During the first two state girls wrestling tournaments sanctioned by the OHSAA, Olentangy Orange and Harrison emerged as the programs possessing the best combination of both quantity and quality as the sport continues to grow in status and caliber.
That trend looks likely to continue heading into year No. 3 of the event, with the Pioneers and Huskies heading into state as district champions and with the largest respective contingents to battle with.
Orange has yet to have an individual state champion. After finishing runner-up behind Harrison in 2023, however, the Pioneers scored 95 points to edge the Huskies (83) for last year’s team title.
At this year’s event set for March 7-9 in Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center, the Pioneers will have seven representatives and Harrison will have six.
Individually, there are nine wrestlers who have won a state title among the 14 weight classes – including two who are going for their third consecutive OHSAA titles.
Jackson senior Makennah Craft is the most decorated returnee at this year’s state event.
She is a two-time defending champion at 100 pounds and has a chance to become a four-time state champion considering she also won the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association (OHSWCA) title in 2022 during the final season before the sport was sanctioned by the OHSAA.
Craft went undefeated each of the past two seasons and is 40-0 this winter, including beating Watkins Memorial sophomore Mila Cruz 22-5 for the Big Walnut district title. The other district champions at her weight were Poland Seminary sophomore Ella Thomas (40-3), who placed fourth at state last season and won this year’s Mentor district title, Taylor senior Vita Savage (18-3) from the Harrison district, and Tinora junior Bella Graziani (39-3), who was sixth at state last winter and won this year’s Findlay district.
The other two-time defending state champion is Loveland junior Elizabeth Madison, a 170-pounder who takes a 19-0 record into state. At the Harrison district tournament, she pinned Eaton senior Caroline Klawon in 3 minutes, 40 seconds. Klawon was state runner-up last winter at 145.
Also among the contenders at 170 will be Brush freshman Amari Johnson (49-4), who won the Mentor district, Orange senior Lydia Heinrich (41-2), who won the Big Walnut district, and Tinora junior Paige Gamby (38-7), who was first at the Findlay district tournament.
Heinrich was one of five district champions for Orange along with senior Jenny Huaracha-Arellanos (235, 34-3), junior Lacie Knick (125, 33-0), and sophomores Mackenzie Carder (120, 41-1) and Bella Ndinga Mbappe’ (130, 38-6). Last season, Carder was runner-up at 110 and Heinrich was third at 170.
Knick is another among those looking to win their second state titles after she was first at 125 last season for Clayton Northmont. She’ll grapple with United junior Auston Brown (41-6) from the Mentor district, West Chester Lakota West junior Kelsey King (37-2) from the Harrison district, and Brunswick junior Marisa McCartin (30-4) from the Findlay district.
While Orange scored 239 and Marysville has five state qualifiers and was runner-up (179.5) at the Big Walnut district, Harrison scored 146 to win the district on its home mats.
Junior Leah Willen (110, 37-8) was a district runner-up and is the top returnee from a season ago for Harrison when she was fifth at 115. Also finishing runner-up at district for the Huskies were sophomores Rylee Dearwester (140, 35-7) and Veronica Decaluwe (145, 32-11).
Among the other top contending teams along with Orange, Harrison, and Marysville include Gibsonburg, which scored 132 to win the Findlay district, and Austintown-Fitch, which scored 116.5 to win the Mentor district.
Gibsonburg is led by senior Morgan Leonhardt, who captured the 115 title last winter and takes a 38-2 record into this year’s state event.
She’s now at 120, which is among the most stacked heading into state. In addition to Carder, Chippewa sophomore Kayla Moroschan (44-4), Steubenville sophomore Talea Guntrum (46-4), and Taylor senior Gabby Fenton (47-6) also are among the competitors.
Moroschan is the defending state champion and beat Guntrum 8-2 for the Mentor district title, and Guntrum won last year’s state title at 110. Fenton won the Harrison district championship.
Avon Lake senior Rejan Alhashash is the other returning wrestler who won a state title last winter. After competing at 140 a year ago, Alhashash moved to 155 for this year’s event and is 46-0 after winning the Findlay district title.
The other district champions at 155 were Austintown-Fitch freshman Reghan Koch (27-2) from the Mentor site, Lebanon junior Natalie Carlisle (40-5) from the Harrison district, and Marysville senior Lori Grimes (45-4) from the Big Walnut district.
