GREENE COUNTY — By the time the blood, sweat, some tears and maybe a tooth or two had been swept off the district tournament wrestling mats in Kettering, Troy and Wilmington on Saturday, March 4, Greene County area high schools saw seven wrestlers qualify to this weekend’s Ohio High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament, with two more area grapplers headed to the Columbus tournament as alternates in their respective weight classes.
Two-time state champion Tommy Hoskins, formerly of Dayton Christian and now a member of the inaugural Xenia Legacy Christian Academy wrestling program, emerged as the area’s only district champion. Hoskins decisioned previously unbeaten Graham Shore of Casstown Miami East, 3-2, to win the Division III title at 120 pounds.
Hoskins won his previous two state titles while wrestling in the 113-pound class. With a 20-2 record this season, he’ll be one of the favorites. Miami East’s Shore could be one of his toughest opponents in the later rounds.
Legacy Christian teammates Wyatt Riddle and A.J. Warner also qualified to the state meet.
Riddle, a freshman in the 106-pound weight class, placed third in the Troy district and currently sports a 22-12 overall record. Warner, a transfer from Fairborn, placed third in the 126-pound division. Warner qualified to the state meet a year ago as well. He has a 14-7 record this year.
The fourth area wrestler to qualify to state in D-III is Greeneview’s Devan Hendricks, who placed second at Troy at 106. Hendricks, a Ram sophomore, has a 28-4 record this season.
Beavercreek freshman Gavin Bell is the lone area representative in Division I. Bell placed fourth in the 132-pound category at the Kettering Fairmont district tournament. He now has a season record of 30-14.
In Division II, Bellbrook’s Ben Sherrill placed second in the Wilmington district’s 126-pound final. The Golden Eagles junior has a 32-5 record. Carroll’s Jesse Younce will also be in the Division II tournament, but in the 152-pound weight class. The senior Patriot finished third in Wilmington and now has a season record of 41 wins and nine losses.
Two area wrestlers placed fifth in their respective tournaments and will be alternates in their weight classes in Columbus. That means if one of the four state qualifying wrestlers from the wrestlers’ district is unable to compete in the alternate’s weight class, the alternate will take his/her place in the tournament bracket. Beavercreek freshman Kyah Patrick (28-15) has that chance at 106 pounds in D-I, while Bellbrook senior Tim Tidwell (33-15) is the D-II Southwest Ohio district’s alternate at 182 pounds.
Coaches who deserve credit for advancing their wrestlers among the state’s best are: Gary Wise (Beavercreek); Robert Kosins (Bellbrook); Jason Ashworth (Carroll), Brock Wagner (Greeneview); and Thomas Hoskins (Legacy Christian).
The tournaments begin Thursday, March 9 at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, located on the Ohio State University campus in Columbus. Doors open for the first wrestling sessions at 2 p.m.
