West Holmes wrestling honors late coach Todd Day with tournament dedication

Before the start of the varsity tournament Jan. 24 at West Holmes High School, the Knights wrestling family and the family of late coach Todd Day gathered for a dedication ceremony to honor the family of coach Day and christen the tournament as the Todd Day Memorial Tournament.

Knights wrestling coach Scott Vaughn was joined at the center of the mat by coach Day’s wife Rachel, daughter Emily LaTorre and son-in-law Tony, with their months-old daughter and son Blake, presenting them with a plaque officially naming the tournament as the Todd Day Memorial Tournament.

Other family members in attendance were coach Day’s sisters, Julie Raymond and her husband Loren, Leslie Day, and sister-in-law Melissa (Hanna) Borton and her husband Jim. Also on hand were former Knights head wrestling coaches Lindy Rogers (1981-91) and Jeff Woods (1992-2014).

The plaque presented to the Day family read, “Presented to the family of coach Todd Day on the occasion of the establishment of the Todd Day Memorial Wrestling Tournament, on this day, Jan. 24, 2026. Career highlights: West Holmes district teacher, coach and athletic director, two state champions, 21 state placers, 60 state qualifiers, one girls state champion, two girls state placers. West Holmes Knights Nation proudly honors coach Todd Day.”

Following the tournament, Rachel (Hanna) Day posted a message on Facebook of gratitude and thanks:

“Todd, today would have been your 70th birthday. We celebrated you in The Dungeon, full of wrestling families as they honored you by renaming the West Holmes Varsity Invitational the Todd Day Memorial Tournament. We were proud to represent you and receive this honor in your memory. Thanks to Scott Vaughn, Bret Curren and the rest of the West Holmes wrestling family for this honor. Also, thank you to our family members Julie and Loren Raymond, Leslie Day, and Jim and Melissa Hanna Borton, as well as friends Renee and Jeff Woods, Lindy Rogers, Greg and Vanessa Woods, and many others for attending,” she said.

And to cap off the special day at the tournament for the Day family, Rachel Day was the winner of the West Holmes Military Wall of Honor 50/50 drawing.

Coach Day was an assistant wrestling coach for the Knights for over 30 years, starting as a middle school assistant coach from 1979-80 under high school head coach Bill Rentz. Day then became a high school assistant coach under head coach Lindy Rogers (1981-91) and kept that role under head coach Jeff Woods (1992-2014). Day was inducted into the West Holmes Wrestling Wall of Fame in 2008.

Day was a 1974 graduate of Miami East High School and a 1978 graduate of Wittenberg University with a degree in history education. He received his first teaching position at West Holmes Middle School in 1978 and proceeded to teach and coach multiple sports (wrestling, football, and track and field) at West Holmes for 34 years, teaching and coaching for 31 years and serving as athletic director for his last three years of school service.

Day passed away Jan. 22, 2024, after a months-long battle with leukemia.