Area wrestling programs delivered a weekend full of determination, championships, and breakthrough performances, as teams battled through dual tournaments and conference meets across central Ohio. From Bellefontaine’s gritty showing against deep competition, to historic success for Benjamin Logan’s girls and back-to-back conference dominance by the Raiders’ middle school squad, the weekend highlighted the depth and momentum of local wrestling as the postseason approaches.
Chiefs Show Resilience at River Valley Bender Duals
Bellefontaine’s high school boys wrestling team turned in a gritty performance Saturday, finishing 7th out of 10 teams at the River Valley Bender Duals.
Despite battling illness and injuries that forced the Chiefs to forfeit six weight classes, Bellefontaine went 1–4 in dual action. Those forfeits resulted in 36 automatic points surrendered in each dual, but even with the disadvantage, the Chiefs won more matches that were actually wrestled than their opponents in all but one dual.
Dual Results
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Dublin Jerome 51, Bellefontaine 23
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Bellefontaine 43, Circleville 36
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River Valley 47, Bellefontaine 24
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Grove City 48, Bellefontaine 4
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Lexington 42, Bellefontaine 28
Bellefontaine Individual Records
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138 – Jared Young: 4–1, 2 pins
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150 – Andrew Larison: 4–1, 3 pins, major decision
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157 – Ru Lyburtus: 4–1, 2 pins, major decision
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144 – Nicholas Beair: 3–2, 2 pins, major decision
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132 – Maddox Keith: 3–1, 2 pins, technical fall
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132 – Braidyn Coulson: 2–1, 2 pins
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157 – Draven Drake: 2–1, 1 pin
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165 – Noah King: 2–3, 1 pin
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175 – Hunter Werling: 2–3
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285 – Cameron Hensley: 1–4
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138 – Ricky Smiley: 2–0, 2 pins
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132 – Isaiah Roberts: 1–0, technical fall
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138 – Nicholas Orazco: 0–2
Bellefontaine head coach Aaron LaBatt was encouraged by the team’s effort.
“This was the best we have wrestled all season,” LaBatt said. “We gave up six weight classes so we were digging out of a hole every dual. I’m proud of our guys, though. We won more matches that were actually wrestled than our opponents in all but one dual.”
LaBatt also praised several standout performances.
“I thought Andrew had a solid day, Jared continued to get back into the groove after coming back from injury, and Ru stepped up in several duals. We need to build on this momentum as we head into the last two weeks of the regular season.”
The Chiefs will host the Chieftain Duals next Saturday, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Benjamin Logan Girls Shine at First-Ever All-Girls CBC Tournament
The Benjamin Logan girls wrestling team competed Saturday at the first-ever all-girls CBC Tournament, placing 7th out of 10 teams.
Despite filling just five of the 14 weight classes, all five Raiders placed, highlighting the team’s depth and efficiency.
Benjamin Logan Placers
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Bella Hughes – Champion
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Sophia Harris – Champion
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Makenley Harker – Runner-up
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Livi Achor – Runner-up
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Addie Anderson – 6th
The Raiders return to action Sunday at the Triad Invitational.
Benjamin Logan Middle School Repeats as CBC Champions
The Benjamin Logan Middle School wrestling team continued its dominance this week, capturing the CBC Tournament title at Tecumseh High School for the second straight year.
The Raiders finished an impressive 118.5 points ahead of second place, showcasing depth across the lineup.
Individual Conference Champions
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Owen Marshall
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Kaleb Linkinhoker
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Jennings Bednarki
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Ryan Miller
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Carter Crumm
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Bryson Greiner
Additional Placers
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Cayde Buck – 2nd
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Marshall Elliott – 2nd
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Quinn Kuba – 2nd
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Luke Cronkleton – 3rd
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Connor Collins – 3rd
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Bently Lewis – 3rd
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Brooks Leonard – 3rd
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Bentley Hatmaker – 4th
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Scottie Stevenson – 6th
The back-to-back conference championships cap another outstanding season for the Raiders’ middle school program.
