COLUMBUS – Versailles freshman Ben Kaiser capped a remarkable season by winning the OHSAA State Championship in the 285-pound weight class, leading a strong Tigers showing at the state wrestling tournament.
Kaiser finished the season with a 48-6 record and added a state title to his district and sectional championships, giving Versailles its biggest highlight of the weekend on the mats in Columbus.
The freshman heavyweight opened tournament action with a 6-5 first-round decision over Parker Bixler of Archbold, then edged Martin Hernandez of Newcomerstown 2-1 in the quarterfinals to advance to the championship semifinals.
In the semifinal round, Kaiser secured his spot in the state title match with a pin of Nelsonville-York’s Will Odenthal at 5:59. Wrestling for the championship, Kaiser closed out his outstanding postseason run with a hard-fought 4-3 decision over Christopher Timms of Indian Lake to claim first place.
Versailles junior Trent Huber also turned in an impressive state tournament performance, placing third in the 106-pound division. Huber finished the year with a 47-2 record and continued to build on an already decorated career.
Now a three-time state qualifier and two-time state placer, Huber reached state this season after winning both sectional and district titles. He placed eighth at 106 pounds a year ago and improved that finish significantly with a podium run this season.
Huber started the tournament by pinning Ralph Stellato of South Range in 2:54 in the opening round. He followed with a dominant 19-1 technical fall over Bryce Books of Garaway in the quarterfinals.
After dropping an 11-3 major decision to Gabe Brough of Eastwood in the semifinals, Huber bounced back in strong fashion in the consolation bracket. He earned a 21-6 technical fall over Easton Stephen of Barnesville in the consolation semifinals, then defeated Bryce Books of Garaway for a second time with a 20-3 technical fall to secure third place.
Versailles junior Landyn Knapke also earned a spot on the podium, finishing sixth in the 165-pound weight class with a 46-9 record.
Knapke opened his tournament with a 16-1 technical fall over Enoch Patterson of Symmes Valley. After falling 4-0 to Gunner Taylor of Delta in the quarterfinals, Knapke battled back through the consolation rounds with a 7-3 win over Hayden Jones of Waterford and a pin of Rylan Puckett of West Jefferson in 2:30.
Knapke’s tournament run ended with a pin loss to Carson Campbell of Northmor in the consolation semifinals and a 10-0 major decision loss to Rafael Gross of St. Paul in the fifth-place match.
Versailles junior Cole Brewer also qualified for the state tournament and competed in the 138-pound division. Brewer finished his season with a 43-10 record.
Brewer dropped a 13-8 decision to Daine Bayer of Liberty Center in the first round, then saw his tournament come to a close with a pin loss to Holden Hodgson of Nelsonville-York in 4:36 in the consolation bracket.
With a state champion in Kaiser, a third-place finish from Huber, and a sixth-place performance by Knapke, Versailles once again proved itself among Ohio’s top wrestling programs with a strong showing on the sport’s biggest stage.
