Barrier broken: Waynedale wrestling climbs past final obstacle for state duals title

Waynedale has been knocking on the door to win a Division III state duals championship since 2008.

The Golden Bears finally broke through in dramatic fashion, clinching what wound up being a 38-18 win over Archbold in the title match after senior 157-pounder Lane Troyer’s stunning third-period pin at Marion Elgin High School Feb. 14.

Waynedale, which improved to 28-2 this season, had eight top five finishes in the state duals over the last 18 years. The Bears were second in 2020 and third in 2008, 2012, 2024 and 2025 but had never won it until this Valentine’s Day.

“It's a clear milestone in the program, but moreso, it's a weight lifted off our shoulders,” first-year coach Brenden Stanley said. “I think some of our kids who have come up through the youth program, some of the parents who have dedicated so much time from when their kids were in second grade until now, those are the people who were crying.

“They know how much time and work this program puts in to accomplish something like this. It was just a culmination of so many things.”

Top-seeded Waynedale started the day with a 67-6 win over No. 8 Tuslaw, then easily dispatched No. 4 Barnesville 55-12 in the semifinals. Third-seeded Archbold edged No. 2 Mentor Lake Catholic 35-31 in the other semis match.

The championship match began at 215 pounds, and senior Kamden Lemon won a 7-1 decision. Archbold won the next three matches to take a 12-3 lead after the 113 weight class before the Bears stormed back to win the next seven bouts.

Junior Brock Beckler, ranked fourth in Div. III in the Boro Report, won a 12-5 decision over fifth-ranked Ty Bosco at 120 to start the winning run.

Fourth-ranked junior Isaak Skelly followed with an 8-5 decision over Lars Soles at 126, and seventh-ranked sophomore Sebastian Schmeltzer pinned eighth-ranked Isaac Brown in 1:54 to put the Bears up 15-12.

Fifth-ranked senior 138-pounder Stephen Patterson followed with a tech fall, third-ranked junior 144-pounder Riley Greathouse won a 5-0 decision over ninth-ranked Kayden Wellman and sixth-ranked junior 150-pounder Dalton Oberly pinned No. 13 Layne Miller in 3:22 to put Waynedale up 29-12.

The Bluestreaks still had a longshot chance at a comeback with four matches to go and 157-pounder Jayden Booth jumping out to a commanding lead against Troyer.

“(Booth) was leading 14-2. It wasn’t looking good for me,” Troyer said. “I was kind of getting my butt kicked, but you can't quit during the state duals. I knew if I didn't do something, my coaches would be mad, so I went for a throw and got it. It was a great feeling.”

Troyer used a lateral drop to toss Booth to his back and notch the pin at the 4:28 mark.

Although there were still three matches to go, Waynedale knew it had clinched the program’s first state duals championship.

“It was extremely difficult to contain ourselves after Troyer’s pin with the last three matches still to come,” said Stanley, who took over as coach after his dad, National Wrestling Hall of Famer Louie Stanley, retired after 32 years at the helm. “But we owed it to our kids yet to wrestle, and we owed it to Archbold as well.

“We didn't want to celebrate too early. We still were in a cordial dual.”

Waynedale sophomore Maddox Kidd (ranked No. 7) dropped a 3-2 decision at 165 after Troyer’s pin, sophomore 175-pounder Logan Posey won an 8-7 decision and 190-pound senior Gradey Posey dropped a 12-8 decision.

After the post-match handshakes, the celebrating could really begin. The Bears huddled up and hugged one another, and the Waynedale fan section then stormed the floor.

“It was hugs all around, some crying, some laughter, a lot of high fives,” Stanley said. “Then they presented us the state championship trophy.”

Waynedale received wins from wrestlers in all 14 weight classes on the day.

From the 120-150 weight classes, the Bears were perfect. Going 3-0 were Beckler (now 40-4), Skelly (46-1), Schmeltzer (41-6), Patterson (39-2), Greathouse (42-3) and Oberly (44-3).

Waynedale won the 2012 Div. III Individual State Tournament championship when Stanley was a junior state runner-up at 152. It remains the only individual tourney team title in area history, and now the Bears have the first state duals gold too.

“I had to explain it to our administration and to some of our fans that in 2012 we won a title with just six guys,” Stanley said. “That's because we were point-scoring machines in Columbus.

“This is completely different because every one of our 14 guys had something to say about this win. We were fighting for bonus points, for wins, and if we were outmatched, we were fighting not to give up points. No matter what happens at the (individual) district or state in March, all our guys helped us win the state duals.”

A day like no other in Waynedale history ended with the local fire department escorting the team bus back into Apple Creek, with truck lights flashing and horns blaring.

Patterson, who has a chance to become a rare four-time state qualifier and three-time placer, will always remember sharing such a special experience with the entire team.

“We've always been so close, and we work too hard in the room to not go down and win it,” Patterson said. “It's really nice to win as a team when everyone was there.

“For the individual state, it's a little different. It's just tougher on your mind because you don't have the whole team there with you, and it's obviously just a little tougher tournament. But it was nice to get the duals win with the team and finally get the state championship.”