Best Ohio High School Wrestlers That Never Won State

Edgar Bright St Edward, was 6th then 2 time runner up to Dicamillo 3-1 SV and Ward 2-1 TB / Dave Carlin 2nd 3rd 2nd in mid 80s
 
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Carlin was 83-85, lost to Rick Hartman from Ignatius 3-2 in 85 finals they had great matches. Bright lost to Joey Ward from Moeller in 12. Guess you can also put his dad in Benny Bright from Collinwood runner up to St Edward Bubba Strauss in 84 and 85 was 9-8 in 85.
 
Redflagday said:
Carlin was 83-85, lost to Rick Hartman from Ignatius 3-2 in 85 finals they had great matches. Bright lost to Joey Ward from Moeller in 12. Guess you can also put his dad in Benny Bright from Collinwood runner up to St Edward Bubba Strauss in 84 and 85 was 9-8 in 85.
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Yea it’s tough comparing eras & weight classes. I’m a bit younger best I ever seen not win a state championship was Matt Delguyd 189 189 215 4th sophomore yr 2nd JR year lost 2-0 on stalling points to Jeff Clemens HS national Champ. . & if you’re an Ed’s fan lost 3-1 Matt Koz in the finals 3x state champ. after beating KOz twice that year once pinning him. Some thought Koz Delguyd 2002 best in the country. & Flow wrestling magazine ranked him 4th all time to never wins title. Maybe I’m biased him & my bro are best friends. Best team mayfield ever had finished 2nd. 160-Heavyweight all in the finals & all lost lol. My bro couldn’t even start though he was projected 5th in the state that year oh well. & It’s much harder to place that high at upper weights when your younger. You could be a future NFL lineman & likely not start varsity on a good team. He was the Best upper weight in last 30 years to not win. Delguyd had the best double leg I ever saw at that weight . He just would freeze wouldn’t pull the trigger if the guy was on his level & relied on defense. Never saw him shoot & get taken down. Anyways Koz went for it & won. Ironically Delguyd beat Koz & Clemens in college &’was an all American at Northwestern. Wrestled with 4x state champ Ryan Lang Saint Ed’s there. Delguyds JR year wrestled Andy Rios Ed’s who finished 3rd that year in a tournament Double leg right to his back pinned him in about 1 minute 20 seconds. That’s how good he could be when being Aggressive!
 
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Charlie was very good. I coached football not wrestling. But went to the state tournament for about a 10 year period. & they used me to scout the wrestlers what they did well not well. Districts same no camera phones back then. Lol 3x sate placer won some very close matches. I believe projected state champ. Brakeman mayfield had Kevin peiterpnto. Finished 3rd 2003 I thought Charlie was better . I can’t remember who won districts. Between those two. But Zach flake beat both of them. I’m guessing he’s Italian so am I. But at Ed’s so many talented kids. Charlie was just another really good kid from Ed’s. & honest I’m catholic friends with Lombardo HC Football & the whole family. But going to a public school. In 8th grade o played cyo football city champs I was recruited by all of them Ed’s iggy Benny when they were still Benny. Bro’s Sr year last year I coached we were the 8th seed Ed’s the 1 seed we lost 2 games on a fluke anyways 27 point spread yes there are HS bookies we’re 200 lbs across the ball eds 285 were up 21-7 4th qtr they had about 100 yards total offense. Our best player Matt Delguyd all state Lb got hurt they had 330 yards in the 4th qtr lost n double ot. Mayfield has only 1 2x state Mike Ward champ 3x finalist Ed’s tried everting they could to get him there. His sister is married to yoshi Nakuarma brian roddy mayfield goes to Ed’s 2x state champ you see why it would bother someone that’s a sports guy like me lol. Now I always root for Ed’s on the playoffs when there playing Columbus or cincy have too much respect for the Lombardo family anyways sorry about the rant. But there are better then aggozino that have lost. If you read old brakeman reports there is a kid named Gary skoch from Madison late 90s 4 x qualifier 3x he loses his opening round match & literally pins or techs every kid to take 3rd. Brakeman said he can’t do it his Sr Year. He did it again 1-1 ot then pinned everyone else in the 1st period never seen anything like it
 
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Nick LeForce. dude was unbelievable going into Highschool. Had terrible luck with injuries (multiple back surgeries) and still eventually made the finals.
 
Red Raider2009 said:
http://www.ohiowrestlingsite.com/232/ohios-greatest-wrestlers-who-never-won-state/

I think this article does a good job of describing wrestlers though slightly limited by covering only from 1990-2005.
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Matt Delguyd was legit best I ever saw not win. 4th as a somphore 189 2nd JR 2-0 on stalling points. To Jeff Clemens HS national Champ. Then losing to mat Koz 3x state champ in the finals after beating & pinning him once. Delguyds downfall was not pulling the trigger. Best double leg I’ve seen. Truthfully should have been 2X state champ. Big 10 title college all American & beat JD Bergman who wrestled in the Olympics. Also avenged both losses. To Clemens & Koz in college
 
