The 2026 Chagrin Valley Conference Wrestling Championships will bring one of the deepest fields in recent memory to Hawken Upper School on Friday and Saturday, with nearly every weight class featuring returning conference placers, state qualifiers, and wrestlers ranked in the state rankings.
West Geauga leads the way with multiple returning champions and state placers, while Perry, Madison, Beachwood, Crestwood, Trinity, and Jefferson all feature wrestlers capable of making title runs. Several brackets include state medalists — including reigning Division III state champion Caleb Greenwood of Beachwood — while others are defined by ranked depth that could make the podium races unpredictable from top to bottom.
Who’s Back From the 2025 CVC Championships
Five defending CVC champions return to the mat this season:
- Zander Joltin (West Geauga) – 1st at 126, state placer (6th)
- Caleb Greenwood (Beachwood) – 1st at 150, state champion (1st)
- Brian Denamen (West Geauga) – 1st at 165, state placer (6th)
- Antonius Bertone (Perry) – 1st at 175
- Blake Welker (West Geauga) – 1st at 215
They are joined by numerous returning placers, including Chance Schlauch, Isaac Coup, Tye Berquist, Austin Wheatley, Danny Sizler, Matt Webster, Danny Tiller, Chase White, Trent Taylor, Ben Griswold, Maveric Milnar, Levi Daniels, Tyler Devlin, Jordan McCullough, and Haiden Peterson.
Returning State Qualifiers and Placers
State placers
- Caleb Greenwood (Beachwood) – 1st, Division III
- Zander Joltin (West Geauga) – 6th, Division II
- Brian Denamen (West Geauga) – 6th, Division II
- Chance Schlauch (Perry) – 6th, Division II
- Chase White (Madison) – 8th, Division II
Other returning state qualifiers
Caden Kaleal (West Geauga), Trent Taylor (Perry), Mitch Meyer (Independence), Mekhi Davenport (Trinity), Danny Tiller (Berkshire).
State-Ranked Wrestlers in the Field
More than 30 wrestlers in the brackets are ranked statewide by BoroFan, led by Brian Denamen (No. 3, D-II), Chance Schlauch (No. 5, D-II), Danny Sizler (No. 8, D-II), Trent Taylor (No. 6, D-II), and Caleb Greenwood (No. 1, D-III).
Weight-Class Breakdown
106 Pounds
Top six seeds
- Phoenix Peters (Beachwood)
- Landon Strandahl (Fairview)
- Warren Hartung (Rootstown)
- Carter Cline (Edgewood)
- Amani Hunt (Lakeside)
- Alex Sustin (Berkshire)
Peters enters as a Division III state-ranked wrestler (15th), giving Beachwood the early favorite. While the rest of the field lacks previous CVC placements, Peters’ state ranking separates him in an otherwise wide-open bracket.
113 Pounds
Top six seeds
- Jordan McCullough (Madison)
- Levi Daniels (Crestwood)
- Max Galliazzo (Geneva)
- Danny Auth (Berkshire)
- Ahmad Shabazz (Trinity)
- Calvin Orem (Jefferson)
McCullough returns after placing 3rd at CVCs and is ranked 9th in Division II. Daniels placed 5th at CVCs and is ranked 29th in Division III, while Auth and Shabazz are also state ranked, giving this class ranked depth beyond the top two.
120 Pounds
Top six seeds
- Caden Kaleal (West Geauga)
- Tyler Devlin (Crestwood)
- Mitch Meyer (Independence)
- Daniel Davis (Fairview)
- Jacob Ulatowski (Berkshire)
- Josue Gutierrez Martinez (Harvey)
Kaleal was CVC runner-up and a state qualifier, and enters ranked 11th in Division II. Devlin (6th at CVCs) and Meyer (state qualifier, ranked 10th in Division III) add significant postseason experience.
126 Pounds
Top six seeds
- Mekhi Davenport (Trinity)
- Tanner Williams (Geneva)
- Rocco Wrobel (Crestwood)
- Cooper Schlauch (Perry)
- Jay McGinnis (Chagrin Falls)
- Rylin Davis (Harvey)
Davenport placed 3rd at CVCs, is a state qualifier, and is ranked 6th in Division III. Wrobel was 2nd at CVCs and is ranked 10th, while Schlauch is ranked 13th in Division II, making this one of the deepest brackets.
