Tate Hisey (top) of St. Marys takes down Shawnee’s Alejandro Reyes (bottom) at Lima Senior’s Spartan Invitational last year.
Jackelyn Johnson | The Lima News
With the wrestling season now in full bloom, many area wrestlers are working hard in pursuit of reaching their goals.
Here are 15 area boys wrestlers to keep a close eye on.
St. Marys’ Hisey, Hertenstein poised for big senior seasons
Last season, Tate Hisey notched the Division II state title in the 126-pound weight class and became the first St. Marys wrestler to win a state title.
Hisey, a senior, will aim for a repeat performance at this year’s state tournament.
Before winning the state championship last year, Hisey placed fifth at 106 pounds during his freshman season and then placed fourth at 113 in his sophomore campaign.
Next school year, Hisey will attend George Mason University, an NCAA Division I school, and will compete on the wrestling team.
Teammate Bo Hertenstein is a two-time Division II state qualifier. Last season, as a junior, Hertenstein finished as State Runner-Up in Division II at 150 pounds.
Hertenstein will continue his wrestling career next school year at the college level when he attends Wheeling University, an NCAA Division II school.
Lima Central Catholic’s Neal, Adams and Lester aiming for spots on the podium
Last year as a freshman, Jordan Neal placed fifth in the 144-pound weight class at the Division III state tournament while competing at Allen East. Neal became the first freshman at Allen East to place at State.
Neal transferred to LCC before his sophomore season, and so far, looks to be on track for another stellar campaign as he is 10-0, competing in the 144-pound weight class for the T-Birds.
LCC’s Antwain Adams is coming off a sophomore campaign where he missed most of the season, due to a knee injury.
Adams looks to be in top form this season, posting an 11-0 mark early on.
At this past weekend’s Allen County Tournament at Shawnee, Adams recorded a hard-fought 4-1 decision in the 138-pound championship match over Edward Kessen from Delphos St. John’s. Kessen placed seventh at 138 pounds at last year’s Division III state tournament.
LCC freshman Carter Lester has looked impressive at 190 pounds this year. At the Allen County Tournament, Lester (9-1) won the title with a 16-0 tech fall over Bluffton’s Evan Grothause.
Wapakoneta duo looks to make a statement
Wapakoneta junior Wyatt Buell and senior Caden Mellot are poised to make a postseason run this season.
Last year, Buell was a Division II state qualifier at 175 pounds. In 2023, Mellot placed sixth in the 113-pound weight class in Division II.
Bath’s Deppe looking to finish senior season on a strong note
At this past weekend’s Allen County Tournament, Bath senior Carter Deppe (15-2) won the title at 126 pounds and was selected the most valuable wrestler of the tournament.
Deppe has high aspirations for his final season of high school wrestling.
“I’ve been wanting to make it to State. I’ve only made it to districts once because I usually start cutting too much weight and then fall off by the end of the year,” Deppe said. “This year, I’m at a healthy weight and I feel good. So, I’m hopefully making it to State.”
Parkway’s Younker, Green looking to make a run
Last year, as a junior, Parkway’s Landon Younker got a taste of the Division III state tournament when he qualified, but unfortunately made an early exit at State.
“I went 0-2 (at State). … It didn’t go the way I wanted it to go, but it was God’s plan,” Younker said. “The goal is always to win it all, but we’ll see what happens.”
At the Lincolnview Invitational (Dec. 13), Younker won the title at 165 pounds, notched his 100th career win and was named the most valuable wrestler of the invite.
Teammate Jaden Green, a junior, won the title at 175 pounds at the Lincolnview Invitational. Last season, Green went 36-9 but did not qualify for the state tournament.
Spencerville’s Franco starting season off strong
Spencerville senior Javier Franco is making a statement in the early juncture of the season.
At this past weekend’s Allen County Tournament, Franco won the title at 215 pounds and improved his record to 10-0 on the season.
“I think last year I started to wrestle really aggressively,” Franco said. “My coach told me, ‘You got to start being more aggressive. It will help you out a lot more’. Every time I wrestle, I always try to have the same consistency with everything and just be confident.”
Last season, Franco did not advance out of the Division III district tournament.
“I want to get past districts, go to state and then place,” he said.
St. John’s Edward Kessen poised for another postseason run
Last year as a sophomore, Edward Kessen placed seventh at 138 pounds at the Division III state tournament.
At this past weekend’s Allen County Tournament, Kessen lost a hard-fought title match at 138 pounds to LCC’s Antwain Adams, 4-1.
Van Wert’s Bollenbacher looking to make an impact
Van Wert junior Breese Bollenbacher is off to a strong start. The Van Wert heavyweight won the title at the Coldwater Cavalier Pool (Dec. 14).
Lincolnview’s Ricker aiming high
Lincolnview’s Cody Ricker made it to the Division III district tournament last season but did not advance to the state tournament.
This season, Ricker wants to take it one step further as a senior.
“That’s the plan this year. … I definitely want to make it down to State,” he said.
At the Lincolnview Invitational, Ricker won the title at 157 pounds.
Allen East’s Pinks starting out strong
Allen East senior Jacob Pinks won the 175-pound title at the Allen County Tournament. Last season, Pinks was a Division III district qualifier at 150 pounds.
