There has been no stopping Benjamin Logan’s wrestling team over the past month.
After a series of tournament wins,that momentum culminated Saturday as the Raiders won the Division III, Region 21 state dual regional tournament at Mapleton High School.
That advances Ben Logan to the Ohio High School Athletic Associationstate dual tournament finals Sunday at St. John Arena in Columbus where the final eight teams will meet to determine the Division III state champions.
“I’m extremely proud of these guys and it was a whole team effort,” said BL head coach Kyle Seeley. “I’m proud of this group of kids and these seniors who have stuck it out for four years. A lot of things happened along the way and they could have got up and left or packed it in. They stuck it out and are reaping the benefits of hard work and the extra things they’ve done to get to where they are now as a team. I’m just super, super proud. It’s been a very emotional day.”
Ben Logan was seeded fourth in Region 21, where 12 teams competed in a single-elimination bracket-style tournament. After a first-round bye, the Raiders handled fifth-seeded Malvern 66-15. In the semifinals, Ben Logan upset top-seeded Northmor 42-39 and went on to beat third-seeded Marion Pleasant 43-36 in the finals.
“Each kid had to do their part,” said Seeley. “Filling all 14 weight classes is tough. We moved a few guys around and they all knew that their match mattered. They all had to take care of their individual business for the team to be successful. That’s why its a dual.
I’m super proud of these kids right now.”
Ben Logan has been gaining steam over the past four weeks, earning two tournament wins and a runner-up finish. Clinching a state dual berth on Saturday is something that Seeley feels has been building for the past few years.
“Obviously we are on a roll right now,” said Seeley. “One thing I’ve always believed in is that hard work builds confidence. The more confidence you have the more you’ll win. I believe that is what we’ve established. I also think winning breeds more success to where it builds and builds. Then the kids feel we can do this and that we are this good of a team. They’ve went out there and proved it. We hope to continue riding this momentum.”
Ben Logan placed fifth in 2005 at the Ohio Duals, but that was sponsored by the coaches association with a different qualifying formula. This is the first time the Raiders have qualified to a state sanctioned dual event. The OHSAA started the current state dual tournament in 2013. The state dual finals are held at St. John Arena starting at 11 a.m.
All eight teams will be seeded by a coaches vote and will be announced on Tuesday.
Finishing 3-0 on Saturday for the Raiders were Owen O’Brien (113), Joel Abbott (145/152) with three pins, Steele Boysel (170) with two pins and a major decision, Noah Clark (195/220) and Cadman Roose (285) with three pins. Going 2-1 were Jayden Sturgell (120) and Levi Hunter (126) with two pins, while Brayden Varian (152) and Matthew Creamer (220) both went 1-1 with a pin. Also recording wins by pin were Kade Thomas (160), Chris Raterman (132), Henry Myers (138), Garrett Henry (160) and Connor Whitt (182).
Malvern proved to be no match for Ben Logan, but facing top-seeded Northmor was a challenge the Raiders were ready for. The Golden Knights were leading 39-34 with three weight classes left. With pins being worth six points each, the Raiders had to get three falls to take the dual. That is exactly what happened as Ben Logan rallied for the 42-39 victory with pins from Clark, Creamer and Roose.
“Going into the semifinals, we knew there was going to be some tough matchups,” said Seeley. “We matched up well in some spots and we ended up bumping around some guys. It worked out in our favor. From 195 pounds on, we had to pin out to win.
Matthew Creamer, our sophomore 220 pounder, had a lot of pressure put on him. He had to get a pin and he was able to pull it off. If he didn’t we wouldn’t have ended up where we did. He is a hero tot his team and these kids were so excited for him.”
Marion Pleasant beat Ben Logan to win the North Union tournament a few weeks ago. In a dual, though, the Raiders got their revenge when it mattered. It was a back-and-forth dual in the finals. The Raiders battled back to take a 34-24 lead with four weight classes left. The Spartans got a pin and a forfeit to grab a 36-34 lead with two matches to go. Clark bumped to 220 pounds and got a decision, while Roose recorded a pin. That sealed the regional title with a 43-36 final score and advanced the Raiders to the state finals.
“We had wrestled Marion Pleasant at North Union earlier,” said Seeley. “We got to a few spots in the dual where we couldn’t get pinned. We ended up forfeiting 195 pounds and bumped Noah Clark to 220 pounds. At that point, we just had to win at 220 and 285. Both Noah and Cadman were able to come through for us.”
Ben Logan continues its regular season Thursday with senior night during a home tri-meet.