All-Daily Record 23-24: Wrestler of the Year Caden Schmeltzer leads all-area team

It was another strong season for local wrestlers.

Need proof? The area had 11 individuals earn All-Ohio honors at the OHSAA State Championships earlier this year, with a host of others qualifying for the tournament.

Both Waynedale and Dalton placed 10th and 11th, respectively in the final Division III team standings, highlighted by Dalton's Cohen Riggenbach placing third overall in the 285-pound bracket.

Along with Riggenbach, a handful of other underclassmen were top-five finishers in the D-II and III fields as Waynedale's Brock Beckler (D-III, 106 pounds) and Tuslaw's Kaden Lawson (D-III, 113) took fourth and Waynedale's Caden Schmeltzer (D-III, 132) and West Holmes' Louden Dixon (D-II, 144) earned fifth.

'That was awesome': Riggenbach's third-place finish highlights final day of state wrestling

Wrestler of the Year: Caden Schmeltzer, Waynedale

On a team full of some of Ohio's best, Schmeltzer stood out. A third-time state qualifier as a junior, Schmeltzer achieved the highest finish of his career, losing to eventual state champ Dillon Campbell before fighting his way through the consolation bracket for a fifth-place finish.

Schmeltzer dominated his way to WCAL and sectional titles, with his only postseason losses the rest of the way coming to two of the top three state placers at 132 pounds. After a 44-win season against one of the toughest slates of any area wrestler, Schmeltzer will head into his senior season with even bigger goals.

Coach of the Year: Louie Stanley, Waynedale

Death, taxes and Waynedale wrestling dominating the rest of Wayne County. Stanley has spent three-plus decades building a powerhouse that nobody in the Wayne/Holmes area can match, and that continued in 2023-24. The Bears lost some of their most experienced wrestlers over the past few seasons but reloaded with one of the best group of freshman in years.

That group helped the Bears win the Wayne County Athletic League title for the 13th time in a row on a team that produced four All-Ohioans and a 10th-place finish at the Division III State Championships. And there's no end in sight for Waynedale's reign atop the county.

THE ALL-DAILY RECORD TEAM

Brock Beckler (Waynedale, fr., 106)

All-Ohioan. ... 43-5 record. ... Placed fourth overall at D-III state tournament in debut, including quarterfinal upset victory over second-ranked Braedyn Tammerine of Liberty Center. ... Missed state final by one point, losing 4-3 to eventual state champ Michael Frye of Columbia. ... Opened postseason by winning Northwestern Sectional and taking third at Independence District. ... Also won WCAL championship.

Kaden Lawson (Tuslaw, so., 113)

All-Ohioan. ... 29-11 record. ... Took fourth overall at D-III state tournament, earning all-state accolades for second consecutive year. ... Bounced back from semifinal loss to eventual state champion Adam Mattin of Delta with impressive 7-3 win over Lake Catholic's Tommy Slack, avenging his district final loss. ... Postseason run included titles at both PAC tournament and Northwestern Sectional, along with runner-up at Independence.

Stephen Patterson (Waynedale, so., 113)

All-Ohioan. ... 45-7 record. ... Earned all-state honors for second straight season after seventh-place showing at D-III state tournament. ... Beat ninth-ranked Trey Huber in Versailles in consolation opener before closing out season with 7-0 decision of Covington's Carson Taylor. ... Captured WCAL championship for second year in a row, along with placing second at Northwestern Sectional and third at Independence District.

Isaak Skelly (Waynedale, fr., 120)

State qualifier. ... 43-5 record. ... Advanced to D-III state tournament after third-place finish at Independence District. ... Went 0-2 in state debut. ... Impressive rookie season included wins at WCAL tournament and Northwestern Sectional, both via pin. ... Finished regular season with just two losses.

Riley Greathouse (Waynedale, fr., 126)

All-Ohioan. ...  41-12 record. ... Was sixth overall at D-III state tournament after run to championship with impressive wins over a district champ in Barnesville's Colt Carpenter and over Covington's Jericho Quinter, the sixth-ranked wrestler in the state. ... Earned final state berth out of Independence District, along with victories at both Northwestern Sectional and WCAL Tournament.

Caden Schmeltzer (Waynedale, jr., 132)

All-Ohioan. ... 44-5 record. ... Capped off third state appearance with fifth-place finish at D-III state tournament. ... Won four matches in Columbus to earn second all-state honor, including victories over No. 5 Lane Thacker of Lakota and No. 8 Zane Pickerell of Zane Trace in consolation bracket. ... Was runner-up at Independence District and took home championships at Northwestern Sectional and WCAL tournament.

Joey McGuire (Rittman, sr., 138)

State qualifier. ... 38-6 record. ... Earned second straight trip to D-III state tournament after thrilling 9-7 decision over Rootstown's Nathan Lee to win Independence District title. ... Went 0-2 at state. ... Earned district final appearance after 14-7 win over Waynedale's Dalton Oberly. ... Also won Beachwood Sectional title and was runner-up at WCAL Championships to fellow state qualifier Caden Schmeltzer.