132 Pounds
Top six seeds
- James Stallings (Trinity)
- James Trentanelli (Perry)
- Nikita Vlasenko (West Geauga)
- Caden Klingman (Berkshire)
- Jacob Morris (Crestwood)
- Jaiontai Henton (Madison)
Stallings placed 5th at CVCs and is ranked 14th in Division III. Klingman (5th at CVCs, ranked 20th) and Morris (ranked 19th) give the bracket three ranked wrestlers.
138 Pounds
Top six seeds
- Zander Joltin (West Geauga)
- Alex Ely (Rootstown)
- Dante Villalobos-Pacheco (Perry)
- Jamichael Burks (Trinity)
- Talmage Bang (Beachwood)
- Jayden Farren (Harvey)
Joltin is the defending CVC champion, a state placer (6th), and ranked 13th in Division II. Ely (ranked 17th D-III), Villalobos-Pacheco (20th D-II), and Bang (28th D-III) make this a stacked bracket.
144 Pounds
Top six seeds
- Danny Sizler (West Geauga)
- Jacob Lewis (Jefferson)
- Nate Marzec (Rootstown)
- Javier Ramirez (Harvey)
- Domenic Gephart (Madison)
- Owen Stull (Chagrin)
Sizler returns after finishing 2nd at CVCs and is ranked 8th in Division II. Lewis (ranked 14th D-II) and Marzec (ranked 23rd D-III) add more state-ranked firepower.
150 Pounds
Top six seeds
- Haiden Peterson (Edgewood)
- Justin Elwell (Beachwood)
- Wyant Dobran (Conneaut)
- Eli Bartunek (Lakeside)
- Daniel Russell (West Geauga)
- Vicente Navarro (Madison)
Peterson returns after placing 3rd at CVCs, while Elwell is ranked 20th in Division III. Bartunek also returns as a 2025 CVC placer, keeping the bracket competitive.
157 Pounds
Top six seeds
- Caleb Greenwood (Beachwood)
- Chance Schlauch (Perry)
- Estevon Huesca (Berkshire)
- Yariel Torres (Harvey)
- Aiden Fleeson (Geneva)
- Dean Horvath (West Geauga)
Greenwood is the defending CVC champion, Division III state champion, and No. 1-ranked wrestler. Schlauch was CVC runner-up, a state placer (6th), and is ranked 5th in Division II, setting up a marquee bracket.
165 Pounds
Top six seeds
- Brian Denamen (West Geauga)
- Isaac Coup (Lakeside)
- Antonius Bertone (Perry)
- John Ours (Hawken)
- Aaden Condor (Beachwood)
- Jackson Habbyshaw (Fairview)
Denamen is the defending CVC champion, state placer (6th), and ranked 3rd in Division II. Coup (3rd at CVCs, ranked 20th) and Bertone (ranked 19th) give this bracket elite depth.
175 Pounds
Top six seeds
- Austin Wheatley (West Geauga)
- Tye Berquist (Crestwood)
- Dominic Palmisano (Geneva)
- Jackson Bezzeg (Perry)
- Alex Rodriguez (Lakeside)
- Jeremy Shank (Jefferson)
Wheatley returns after placing 2nd at CVCs and is ranked 14th in Division II. Berquist (2nd at CVCs, ranked 10th D-III) and Bezzeg (ranked 17th D-II) round out a tough top four.
190 Pounds
Top six seeds
- Danny Tiller (Berkshire)
- Michael Berquist (Crestwood)
- Blake Welker (West Geauga)
- Dominic Wilm (Lakeside)
- Eli Havas (Chagrin)
- Henry McAleer (Fairview)
Tiller returns after placing 5th at CVCs, qualifying for state, and is ranked 5th in Division III. Welker was also a CVC placer and is ranked 26th in Division II.
215 Pounds
Top six seeds
- Chase White (Madison)
- Matt Webster (Jefferson)
- Elijah Hall (Harvey)
- Kiel Reuting (Rootstown)
- Cole Welker (West Geauga)
- Damien Krenisky (Conneaut)
White was CVC runner-up, a state placer (8th), and is ranked 9th in Division II. Webster (4th at CVCs, ranked 10th) and Reuting (ranked 18th D-III) add depth.
285 Pounds
Top six seeds
- Trent Taylor (Perry)
- Marvin Guerra (Harvey)
- Cameron Mullen (Madison)
- Maveric Milnar (West Geauga)
- Ben Griswold (Conneaut)
- Chase Moyer (Rootstown)
Taylor returns after placing 4th at CVCs, qualifying for state, and is ranked 6th in Division II. Mullen (ranked 9th), Milnar (10th), and Griswold (12th) give heavyweight rare ranked depth.
