LEXINGTON, Ohio — As he stepped onto the mat for his state championship match, Lexington 182-pounder Drew Kasper heard a familiar voice over the din of the crowd.
Older brother Jacob, a national-qualifier for Duke University, had made his way from Durham, N.C., to Ohio State’s Value City Arena to watch Drew wrestle for the state title that had eluded him. Jacob was a two-time state placer for Lex — finishing fourth at 170 pounds in 2012 and third at 182 in 2013 — but never reached the top of the podium.
“He drove all the way from North Carolina to come see me without even asking his coaches,” said Drew, the Richland Source Wrestler of the Year. “I heard him right as I stepped on the line for my finals. I heard him yell my name and I knew he was here.”
The younger Kasper didn’t disappoint. He won a state championship with a 9-3 win over longtime nemesis Jack Harris of Urbana, securing the victory with a five-point move late in the final period.
“It means everything for me and my family,” Drew said. “I just wanted to go out there and prove the Kaspers could win it.
“I want to give credit to my brother for sure. He would push me at times when I didn’t want to go. We were never close throughout 18 years, but just these two or three days brought us so close together.”
Kasper is the headliner on a star-studded All-Richland Source wrestling team that included eight state qualifiers, six state placers, two runners-up and one champ.
106 pounds — Hunter Friebel, Shelby: The senior finished third at the sectional tournament and was 2-2 at the Division II district at Mansfield Senior. He was 29-12 on the season and finished third at the Northern Ohio League tournament.
113 pounds — Brad Silliman, Madison: The freshman knocked off Lexington’s Mason Hoskins to finish fifth at the Division II Bay Village sectional. Silliman was runner-up at the Ohio Cardinal Conference tournament, falling to West Holmes’ Cody Woods in the championship match. He finished the year at 15-6.
120 pounds — Kaleb Gibson, Madison: A sophomore, Gibson finished third at the Bay Village sectional and was 1-2 at the Mansfield Senior district tournament. He was 27-13 on the season and finished second at 113 at the OCC meet.
126 pounds — LeConte Merrell, Madison: The sophomore punched his ticket to the state tournament with a fourth-place finish at the Mansfield Senior district tournament. Merrell was 1-2 in Columbus and finished with a 17-5 record.
132 pounds — Brandon Leynaud, Lexington: The senior went out in style, placing fourth at state. Leynaud was 48-7 on the season with sectional and district titles, as well as championships at the J.C. Gorman Invitational, the OCC meet. He was a four-time OCC champ.
138 pounds — Drew Kinzel, Clear Fork: A senior, Kinzel qualified for the state tournament with a fourth-place finish at the Division II Mansfield Senior district. Kinzel was 44-7 and won a sectional title. He was a runner-up at the J.C. Gorman Invitational and won an OCC title.
145 pounds — Jon Watkins, Lexington: Another of Lexington’s five returning state qualifiers, Watkins finished seventh in Columbus last weekend with a 3-2 record. He was 46-10 on the year with an OCC championship and a runner-up finish at the Gorman. He won a sectional title and finished third at the district meet.
152 pounds — Xavier White, Lexington: The senior won an OCC title and finished second at the Bay Village sectional. White was injured at the district tournament and finished sixth. He was 32-15 on the year.
160 pounds — Logan Matson, Clear Fork: The senior was fourth at 170 at the OCC meet, but dropped to 160 for the postseason. He finished third at the Bay Village sectional and was 1-2 at the district meet, finishing 31-15 on the year.
170 pounds — Jesse Palser, Mansfield Senior: In his final two seasons, Palser was 7-2 at state with a runner-up finish in 2014 and a third-place finish this year. The senior will graduate as one of the most decorated wrestlers in Senior High history with a career record of 151-14, including a 47-2 mark this season. He won the MVP award at the Gorman and the OCC tournament and won sectional and district titles.
182 pounds — Drew Kasper, Lexington: A two-time state qualifier, Kasper joined Jake Faust (2012) and Josh Lehner (2012, 2013) as Lexington state champions. What’s more, he did it less than two months after having knee surgery. He finished the season 43-1. In addition to sectional and district titles, Kasper won his third J.C. Gorman crown and his third OCC championship.
195 pounds — Bailey Faust, Lexington: The senior was a two-time state placer, finishing fifth in 2014 and taking runner-up honors this year. Faust fell to Perry’s Kyle Kremiller 3-2 in an ultimate tiebreaker in last week’s state title match. He was 46-4 on the season. A four-time OCC champ and three-time Gorman winner, Faust is headed to West Virginia.
220 pounds — Brandon Myers, Mansfield Senior: A sophomore, Myers got better as the season progressed. He was fifth at the J.C. Gorman and third at the OCC meet before breaking through for his first tournament championship at the Division I sectional. Myers was 2-2 at the district tournament, finishing the season at 38-9.
285 pounds — Deaken McCoy, Galion: a heartbreaking 3-2 ultimate tiebreaker loss to Jonathan Alder’s Troy Caldwell in the state championship match couldn’t diminish an extraordinary season by the senior. McCoy was 45-2 with his only two losses coming to Caldwell. He handed Caldwell his only loss of the season in the finals of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference meet. McCoy won a Gorman title and was sectional and district champ.