Louden Dixon (West Holmes, so., 144)

All-Ohioan. ... In second state appearance, bounced back from quarterfinal loss to eventual D-II state runner-up Cael Gilmore of Marengo Highland to place fifth overall. ... Capped of second state trip with win over Steubenville's Cooper Smith. ... Victory over Smith, the fifth-ranked wrestler in the state, was third in as many weeks after beating rival for both Steubenville Sectional and Gallia District titles. ... Also won OCC championship.

Jacob Lyons (Tuslaw, sr., 150)

All-Ohioan. ... 42-7 record. ... Placed seventh at D-III state tournament for second straight season after 4-2 win over Beachwood's Caleb Greenwood. ... Victory over Greenwood was second in as many weeks after taking Independence District title with overtime decision against underclassman. ... Also took Northwestern Sectional title to become school's first four-time sectional champ and won PAC title. ... Finished career with 161 wins and 99 pins.

Bram McCourt (Dalton, sr., 157)

All-Ohioan. ... 29-15 record. ... Made most of second chance in placing eighth overall after state alternate was injury replace at D-III state tournament. ... Both state victories came via pin, including over 11th-ranked Grant Bomer of Lakota to earn all-state placement. ... Along with fifth-place finish at Independence District, along with third at Northwestern Sectional and runner-up at WCAL championships.

Robert McCrork (Waynedale, jr., 157)

State qualifier. ... 43-4 record. ... Missed D-III state tournament due to injury. ... Advanced to first state tournament trip after runner-up at finish at Independence District. ... Also was second at Northwestern Sectional and won WCAL championship with major decision of Dalton's Bram McCourt. ... Had just two losses in postseason, both to 2023 state champ and eventual 2024 runner-up in Keystone's Tristin Greene.

Greyson Siders (Dalton, sr., 165)

All-Ohioan. ... 39-4 record. ... Earned first all-state honor after wrestling back for seventh-place finish at D-III state tournament. ... Beat No. 13 Malakhi Pinkleton of Port Clinton to earn podium finish before defeating No. 10 Levi Collins of Waynesville. ... Finished career with three state appearances. ... Had efficient postseason with titles at both Independence District and Northwestern Sectional, along with WCAL tournament.

Neil Miller (Chippewa, sr., 175)

State qualifier. ... 35-7 record. ... Advanced to first D-III state tournament, finishing 0-2 in debut. ... Appearance capped off bounce-back season after missing the entire 2023 postseason. ... Placed third at Independence District, including overtime win over Dalton's Seth Ryder and 4-0 win against Perry's Antonius Bertone. ... Was runner-up at Rootstown Sectional and captured WCAL title with win over fellow state qualifier Kaden Russell of Dalton.

Jack Waldron (Dalton, sr., 190)

All-Ohioan. ... 35-14 record. ... Overcame injury to battle back in the consolation bracket en route to eighth-place showing in debut at D-III state tournament. ... Bounced back from first-round loss to win pair of consolation matches, including pin of Ridgewood's Dyllan Austin. ... Open postseason by taking 215-pound title at WCAL tourney, before winning Northwestern Sectional (1st) and placing fourth at Independence District.

Grant Miller (West Holmes, sr., 215)

State qualifier. ... 44-11 record. ... Went 1-2 in debut at D-II state tournament, beating Braydon Isaacs of Franklin. ... Battled his way back through the consolation bracket at the Gallia District to earn first state trip with third-place finish. ... Also was runner-up at Steubenville Sectional and third in a loaded field at the OCC tournament that included D-I state placer Alex Taylor of Mount Vernon.

Cohen Riggenbach (Dalton, jr., 285)

All-Ohioan. ... 33-10 record. ... Earned highest finish of any local at D-III state tournament with third-place finish. ... Capped off state debut with 3-2 decision of fifth-ranked Scott Edwards of Conneaut. ... Lone state loss was to eventual champ Caleb Cunningham of Crestview. ... Efficiently worked way through final month of season with wins at WCAL tournament and Northwestern Sectional, along with runner-up at Independence District.

HONORABLE MENTION

Sam Ediger, Dalton

Ethan Garrod, Waynedale

Ethan Haer, Tuslaw

Paul Hostetler, Orrville

Dylan Hudson, Wooster

Tyler Lower, Chippewa

Justin Metheney, Rittman

Liam Mitten, Waynedale

Albert Moreno, Chippewa

Dalton Oberly, Waynedale

Evan Patton, Wooster

Sam Petit, Chippewa

Cole Porter, West Holmes

Aaj Roberts, West Holmes

Kaden Russell, Dalton

Seth Ryder, Dalton

Dylan Sours, West Holmes

Grady Toye, West Holmes

Brandon Walters, Waynedale

Baylor Weiser, Loudonville

Issac Wittel, Loudonville

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: All-Daily Record 23-24: Wrestler of the Year Caden Schmeltzer leads all-area team