West Holmes wrestling advances 10 to districts

The West Holmes varsity wrestling team finished second at the Division II Steubenville Sectional Feb. 28, advancing 10 to the district tournament.

Earning sectional championships for the Knights were seniors Peyton Martin (120 pounds), Louden Dixon (157) and Camden McCluggage (190). Scoring runner-up honors were Wyatt Crabb (junior, 106) and Gabe Umstead (senior, 126). Lincoln Goans (junior, 175) and Dylan Sours (senior, heavyweight) placed third. Adding fourth-place finishes were Colton Garver (freshman, 113), Oliver Hiller (sophomore, 150) and Easton Ross (sophomore, 215).

Noah Grassbaugh (sophomore, 144) and Finnigan McClintock (freshman, 165) scored fifth-place finishes for district alternate status.

“Overall, I was happy with our results,” Knights coach Scott Vaughn said. “I thought each of our 14 wrestlers had a shot to make it to districts. I'm happy with 10, but if you know me, I always want more.”

Martin (3-0, one fall) battled Bronko Braun (junior, Indian Valley) for the title in a matchup of returning state placers and current state-ranked wrestlers. Martin (eighth place at 120 in 2025, 15th ranked) and Braun (sixth at 113, third) wrestled a great match with Martin edging Braun by a 7-6 decision for Martin’s second consecutive sectional title and fourth straight district trip.

“Peyton has wrestled as well as I've seen him since dropping to 120 (pounds),” Vaughn said. “I thought his semifinals match against the returning state qualifier from Steubenville (Cole Harvey) was a really nice win for him (22-6 tech fall). Then, he wrestled amazing in the finals, defeating a fellow returning state placer and third ranked in the state (Braun).”

Dixon (4-0, two) met a familiar foe in Jake Hughes (sophomore, Beaver Local) in a repeat of the 2025 sectional championship. Dixon (state champ at 150, third) and Hughes (third, second) didn’t disappoint in their battle. The match was scoreless after the first period. Dixon led 1-0 after two periods, thanks to an escape midway through the period. Dixon kicked Hughes loose shortly into the third period to knot the score 1-1, and it remained that way through regulation. In the sudden victory period, Dixon shot a single leg and finished the move off to score the winning takedown for a 4-1 win and his third sectional crown. The win marked Dixon’s third in a row over Hughes — a 3-2 overtime decision win in the 2025 sectional title match and a 4-1 sudden victory decision in last season’s district championship.

“Louden got to the finals relatively effortlessly,” Vaughn said of Dixon, who racked up two fall wins (1:42 and 0:38) and a tech fall (18-1) in the early rounds. “Then, he saw a familiar foe in the Beaver kid (Hughes), who is ranked No. 16 in the nation. Louden got away in the second period, then got in on two shots that I thought he may be able to score on. At the end of regulation, the match was still 1-1, and overtime (sudden victory) was next up. Louden took a fantastic shot and finished it cleanly to earn the victory and his third sectional title.”

McCluggage (3-0, one) scored his first sectional title and second district berth after a 4-0 decision win over Cadyn Riggs (senior, Indian Valley). McCluggage, a returning state qualifier and ranked 20th, scored a second-period escape and a third-period takedown to win a 4-0 decision over 26th-ranked Riggs.

“Cam found his way to the finals and faced a familiar opponent (Riggs) that beat him in the sectional consi semis last season,” Vaughn said. "Cam wrestled a really smart match. I thought he controlled the match pretty much the entire time. Cam has been wrestling the best I've ever seen him wrestle this second half of the season.”