Campbell, Legacy seek fourth straight state wrestling titles
Legacy Christian sends five wrestlers to the Division III state wrestling tournaments Friday with championships on their mind.
Senior Dillon Campbell (132) will attempt to win his fourth state title before he leaves to wrestle at Virginia Tech.
“He’s healthy and looking good,” second-year head coach Mike Sizemore said. “Just trying to keep him in the right mindset, not worrying too much about it, just take it match by match just like normal.”
The team is looking for its fourth straight championship in the three-day event at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center. The Knights’ primary competitors for the trophy are Barnesville and Milan Edison. The website borofanohio.net projects team standings and each weight class. This year the site lists Barnesville No. 1 with a projected 105 points, Milan Edison second with 85 and Legacy third with 80.
“It’s going be a dogfight between us three,” Sizemore said. “Some people think that Barnesville is going to win it by 20 points over us, but I just I don’t see it. I know that’s a calculated guess.”
Sizemore has his eyes on two potential semifinal matches against Edison that could swing a lot of points Legacy’s way. One is sophomore Nathan Attisano (126). He placed fifth last year and is projected to finish first. The other is senior Brayden Brown (150). Brown was runner-up last year at 138 and is projected to place fifth this year in his new weight class.
Legacy’s other participants are senior Eli Campbell (120), a runner-up last year at 113, and senior Sam Tuck (215). Tuck, in his third year as a wrestler, is a first-time state qualifier and not projected to place.
Other Division III wrestlers projected to place are Brookville junior Hayden Jones (106), Alter freshman Bronson Begley (113), Miami East freshman Spencer Shore (113), Versailles junior Trey Huber (113), Covington senior Jericho Quinter (126), Covington senior Chase Vanderhorst (138), Covington sophomore Caleb Ryman (144), Waynesville senior Mark Ellis (144), Brookville senior Luke Dolan (150), Valley View senior Zeran Brady (150), Preble Shawnee senior Riley Stevenson (175), Alter sophomore Rod Owens (175), Versailles senior Michael Osborne (175) and Miami East senior Drake Bennett (215). Jones, Shore, Dolan and Bennett were district champions.
Division I: Springboro placed third at districts led by champions freshman Jack Bratton (113), junior Matt Kowalski (190) and junior Aidan Weimer (215). The Panthers aren’t projected to crack the top 10, but all three are expected to place.
Miamisburg senior Abel Ngoh (285) won at districts and is expected to place as are Centerville senior Aydan George (165) and Miamisburg senior Fletcher Rose (175).
Division II: Graham won another district title by a wide margin over Columbus Watterson and is expected to battle Medina Buckeye and Columbus DeSales in an attempt to win its 23rd straight state title and 25th overall.
Graham winners at districts were Jake Landis (106), Brogan Tucker (144), Gunner Cramblett (175) and Chett Manier (190). Those four Falcons plus teammates freshman Blaine DeMarco (126), senior Hayden Hughes (138) and junior Bryce Kohler (165) are projected to place. Tucker has won two state titles, including last year, and Cramblett is a defending champion.
Franklin sophomore Dareyan Egner (120), Butler senior Jadon Gyan (120), Oakwood senior and district winner Carter Stack (285) and Chaminade-Julienne junior Jeffrey Blair (285) are all projected to place.
Girls: Miami East’s Kira Cole will try for her second straight state title. Last year she won at 115. This year she is wrestling at 135. Northomont’s Lacie Knick is back at 125. She was runner-up at 120 last year.
In addition to Cole and Knick, the following qualifed for state as district champions: Molly Luebke (110) of Brookville, Emma Hanrahan (130) of Tippecanoe. Rita Carey (140) of Brookville, Caroline Klawon (145) of Eaton 145, Jada Weiss (155) of Bellbrook, Brookklynn Newton (190) of Carroll and Akiaya Rhinehart (235) of Fairborn.