COLUMBUS, Ohio — The top seeds in each division of the 2018 OHSAA State Wrestling Dual Team Tournament took home the gold hardware Sunday at St. John Arena. St. Paris Graham, Wauseon and Genoa Area all won state titles for the first time in their respective divisions.
New in this year’s edition of the tournament, the OHSAA allowed teams to wrestle up in division if they chose to do so. As a result, after five titles in five tries in Division II, St. Paris Graham won its first Division I state championship, defeating reigning Division I state champion, Lakewood St. Edward, 28-23 in an epic dual that came down to the final bout. The win brought the Falcons’ total number of Ohio high school wrestling state championships in both team and individual tournaments to 25. Graham defeated Marysville 56-15 in the quarterfinal round and handled Cincinnati La Salle 43-16 in the semifinals.
Following two-straight runner-up finishes to Graham in Division II, Wauseon won its first team wrestling state championship, defeating Mentor Lake Catholic 48-12. In the quarterfinals, the Indians set state records for highest preliminary round point total (72) and highest preliminary round winning margin (69) with a 72-3 win over Washington Court House Miami Trace. They defeated Canfield 38-33 in the semifinals.
In its first appearance in the team wrestling state tournament, Genoa Area claimed the Division III title with a 40-20 win over Massillon Tuslaw. The Comets held both of their opponents to single digits in the preliminary rounds, winning 62-6 over Bethel-Tate in the quarterfinals and 50-9 over Versailles in the semifinals. It is the Comets’ first state championship in school history for any sport.