2. Chad Craft, sr., Northmont – returning district champ and state placer.
3. Elijah Perkins, sr., Miamisburg – two-time district champ and state qualifier.
4. Tayler Steele, sr., Waynesville – two-time state qualifier.
5. Stone Day, jr., Valley View – returning state placer.
6. Jacob Edwards, jr., Troy Christian – returning state runner-up.
7. Graham Shore, jr., Miami East – returning state placer.
8. Ben Sullivan, sr., National Trail – defending state champ.
9. Reece Human, sr., Carlisle – returning state placer.
10. Rocky Jordan, jr., Graham – looking for his second consecutive state title after finishing second as a freshman.
Five don’t-miss matches
1. Black and Blue, Dec. 22. at Miamisburg – The Vikings celebrate 50 years of wrestling by welcoming alumni against visiting West Carrollton. The Pirates lead the series 28-13, but Miamisburg has won eight of the last nine matches.
2. GMVWA Holiday, Dec. 27-28, WSU Nutter Center – Graham leads the field top area teams in the annual tournament.
3. Battle of Far Hills, Jan. 12, Trent Arena – The 11th installment of the showdown between Fairmont and Centerville.
4. Graham vs. Lakewood St. Edward, Jan. 21 – The Falcons host the Eagles in the yearly showdown between the state’s top teams, both of which often are ranked among the top five in the nation.
5. GWOC, Feb 3-5, SAC at Vandalia-Butler – Tournament should again be determined by the final matches.
Five storylines to watch
1. Graham goes for 17: The Falcons look to claim their 17th straight D-II state title and 19th overall. Graham also has eyes on the national title and is ranked third nationally.
2. GWOC title: Springboro, Northmont, Butler and Centerville all have shots to win.
3. New freshmen: Nevan Snodgrass (Fairmont), Jacob Padilla (Wayne), Gavin Bell (Beavercreek), Ethan Turner (Troy Christian) and Isaiah Stickley (Graham) headline a deep class of talented freshmen who should make an impact.
4. New rule enforcement: A new rule is in place to prevent head, neck and shoulder injuries. A potentially dangerous hold occurs when from a standing position, a wrestler is placed in a body lock with one or both arms trapped and then is lifted and is unable to use his arm(s) to break a fall.
5. Legacy Christian Academy arrival: After having no wrestling program, Legacy makes its debut with two proven transfers in Tommy Hoskins and AJ Warner. Both Hoskins and Warner will have to sit the first half of the regular season after transferring from Dayton Christian and Fairborn, respectively.
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