photo: Ty Wright (Eagle-Gazette)
2026 Ohio High School Wrestling Preview (D3)
What you’ll find in this article:
- State Tournament Team Projections
- Dual Meet Team Rankings
- Returning State Champs
- Top 25 Wrestlers in D3
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State Tournament Projections
- Graham (192)
- Lake Catholic (105)
- Waynedale (67)
- Delta (65)
- Lima Central Catholic (62)
- Union Local (55)
- Miami East (54)
- Genoa (46)
- Garaway (38)
- Liberty Center (36)
The above projections are based on DubStat’s computer-generated team rankings while also factoring in potential impacts by incoming freshmen.
Graham will no doubt continue their newfound reign over Division III and secure the 27th state title in school history.
Lake Catholic continues to rise and enters the season as the clear favorite for the runner-up trophy.
The battle for third appears to be between familiar foes Waynedale and Delta, though the small but high-powered Lima Central Catholic squad has the firepower to crash the top three.
Let’s take a closer look at the top 5 contenders in Division 3.
View full D3 team rankings (freshmen not factored in)
#1 Graham
Returning Qualifiers
Jake Landis (2nd)
Blaine DeMarco (2nd)
Jacob Hoke (3rd)
Danny Hoke (3rd)
Kyler Crooks (4th)
Baden Root (4th)
Cole Winemiller (5th)
Wyatt Kaemmerer (7th)
Colten Taylor (Q)
Jonas Mannier (Q)
Other Notable Wrestlers
Gage Stull
Micah Krieger
Logan Souders
Cooper Breslin (Freshman)
Ryan Angel (Freshman)
Graham returns eight state placers and two additional qualifiers, along with a deep group of talented wrestlers ready to make their own mark on this historic program.
The Falcons are led by state finalists Landis and DeMarco, with Crooks, both Hokes, and Winemiller all entering the season as legitimate title threats. The rest of the lineup will be filled with state-caliber wrestlers capable of pushing for the podium in March.
Realistically, this team could produce 10–12 state placers. They should cruise to title #27.
#2 Lake Catholic
Returning Qualifiers
Danny Zmorowski (1st)
Tyler Ineman (4th)
Chance Wurh (5th)
Tommy Slack (5th)
Giovanni Magistrelli (6th)
Other Notable Returners
Timothy Mazur (transfer from St. Eds)
Ben Mitchell
Ethan Preseren
Pedro Arapiraca
Dylan Osolin (Freshman)
Lake Catholic returns state champion Zmorowski along with four additional state placers. They also add St. Ed’s transfer Timothy Mazur, who placed for the Eagles two seasons ago. Mazur is a legitimate title contender and should score major points for the Cougars in March.
Slack, Wuhr, Ineman, and Magistrelli all look poised to improve on last year’s finishes, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see two or three of them reach the state finals.
Sophomore Mitchell and freshman Osolin also carry strong state-placement potential as the Cougar’s lineup continues to deepen each season.
Lake Catholic is the heavy favorite to take home the 2026 runner-up team trophy in DIII.
#3 Waynedale
Returning Qualifiers
Isaak Skelly (3rd)
Dalton Oberly (3rd)
Brock Beckler (6th)
Sebastian Schmeltzer (7th)
Riley Greathouse (Q)
Stephen Patterson (Q)
Other Notable Returners
Maddox Kidd
Lane Troyer
Lance Kearney
Caleb Franks
Hezekiah Top
Waynedale may not match the top-end firepower of Graham and Lake Catholic, but they bring back a strong group of state contenders and impressive depth across the lineup.
This squad has the potential to send 10 or more wrestlers to the state tournament. Skelly and Oberly return as title contenders, while Beckler and Schmeltzer are poised to score major points at the Schott as they push to climb the podium.
Greathouse, Patterson, and Kidd are also candidates to break through and earn state placement.
However, barring a major stumble from Lake Catholic and an explosive postseason run from Waynedale, third place appears to be their ceiling this year.
#4 Delta
Returning Qualifiers
Tyler Barnes (2nd)
Lane Lopez (5th)
Other Notable Returners
Marcus Nagel
Gunner Taylor
Brady Smith
Thomas Hernandez
Luke Spiess
This isn’t the same Delta team we’ve seen over the past few years, as they’ve lost a significant amount of talent to graduation.
Even so, they remain a solid top-5 squad with the upside to push as high as third. For now, I have them slotted fourth, just behind Waynedale.
Barnes caught fire last season on his way to the state finals and is capable of making another deep run. Sophomores Nagel and Taylor are both poised for breakout seasons—Nagel, in particular, is a title contender. State placer Lopez also has the potential to reach the state finals in March.
Smith, Hernandez, and Spiess are all state qualifier candidates who could add valuable points for the Panthers at the state tournament.
#5 Lima Central Catholic
Returning Qualifiers
Jordan Neal (1st)
Antwain Adams (2nd)
Carter Lester (Q)
Other Notable Wrestlers
Braylon Paxson (transfer from Allen East)
Lima Central Catholic won’t win many dual meets, but they’ll be dangerous in March with four high-powered wrestlers who are all projected to reach the state podium.
