with Bartos.
Dark horse: Kail Snair, Carrollton. Being on the other side of the bracket from Bartos and Ohl could give the Galia district champion a clear path to the final.
OHSAA State Tournament
Division II 120 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Colton Rhoads, Louisville; Anthony Sindelar, Streetsboro; Mark Mueller, Minerva; Christian Osborne, St. Vincent-St. Mary
Favorite: Colyn Limbert, Buckeye. The defending state champion at 113 pounds, Limbert has looked the part of favorite all season long.
Who's in the way: Neal Krysty, Columbus Bishop Watterson. Krysty benefits from drilling with a defending state champion. He placed third last year at 106 pounds.
Dark horse: Gradey Harding, Galion. The Norwalk district champion likely will have to earn it, as his path will make him face potentially face Krysty in the semifinals and Limbert in the final.
OHSAA State Tournament
Division II 126 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Kolten Barker, Louisville; Brayden Wolf, Northwest
Favorite: Joe Curry, Bishop Watterson. Curry won the 120-pound title last year as a freshman, but will have to face the toughest Division II brackets if he wishes to repeat.
Who's in the way: Josiah Puller, Wilmington. Puller upset Curry in the district final on his home mats. Can the freshman do it again under the bright lights at "The Schott?"
Dark horse: Barker. The Leopards leader is one of five returning All-Ohioans at 126. As his coach notes, he preforms best when the stakes are highest.
OHSAA State Tournament
Division II 132 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Aric Criss, Louisville; Joey Brocklehurst, Minerva; Dylan Hart, CVCA
Favorite: Aiden King, Columbus Bishop Harley. The defending state runner-up at 126 pounds gets the nod in a bracket that features six returning All-Ohioans.
Who's in the way: Adam Heckman, Howland. Heckman has looked dominant with only one loss in his senior season. Being on the other side of the bracket from King helps.
Dark horse: Canaan Smith, Chillicothe. After placing third at 113 last year, Smith bumped up several weight classes and could be set for a semifinal bout with Heckman.
OHSAA State Tournament
Division II 138 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Taggart Wade, STVM
Favorite: Josh Carman, Carrollton. In a very even weight class, the three-time All-Ohioan gets the nod, even though Carman has yet to wrestle in the finals.
Who's in the way: James Lindsay, Bishop Watterson. Lindsay placed fourth last year at 132 and might have faced the toughest competition on his way to the state meet.
Dark horse: Hayden Hughes, Graham. How can the defending state champion at 138 be a dark horse? He hasn't quite regained the form he had last year and lost to Lindsay in the final at Wilmington.
OHSAA State Tournament
Division II 144 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Johnny Beltz, Alliance
Favorite: Brogan Tucker, Graham. Not much debate here. Tucker is already a two-time state champion as a junior and is looking to continue his quest to join the elite four-time state champion club.
Who's in the way: Cael Gilmore, Marengo Highland. Gilmore is the only other returning All-Ohioan in this bracket. He faced and lost to Tucker in the final at Wilmington.
Dark horse: Danny Beckett, Buckeye. The least-heralded of Buckeye's five district champions, Beckett will have nothing to lose if he reaches a semifinal showdown with Tucker.
OHSAA State Tournament
Division II 150 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Ian Bee, Tallmdge; Aidan Jones, Revere
Favorite: Mitchell Younger, Bishop Watterson. Another two-time state champion as a junior, Younger moved up a weight class but has not been infallible this season.
Who's in the way: Brody Saccoccia, Steubenville. A state runner-up as a freshman, Saccoccia has taken a big step up in weight this winter and looks to become a three-time All-Ohioan.
Dark horse: Tristan Craddock, Cloverleaf. Being put on the other side of the bracket from Younger and Saccoccia means the Colts' main man could have a clear path to the final.
OHSAA State Tournament
Division II 157 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Rylan Hurley, STVM
Favorite: Kaden King, Buckeye. The defending state champion at 157 has not lost to a Division II foe this year. It's impossible not to root for this young man given his life story.
Who's in the way: P.J Murphy, Reading. Murphy was third last year at 150, has only one loss on his record and sits on the other side of the bracket from King.
Dark horse: Cooper Rathburn, Bishop Hartley. Rathburn lost the Wilmington district final to Murphy in the ultimate tiebreaker. That means he will likely face King in the semifinal.
OHSAA State Tournament
Division II 165 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Quinn Callock, Alliance
Favorite: Kaiyon McKinney, Sandusky Perkins. The state runner-up last year at 113 pounds, McKinney has moved all the way up to 165 and shown no signs of slowing down.
Who's in the way: Michael Boyle, Bishop Watterson. A freshman at a grown-man's weight class, Boyle has already bested a few All-Ohioans.
Dark horse: Bryce Kohler, Graham. It's never wise to overlook a Falcon at the state meet. Kohler was third last year at 144.
OHSAA State Tournament
Division II 175 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Steven Duffy, Woodridge; Hunter Dietrich, Minerva
Favorite: Gunner Cramblett, Graham. The defending state champion at 165 will need to win here if Graham is to maintain its dominance in the team race.
Who's in the way: Duffy. Two consecutive eighth-place finishes in Columbus have the Bulldogs' Mr. Everything focused and ready. He looks to become Woodridge's first state champion since David Massey in 2018.
Dark horse: Dietrich. If the seeds hold, Dietrich could be in for a semifinal showdown with Duffy.
Division II 190 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Jackson Eddy, Alliance
Favorite: Eddie Neitenbach, Buckeye. After a third-place finish at 175 last year, the Bucks' big dog has torn through the competition this winter. The Wyoming recruit's lone loss this season came back in the semifinals at the Ironman.
Who's in the way: Lincoln Shulaw, DeSales. Shulaw finished second last year at 175, and he will look to avenge a loss to Neitenbach at the Grizzly Invitational Tournament this winter.
Dark horse: Chett Mannier, Graham. The Falcons will look to pull another upset, as Mannier could be set to face Neitenbach in the semifinals.
Division II 215 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Andy Vanscoy, STVM
Favorite: Max Shulaw, DeSales. The defending state champion at 215, Shulaw has been unstoppable this season. The Virginia recruit might be the best pound-for-pound wrestler in Division II.
Who's in the way: Landon Campbell, Ontario. Campbell lost only once this year — to Shulaw in the final at the Norwalk district. Payback is a powerful motivator.
Dark horse: Bryce Wheatley, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin. Wheatley has been one of the most improved wrestlers in Northeast Ohio after placing sixth at 190 pounds last year.
Division II 285 pounds
Greater Akron/Canton area wrestlers: Aidan Mozden, Alliance
Favorite: Alex Griffith, Gallion. Thanks to injuries, heavyweight is wide open this year. Griffith might be in the best position to win.
Who's in the way: Will Greenberg, Hawken. Greenberg looked dominant in winning the Kenston district title. He could be set for a bout with Griffith in the semifinal.
Dark horse: Mozden. After injuring his knee in football, Mozden thought he wouldn't be able to wrestle his senior year. He came back just before the postseason. What a story it would be if he can improve on last year's third-place finish at 215.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Breaking down the OHSAA Division II state wrestling tournament
