Here are 12 Columbus-area high school boys wrestlers to watch in 2023-24 season
Six competitors who have won at least one state championship headline our 12 central Ohio boys wrestlers to watch this season.
Omar Ayoub, Dublin Coffman
A two-time state champion and three-time state placer, Ayoub won the Division I title at 138 pounds last season, finishing 52-2. He also won sectional and district titles. The Nebraska commit, who was first at 144 in the Central District Wrestling Coaches Association preseason rankings for Division I, placed second at the Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit Ironman tournament last weekend.
Ethan Birden, Dublin Coffman
The senior won the Division I state title at 157 last winter, capping a 48-2 season that also included sectional and district championships. The Ohio State commit, who finished fourth at the Ironman, was first at 165 in the Division I preseason rankings.
Joe Curry, Watterson
The sophomore capped his first season with the Eagles by winning the Division II state title at 120 to finish 34-2. Curry, who also won sectional and district titles, was first at 126 in the Division II preseason rankings.
2023-24 preview: Central Ohio boys wrestlers begin march toward state tournament
Aiden King, Hartley
The junior won Division II sectional and district championships last season before reaching the state final at 126, placing second to finish 22-1. King was first at 132 in the Division II preseason rankings.
Neal Krysty, Watterson
The junior capped a 35-3 season in 2022-23 with a third-place finish at 106 in the Division II state tournament. That followed district and sectional titles. Krysty was first at 120 in the Division II preseason rankings.
Cooper Rathburn, Hartley
After finishing first at sectional and second at district last winter, the senior placed third at 138 in the Division II state tournament to cap a 32-7 season. Rathburn was first at 157 in the Division II preseason rankings.
Lincoln Shulaw, DeSales
The junior helped the Stallions earn a runner-up finish in the Division II state tournament last season, placing second at 175. Shulaw, who went 39-7, won district and sectional titles. He was first at 190 in the Division II preseason rankings.
Max Shulaw, DeSales
The senior went 51-0 a season ago, winning Division II sectional, district and state championships at 215 after finishing second at state as a sophomore. Shulaw, a Virginia commit, was first at 215 in the Division II preseason rankings and took third at the Ironman. As a linebacker in football, he was first-team all-state, all-district and all-CCL and Dispatch All-Metro this season.
Alex Taylor, Mount Vernon
The sophomore concluded his first season with the Yellow Jackets by placing third at 215 in the Division I state tournament to finish 42-8. He placed first at sectional and third at district. Taylor was first in the Division I preseason rankings at 215.
Huggy Williams, Olentangy Liberty
The sophomore went 32-8 last season, finishing fourth at 106 in the Division I state tournament. Williams won district and sectional titles and was first in the Division I preseason rankings at 126.
Ty Wilson, Dublin Scioto
After winning Division I state titles as a freshman and sophomore, the senior Northwestern commit finished third at 144 last winter. His 50-4 season included sectional and district championships. Wilson, who finished sixth at 150 at the Ironman, was first at that weight in the Division I preseason rankings.
Mitchell Younger, Watterson
The junior earned his second consecutive Division II state title last winter, finishing first at 144. Younger went 29-2 and also won district and sectional championships. He was first at 150 in the Division II preseason rankings and finished eighth at the Ironman.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 12 central Ohio boys wrestlers to watch in 2023-24 season