State champion Neal is a phenomenal pinner and only a junior. He enters the season as the favorite to repeat. Adams, who dropped a nail-biter in last year’s finals, will be right back in the title hunt as well.
Lester is a breakout candidate. He qualified for the state tournament at 190 pounds as a freshman, and despite a tough draw, he showed he has the talent to be a top-3 contender this year.
Transfer Paxson is very good and should make notable jumps training with Lester daily. He has top-6 potential.
If these four perform to their capability, Lima Central Catholic could crack the top three and shake up the team race.
Dual Meet Rankings
- Graham
- Lake Catholic
- Waynedale
- Delta
- Archbold
- Garaway
- Versailles
- Miami East
- Genoa
- Tuslaw
The above rankings are based on DubStat’s computer-generated team rankings while also factoring in potential impacts by incoming freshmen.
#1 Graham remains the head of the class in dual meet format. #3 Waynedale’s depth brings them much closer to #2 Lake Catholic than in an individual tournament setting, and if they land on the same side of the state dual bracket, that semifinal could be one of the best duals of the season with a trip to the finals on the line.
In the Troy district, #7 Versailles and #8 Miami East will battle for the second state-qualifying spot behind Graham.
Waynedale is the clear favorite out of the Coshocton district, with #6 Garaway looking like the solid No. 2 heading into the year.
At Independence, Lake Catholic should cruise, and there’s a significant gap between #10 Tuslaw and the rest of the field.
Rossford has a bit more overall depth than the other districts, but #4 Delta and #5 Archbold look like the top two on paper. #9 Genoa and Liberty Center are also capable of making a push for a state berth.
Returning Champions
106: Bodey Gibbs (Columbia)
113: Scott Fuller (Genoa)
120: Spencer Shore (Miami East)
132: Nathan Attisano (Legacy Christian Academy)
138: Edward Kessen (Delphos St. Johns)
144: Jordan Neal (Lima CC)
150: Caleb Greenwood (Beachwood)
215: Danny Zmorowski (Lake Catholic)
2024: Michael Frye (Columbia)
Gibbs won a loaded 106-pound bracket as a freshman last year. He’ll move up a weight class this season, where the competition won’t get any easier, but he’ll be right back in the hunt for title number two.
Fuller has never finished outside the top three at the state tournament. The senior returns looking for his second title after an impressive win over Landis in last year’s final. It’s still unclear whether he’ll compete at 113 or 120.
Shore bonused his way through the entire state tournament last season, finishing with a tech fall in the finals—and even breaking out a Michael Jackson–style celebration. He’ll be the favorite at either 120 or 126 to repeat.
Two-time champ Attisano headlines Division III this year and enters the season as a strong favorite to claim his third state title.
Kessen won a back-and-forth match against Adams (LCC) in last year’s finals. Depending on how weight classes settle, his toughest challenger could once again be Adams—or possibly returning state champion Neal.
Neal scores in bunches. After slipping into the state tournament from the Troy district as the 4-spot, he tore through the bracket and used a late takedown in the finals to secure the title. Only a junior, he should be the favorite again at either 144 or 150.
Greenwood is one of the top wrestlers in Division III, but he’ll face stiff competition from Seesholtz—whom he edged 11–10 in last year’s final—and potentially from Crooks of Graham.
Zmorowski is one of the best upperweights in the entire state. Now a junior, he’ll be chasing his second title and third top-three finish. His toughest threat is Hoke, who he beat 1–0 in last year’s semifinal. Hoke is the only one in DIII with a realistic shot at challenging him this season.
Top 25 Returning D3 Wrestlers
- Nathan Attisano (Legacy Christian Academy)
- Caleb Greenwood (Beachwood)
- Jordan Neal (Lima Central Catholic)
- Spencer Shore (Miami East)
- Kyler Crooks (Graham)
- Edward Kessen (St Johns (Delphos))
- Danny Zmorowski (Lake Catholic)
- Ben James (St Mary CC)
- Jakob Hoke (Graham)
- Scott Fuller (Genoa)
- Jake Landis (Graham)
- Danny Hoke (Graham)
- Thor Etter (Paulding)
- Blaine Demarco (Graham)
- Isaak Skelly (Waynedale)
- Budder Manley (River Valley (Bidwell))
- Dalton Oberly (Waynedale)
- Caleb Ryman (Covington)
- Tyson Seesholtz (South Range)
- Gunnar Gossett (Union Local)
- Antwain Adams (Lima Central Catholic)
- Timothy Mazur (Lake Catholic)
- Cooper Schlaegel (Elgin)
- Owen Patrizi (Mohawk)
- Bodie Martin (Amanda-Clearcreek)
HM: Slack (Lake Catholic), Pinkelton (Port Clinton), Winemiller (Graham), Ineman (Lake Catholic), Barnes (Delta), Nagel (Delta), Gibbs (Columbia)
Rankings are based solely on DubStat’s Elo Ratings with the top 25 rated wrestlers listed.
Full Set of Individual Rankings – ~12,000 wrestlers ranked!
subscribe today with a 7-day free trial
View DubStat’s full set of high school wrestling rankings and use our predictor tools to project winners of individual matches and dual meets with a 7-day free trial.