Waynedale wrestlers tie for third at state

A season of firsts for the Waynedale wrestling team ended with a tie for third place in Division III at the 89th annual OHSAA Wrestling Individual State Tournament.

The Golden Bears entered the tournament with a school-record 10 qualifiers and having won the first state duals tournament in area history. Their many firsts this season also included Wayne County Athletic League, sectional and district titles.

After a strong start at the individual state tournament held at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center March 13-15, some of the magic ran out for the Bears, but it was still one of the best efforts in area history.

St. Paris Graham won the Div. III title with 148 points, followed by runner-up Mentor Lake Catholic (85). Delta and Waynedale tied for third with 74.5 points apiece.

Juniors Brock Beckler (120 pounds) and Isaak Skelly (126) led the Bears with state runner-up finishes.

Taking seventh for Waynedale were sophomore Branton Tapp (106) and senior Stephen Patterson (138), while sophomore Maddox Kidd (165) and senior Brandon Walters (285) were eighth.

“We're super excited about the efforts of many of our guys,” said first-year Waynedale coach Brenden Stanley. “We're excited to bring down the area record for qualifiers and team record. If you would have told us even a month ago or a little before our state duals championship that we'd be bringing this many guys down and competing for a state title the first couple rounds, I'd have been a little hesitant to believe you. We came out of the first two rounds down here beating Graham, and we were really battling.”

After Waynedale had eight of its 10 grapplers drop into consolation brackets, the wins were fewer and farther between, as is often the case in the meatgrinder that is the state tournament.

In the finals, Beckler and Skelly both gave it their all in dropping close title bouts.

Trinity junior Derion Williams, who was a state runner-up as a freshman and third last year, scored a takedown with 32 seconds left to pull out a 4-2 victory over Beckler in the 120 final.

Delta senior Tyler Barnes posted a 5-0 win over Skelly in their 126 final.

“We just had a couple guys slip up in the consys, and then both of our finalists ended up being runners-up,” Stanley said. “To finish third as a team really was a blessing for us.”

Waynedale wrestlers left Columbus with a sense of much-deserved pride, but for the many grapplers who will return next season, there’s a feeling of wanting more. Waynedale will return seven of its 10 state qualifiers.

“We’ve got a lot of unfinished business,” Stanley said. “We’re going to work on stuff this offseason, and we’ve got a majority of our guys coming back.”

Beckler and Skelly vowed to work as hard as anyone in hopes of winding up their careers with gold medals.

After opening with a tech fall win, Beckler defeated Archbold’s Ty Bosco 4-1 and Southeast’s Damian Kemble 4-0 to reach the finals.

“I have been dreaming about (being in the state finals) since I first started watching them in my seventh-grade year,” said Beckler (48-6), who dropped a 5-2 decision against Williams in the Independence District final. “I knew I had it in me, and I just had to put trust in my coaches and training, and it got me there.

“It was not the result I wanted, but moving into next year, I want to win it bad — now more than anything. I’m just going to train in the offseason and keep my head down and work for that title next year.”

Stanley felt the state final was the most competitive Beckler had been against Williams, whom he also lost to as a freshman.

“Brock wrestled fairly well,” Stanley said. “He just flipped up at the end there and couldn't get our offense rolling and ended up losing a very close match.”

Skelly, who ended the season with a 55-2 record, pinned his way to the finals. He flattened Miami East’s Lucas Shore in 5:09 in the quarterfinals and then needed just 1:35 to pin Genoa Area’s Scotty Fuller in the semis.

“Wrestling in the state finals and representing my school and family was an incredible experience and a true honor,” said Skelly, who improved on a third-place finish as a sophomore. “I’m extremely grateful for every opportunity along this journey.

“This season has fueled my fire even more. I will be back — bigger, stronger and faster — ready to represent the Bears with pride next season.”

Skelly had actually defeated Barnes twice last year, but the Delta grappler posted his second win of this season over Skelly in the finals.

“Barnes was a returning runner-up,” Stanley said. “He’s a stud of an athlete. (Skelly) just couldn’t get his offense going against him.”

As Stanley reflected on the state tournament and season, he was filled with pride in the effort put forth by the grapplers up and down the lineup and the coaching staff.

“We will miss our seniors,” Stanley said. “Stephen Patterson is a three-time state placer and just the third four-time state qualifier at Waynedale, joining my brother Reid (Stanley, Class of 2016) and Caden Schmeltzer (2025).

“I can't say enough good things about Stephen. He's been a leader ever since his freshman year. And then Brandon Walters broke our heavyweight curse. It had been 26 years since we had our last heavyweight qualifier, and we have not had a heavyweight All-Ohioan since the 1990s.”

Senior Gradey Posey (190) went 0-2 at the state meet, while classmate Kamden Lemon (215) was a state alternate.

“We will definitely miss those guys as well,” Stanley said.

Unable to place at the state tournament after going 1-2 but also returning will be sophomore Sebastian Schmeltzer (132) and juniors Riley Greathouse (144) and D.J. Oberly (150).

“I’m thankful we have so many underclassmen who wrestled at state who will be back,” Stanley said. “It should help them be more driven and really motivate them even more this offseason.”