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

COLUMBUS — Cohen Riggenbach did a lot of standing in the tunnel Saturday, waiting for his third-place bout at the OHSAA State Championships.

But as the Dalton junior stood there, bouncing up-and-down listening to his music, he embraced the moment.

“Hey, I knew I already placed, so there's no need to be nervous,” Riggenbach said. “You just need to out there and do your stuff. That's really the mindset that I had and waiting got me focused.

How They Fared: Results for all 22 Wayne/Holmes wrestlers at the OHSAA State Tournament

“I was nervous when I first came out of the tunnel, but I was just standing there bouncing and was like, 'He's just another high school kid. Same as me. It's just about who's a better wrestler and that's what it came down to.'”

The 285-pound Riggenbach capped off his state debut with a third-place finish, beating Conneaut’s Scotty Edwards by a 3-2 decision, highlighting a day that saw him and 11 other area wrestlers determine their All-Ohio placements.

Being the only match going, surrounded by vacant mats, he was able to hear the large contingent of Dalton fans who occupied the corner of the Jerome Schottenstein Center near his mat, letting him know how much they cared.

“That was awesome,” Riggenbach said, of being able to hear the Bulldog supporters as the arena cleared out. “I'm just thankful that all these people are here to support me. Our community is amazing.”

After his semifinal loss to Crestview’s Caleb Cunningham on Saturday, the heavyweight came back on the final day of the championships, first beating Tusky Valley’s Dylan Congdon by a 6-2 count, before picking up two near-fall points midway through his third-place match with Edwards, followed by an escape, before holding on for the victory.

“I just had to go back to my stuff, do what helped me in my first two matches,” Riggenbach said. “That's what got me here, so I needed to do it.”

Both Waynedale’s Brock Beckler (106 pounds) and Tuslaw’s Kaden Lawson (113) went on to place fourth overall in their respective weight classes, dropping their third-place bouts.

Beckler, who lost 5-3 to Liberty Center’s Braedyn Tammarine, controlling his match for two periods before Tammarine scored late and held on to take the win.

“You just can't leave it up in the air,’ said Beckler, who opened the day with a win over Lake Catholic’s Chance Wuhr for the second straight week. “I just have to get back to the room and work.”

Fellow underclassman, Lawson ran into a buzzsaw in Alter’s Bronson Begley — losing by technical fall — but was able to put it in perspective following the match. He did, however, advance to the match thanks to a 7-3 decision over Tommy Slack of Lake Catholic, avenging his loss in last week’s district final.

“This just lets you know how much more you need to work to get to the top,” the two-time All-Ohioan said. “I have a lot of work to do after that one. This fuels (the offseason) for sure.”

The trio of Waynedale’s Caden Schmeltzer (D-III, 132), West Holmes’ Louden Dixon (D-II, 144), and Chippewa’s Gabi Gartin (Girls, 125) placed fifth in their respective classes, while Waynedale’s Riley Greathouse (D-III, 126) was sixth overall.

For Schmeltzer, the placement was the second in his third-year prep career and ended a physically exhausting weekend in which he had to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to Lake Catholic’s Joey Romano in the opener with a 2-0 decision of Zane Trace’s Zane Pickerrell.

“It's just been a long weekend; my body was drained,” Schmeltzer said. “I gave it everything that I got, but I knew my body was fatigued and I needed to score quick, hold onto that lead. All my strength was gone pretty much.”

Dixon’s first All-Ohio finish was capped off by a win over Cooper Smith of Steubenville — his third in as many weeks over the district foe — this one coming with a 3-1 decision in overtime.

“It gets old after a while, but as long as I keep winning it's good,” joked Dixon, who defeated Smith on his way to both the Steubenville Sectional and Gallia District titles. “I knew I could get in on his legs just being patient and not diving at them.

“I definitely will be working hard. I didn't get my goal, so just means I need to put more work in.”

A handful of locals competed in seventh-place bouts earlier in the session with Stephen Patterson (Waynedale, 113), Jacob Lyons (Tuslaw, 150) and Greyson Siders (Dalton, 165) all bringing home seventh-place finishes. Dalton’s Bram McCourt and Jack Waldron were eighth at 157 and 190, respectively.

Both Lyons and Siders ended their prep careers on the event’s final day — Lyons earning his second straight all-state finish and Siders earning a spot on the podium for the first time. Lyons was a 4-2 winner over Beachwood’s Caleb Greenwood, who he beat for the Independence District crown a week ago, and Siders stormed out to an early lead in a 7-3 victory over Waynesville’s Levi Collins.

“He's quick man, real fast,” Lyons said of Greenwood. “Obviously being a two-time All-Ohioan is pretty cool, but I'm definitely disappointed in how I wrestled (Saturday). I know that I'm better than that, but there are no more tournaments to prove that.

“I'm grateful for all the hard work that I've done,” continued the senior, who finished with 161 wins and 99 pins. “I'm grateful though. It's been a great career.”

Siders, who was making his third state appearance, but first since 2022 after missing a trip last winter, appreciated having one more weekend with his teammates.

“It feels awesome,” he said. “After not making it last year, this is definitely a step higher. I didn't finish where I wanted to, but just to finish with these guys here is awesome.”

Patterson earned his second straight All-Ohio finish after a 7-0 win over Covington’s Carson Taylor, while McCourt dropped a 9-5 decision to Elgin’s Quinton Harrison and Waldron backed out of his final bout, due to injury.

“I dropped a match I should’ve never lost, and I know I should be higher on that podium,” Patterson said, referring to earlier in the tournament. “I didn't get to show everything here, but I'm going to come back and be ready.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Wrestling: 11 Wayne/Holmes grapplers earn podium spots at state