COLUMBUS—Berkshire senior Lucas Stoddard closed out his career on the top step of the podium at the 2022 OHSAA State Wrestling Championships.
Stoddard won the Division III 190-pound state championship in dominating fashion on Sunday night.
A five-point move in the first 30 seconds of the title bout set the tone for Stoddard, who went on to defeat Milan Edison’s Logan Lloyd by an 11-1 major decision.
Stoddard, who closed out the season with a 46-3 record, became Berkshire’s first state champion since Travis Porter won a title in 2008.
The fast start and a second first-period takedown allowed Stoddard to take a 7-1 lead into the second period. He added a reversal in the second period and a takedown in the third to seal his win.
Stoddard’s title run began with a 55-second pin in the first round on Friday. He followed that up with a 3-2 win in the quarterfinals and a 6-2 victory in Saturday night’s semifinal round.
Other Chagrin Valley Conference wrestlers to earn a spot on the podium included Hawken’s Patrick Reineke, Orange’s TeAndre Allen, Perry’s Brock Christian, West Geauga’s Jack Sparent, and Chagrin Falls’ Sam Partain.
Reineke placed seventh at 120 pounds in Division III.
After opening the tournament with a win, Reineke lost to eventual state champion Dillon Campbell of Legacy Christian. He bounced back with a win in the consolation bracket to secure his All-Ohio honors and then dropped into the seventh-place match after a 3-0 loss in the consolation quarterfinals. He closed out his career with a 13-4 major decision in the seventh-place match.
Patrick Reineke of @HawkenAthletics looks back on a decorated wrestling career. pic.twitter.com/7RpbBeIWGk
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) March 13, 2022
Allen finished the tournament with a 4-1 record on his way to earning third place at 126 pounds in Division II. His only loss was a 3-0 setback in the semifinals round. He followed that up with a win in sudden victory and closed out his tournament with an 8-0 major decision in the third-place bout.
Christian placed third at 132 pounds in Division III. After losing in the quarterfinals, he closed out the tournament with four straight wins, including a 12-1 major decision in the third-place match.
Brock Christian of @Wrestling_Perry said he improved over last years finish by placing third. But next year he wants the top of the podium pic.twitter.com/4feldDZDNm
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) March 13, 2022
Sparent placed seventh at 138 pounds in Division II after dropping his tournament opener on Friday. He won his first two consolation bouts to earn All-Ohio honors and then finished his run with a 7-2 win in the seventh-place bout.
Partain settled for eighth place at 150 pounds in Division II. He opened the tournament with a 9-2 but dropped into the consolation bracket after a loss in the quarterfinals. He used a 55-second pin to reach the consolation quarterfinals but lost his final two bouts, 5-2 and 4-1.