There are two other wrestlers who will be looking for their second state titles: Casstown Miami East senior Kira Cole and Jamestown Greeneview senior Eve Matt.
Cole, who won winning the 115 title in 2023, was pinned in 1:19 by Akron Manchester’s Jaydyn McKinney, a 2024 graduate, in last year's 135 championship match. Cole takes a 37-0 record into this year’s event at 130, where Massillon Perry sophomore Emma Shephard (35-6) from the Mentor district, North Royalton senior Sophia Antonio (40-3) from the Findlay district, and Ndinga Mbappe’ are other top contenders. Ndinga Mbappe’ was fourth at 115 last season for Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit.
Matt won the 140 championship in 2023 but missed last year’s postseason due to injury. She is back after winning the Harrison district title at 145 and takes a 40-2 record into state, where she’ll battle a field that includes Poland Seminary freshman Abigail Torres-Miller (28-4) from the Mentor district, Pickerington North senior Reagan Knapp (42-1) from the Big Walnut district, and Ashland Crestview sophomore Naomi Gearheart (30-4) from the Findlay district.
Matt’s sister, senior Gwen Matt, was a state qualifier in 2023 who also missed last year’s postseason with injury but is 39-3 and should battle for the title at 135 after winning the Harrison district title. Also entering state as district champions at 135 are Cleveland Central Catholic junior Ajiahna Triplett (33-2) from the Mentor district, Logan freshman Brooklyn Whited (46-1) from the Big Walnut district, and Alliance senior Abigail Mozden (44-2) from the Findlay district.
A new champion will be crowned at 190 after Toledo Whitmer’s Savannah Isaac, who won the last two OHSAA titles and two in a row in the OHSWCA event, graduated. Findlay senior Laney Oliver lost to Isaac in each of the past three state finals but heads into this year’s event as the favorite at 30-0 after winning the Gibsonburg district.
Other top contenders at 190 include Carrollton sophomore Riley Alborn (43-1) from the Mentor district, Liberty Township Lakota East senior Sydney Hall (26-4) from the Harrison district, and Marysville senior Desi Lee (26-2) from the Big Walnut district.
Mount Vernon junior Ashlynn Brokaw (49-4) could be the favorite to win at 105 after taking third last season. The other district champions at that weight were Perry freshman GG Dominish (38-5) from the Mentor district, Urbana sophomore Libertie Nigh (31-2), and Sandusky junior Nikera Johnson (36-3).
Alhashash’s move out of 140 opens that weight to a new champion, with Gahanna Lincoln sophomore KyLee Tibbs (39-0) entering as the favorite after losing 14-10 in last year’s state final and winning this year’s Big Walnut district. Also entering state as district champions at 140 are Columbia junior Youstina Hanna (32-6) from the Mentor district, Greeneview sophomore Lily Hendricks (43-1) from the Harrison district, and Alliance senior Adilyn Mozden (36-3) from the Findlay district.
At 235, Orange’s Huaracha-Arellanos will be among the top contenders along with Berea-Midpark junior Deionna Borders, who is 43-0 after winning the Mentor district and was third at state last season. Indian Lake junior Maddie Miller (39-1) won the Harrison district and Archbold junior Gabby Oregon (36-2) was first at the Findlay district tournament.
The move to other weights of last year’s top two finishers at 110 leaves that weight looking like an open competition. Marysville sophomore Cami Leng, last year’s 115 state runner-up, is 26-0 after winning the Big Walnut district. Rossford senior Noel Reinhart (28-2) was fourth at 110 a year ago and won this year’s Findlay district. Lakota East sophomore Camryn Gresham was fifth at 100 but enters state at 37-0 after winning the Harrison district title. Perry sophomore Abby Cornwell (44-3) won the district championship at Mentor.
At 115, Washington Court House senior Lyndyn Gibbs (42-2) could be the favorite after taking third at 130 last season and winning this year’s Big Walnut district. The other district champions were Eaton sophomore Maycee Adams (38-4), who won at Harrison and placed fifth at 105 at last year’s state event, Massillon Perry freshman Carolyn Geckler (37-2), and Gibsonburg junior Allison Schroeder (36-5).