OHSAA wrestling: La Salle, Springboro pace the area; girls wrestling adds new round
The chase to the Ohio High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament is on. OHSAA sectional tournaments for the boys and pre-regional tournaments for the girls start the postseason run this weekend.
Top four placers in each class move on to district and regional tournaments with the state championship from March 8-10 at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus.
Here are some postseason storylines and things to know heading into the opening rounds:
More: 'We all support each other': 4 NKY girls wrestlers make history at inaugural state meet
More: Harrison girls wrestling takes OHSWCA duals state title in finals over Olentangy Orange
La Salle looks to take back Southwest crown
At last season's Division I state tournament, La Salle finished ninth in the state with 56 total points, just two points behind Springboro. Springboro also claimed the district title, scoring 180 points to La Salle's 164.
The Lancers will look to jump back atop the district after winning in 2021 and 2022, but sectionals come first and La Salle will need to wrestle at Middletown first.
La Salle wrestles at the Middletown sectional that also features Ross, Walnut Hills, Hamilton, Northwest, Turpin, St. Xavier, Anderson, Sycamore, Lakota East and the hosting Middies.
The Lancers had eight sectional champions last season and all eight are back in 2024. Alijah Mohanna, Aiden Allen, Eli Marengo, Holden Huhn, Jack Willen, Carson Thomas, Kam Harden and Colin Wooldridge will try to defend their sectional championships. The first seven of which will also try and qualify for state again.
La Salle set the tone early in the season by taking first in the Southwest Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association Coaches Classic followed by a fifth place finish at the Brecksville Invitational and a first place finish at the Mark Zimmer Memorial in DeSales.
On Feb. 3, La Salle clinched its district championship in the state duals and finished in fifth at the state finals.
Springboro's chance at running postseason again
Like La Salle, Springboro also reached the state duals finals after claiming a district victory. There, the Panthers dropped two matches before taking the victory in the seventh-place match.
Springboro's earlier season success showed in a third-place finish at the Holiday Wrestling Tournament at Vandalia Butler, a championship at the Beavercreek Coach Bulugaris Classic and a championship at the Watkins Invitational. The Panthers also clinched the Greater Western Ohio Conference crown for the third-straight season and the fifth time in six years.
Springboro will compete at the Lebanon sectional, joining Lebanon, Talawanda, Elder, Mason, Lakota West, Edgewood, Fairfield, Princeton, Milford and Monroe.
Last year, Springboro won its sectional title with three individual champs and six second-place finishers. Only junior Aidan Weimer returns from the trio of champs with five of the runners-up.
Weimer placed eighth at state last season as did Jack Hoffman while Matt Kowalski was a sixth-place finisher.
The Panthers and the Lancers have been the top Greater Cincinnati programs in Division I and look to carry that into 2024, especially with each group returning talented and experienced postseason competitors.
Girls wrestling adds qualifying round
As the sport of girls wrestling grows in Ohio, so does the girls wrestling postseason.
The OHSAA added an extra round to the girls postseason called the pre-regional round, similar to a sectional in the boys tournament. Pre-regional rounds will be at Hamilton, Loveland, Western Brown and Greeneview for the Region 1 teams. Harrison hosts the Region 1 tournament on March 3 where wrestlers will then qualify for the state tournament.
Harrison is the top seed in the Region with with Centerville, Eaton, Clermont Northeastern and Lebanon rounding out the top five.
Where does my team compete?
Division I boys
Lebanon sectional: Lebanon, Talawanda, Elder, Springboro, Mason, Lakota West, Edgewood, Fairfield, Princeton, Milford, Monroe
Loveland sectional: Loveland, Withrow, Winton Woods, Western Hills, Kings, Oak Hills, West Clermont, Little Miami, Colerain, Moeller, Harrison
Middletown sectional: Ross, Middletown, Walnut Hills, Hamilton, Northwest, Turpin, St. Xavier, La Salle, Anderson, Sycamore, Lakota East
Division II boys
Clinton-Massie sectional: Badin, Clinton-Massie, Wilmington
Western Brown sectional: Aiken, Batavia, Woodward, Goshen, Hughes, Indian Hill, Mount Healthy, New Richmond, McNicholas, Reading, Roger Bacon, Shroder, Taylor, Western Brown, Wyoming
Division III boys
Blanchester sectional: Bethel-Tate, Blanchester, Cincinnati Country Day, Clermont Northeastern, Deer Park, East Clinton, Finneytown, Madeira, New Miami, North College Hill, Norwood, Riverview East, St. Bernard-Elmwood Place, Summit Country Day, Williamsburg
Covington sectional: Middletown Madison
Versailles sectional: Waynesville
Girls
Greeneview pre-regional: Sycamore, Oak Hills, Wilmington
Hamilton pre-regional: Hamilton, Lebanon, New Richmond, Badin, Clinton-Massie, Fairfield, Middletown, Ross, Springboro
Loveland pre-regional: Loveland, Lakota West, Taylor, Harrison, Colerain, Finneytown, Hughes, Little Miami, Norwood, Princeton, Walnut Hills, West Clermont, Winton Woods
Western Brown pre-regional: Western Brown, Lakota East, Milford, Mason, Clermont Northeastern, Batavia, Bethel-Tate, Blanchester, East Clinton, Williamsburg
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Wrestling storylines: La Salle returns major postseason experience