Bitterrunner-up said:
This argument begins and ends with guys who didn't win State titles but went on to earn All American status or win NCAA championships at the DI level. Guys like Brian Dolph (North Canton Hoover, NCAA title for Indiana), Charlie Jones (Sandusky, NCAA title for Purdue) and if course, the great Dan St John (Cleveland St. Joes, TWO NCAA titles for Arizona State).
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Some are late bloomers I know guys who didn’t get to states in Hs then get to nationals jr-SR in College. Also football players many could have been great in college but with all things being equal there gonna take. The football scholarship. Reverse side Luke fickle probably the best he’s weight in Ohio history. Played football. He might have been an Olympian in wrestling. Ok Early 2000s But 1 guy I posted on here Matt Delguyd mayfield FLO Wrestling ranked 4th best to never win in Hs mayhe best upper weight ever to not. 3x placer JR lost 2-0 189 Jeff Clemens 2 stalling points. Clemens Hs national champ SR year 215 lost to Matt Koz finals who was a 3x state champ Delguyd beat him twice twice that year already. Delguyd had more talent then either all mental. Wouldn’t pull the trigger l. Best double leg I saw at that size always hit it never taken down l. Anyways Koz got the win. Big 10 champ beat Clemens kOZ badly in college beat JD Bergman future Olympian All American. lastly Koz almost lost in the semis to pat barentine (they wrestled like 100x won the coin toss. Delguyd beat barentine 8-3 that year already styles mattter. Barentine state champs at hvy following year
 
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Proud To Be said:
I could be wrong but I believe Steve Sletvold from Fitch won a HS National Championship but not a state title in the late 90's.... Great Wrestler.. I remember his match against (I believe) Bo James from Akron Springfield in the Perry District... One of the best matches I ever saw
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That happens more then you think. Not everyone goes to the HS national Championships
 
D1 he beat all 4 state champs D2 & D 3 Matt Delguyd 2002 Graduate Mayfield ranked 4th on flow wrestling to never win a state championship. 4th as somphore 189. 2nd junior. Lost 2-0 on stalling points Jeff Clemens was Hs national champ that year. 2002 lost to Matt Koz saint eds 3x state champ who he already best twice that year. Ranked 2nd & 3rd best 215 in the country. Beat both in college Big 10 champ 100+ wins in college 7th all time wins Northwestern history Beat JD Bergman Olympian all 1x all American. 3x nationals
 
Two guys from Beachwood Ohio

Tommy Weiss who was robbed on a refs decision to the returning Doc 1 state champ Randy Jenkins. And Butch Lapsley who was the most national wrestler I’ve ever seen.
 
Ryan Cubberly comes to mind for me 3,2,2,3 were his finishes. Lost in finals to Cameron doggett I believe Both times. Not sure how his college career panned out but I know he is an assistant coach on CMU staff.
 
Randy Jenkins from Aurora who was the defending state champ at Nordonia transferred as to allow his brother to compete at same weight class at nordonia. Undefeated Jenkins met Undefeated Tom Weiss from Beachwood Oh in the finals. The match was decided on a referees decision. Great match!!
 
Miles Parsons Loudonville.. placed all four years. Losing to Lester one year. Beating Gordon his sr year at districts who win his 2nd that year
 
Kyle Mayes, Marion Harding in the 80s. I believe he was state runner up 3 years in a row. I believe he’s coaching out in California now
 
Cody Burcher from Claymont came to mind. He was 2nd as a freshman and sophomore, 3rd as a junior and then 4th as a senior.

Lost a 1-0 match in the finals as a freshman, lost to Cameron Kelly in the finals as a sophomore, lost to Decatur as a Junior and then Kyle Lawson as a senior.

Heck of a career and went on to wrestle for tOSU
 
BuckeyeFan94 said:
Ryan Cubberly comes to mind for me 3,2,2,3 were his finishes. Lost in finals to Cameron doggett I believe Both times. Not sure how his college career panned out but I know he is an assistant coach on CMU staff.
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Can you imagine going to state 4 times, losing a total of 4 matches, and not winning a state title? That has to be tough - and would have to rank as top 5 of "the best to never win a title" over a HS career.
 
I know it's not Ohio, but just read a cool article and wanted to throw it out there... Nationally the best to never win a HS state is a complete no brainer--- Bruce Baumgartner.

3rd, 2nd, in NJ 78, 79...
Not highly recruited....
Compiled 88-1 record at Indiana his Jr and Sr years, winning the title in 82....
And y'all know the rest of the story...
Mount Rushmore of USA wrestling.

Fun fact: Bruce beat Scott "Bam-Bam" Bigelow in the 1/4's of state one of those years, who went on to place 5th and WWF stardom.
 
nooks said:
Tom Coffing...West Chester Lakota.
3-time state placer & finalist ( Lost to Greg Drenik). Never a champion.
3rd in the 1978 NCAA's.
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I would second this one. I wouldn't put him up there with Dolph and St John, but I think he's top 5 material. He went 4, 3, 2, losing to 2x champ Drenick 3-2 his senior year in the finals. And as stated above, 3rd in NCAAs. He was in the era of no tech fall and would ring up crazy scores like 30-11 taking people down at will.
 
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