Wapakoneta’s Jace Knous lifts his opponent, Napoleon’s Tristan Merz on Saturday at Wapakoneta High School’s Wrestling Invitational.
Jackelyn Johnson | The Lima News
WAPAKONETA – The Wapakoneta wrestling program has won 18 Western Buckeye League team championships in its school history.
Over the years, Wapakoneta has sent many wrestlers to the state tournament with a good number of those athletes garnering all-Ohio honors.
Three Wapakoneta wrestlers have won Division II state championships. Brent Miller (2000, 215-pound weight class), Logan Erb (2010, 215), and Landon Hall (2017, 220) are the three Wapakoneta state champions. In 2011, Erb was the Division II state runner-up at 215 pounds.
So far this season, Wapakoneta looks to be the frontrunner in the WBL with a 5-0 record in their league duals.
The overall WBL team title is determined by two factors – the teams’ dual records and their finishes at the WBL tournament at the end of the regular season.
At this past Saturday’s Wapakoneta Invitational, the Redskins placed second in a field of 13 teams. Wapakoneta had four wrestlers win individual titles.
Junior Caden Mellott (120-pound weight class) and senior Jace Knous (215) are two returning Division II state placers for the Redskins.
Mellott placed sixth in the 113-pound weight class at last year’s Division II state tournament, while Knous finished seventh at 190.
“We have three seniors in the starting lineup, and everyone else are underclassmen,” longtime Wapakoneta coach Jason Rostorfer said about this year’s team. “Jace Knous and Caden Mellott are returning state placers. At around 165 (-pound weight class) is when we hit our stride.
“Brody (Presar, 190), a sophomore, started the year off a little rough. We bumped him up (in weight class), because Jace (Knous) was getting healthy from a football injury. So, we bumped Brody up. He did his job. Otherwise, we give up six points with a forfeit. So, bumping Brody up, he got beat a couple of times by decisions. Now he (Presar) is in the right weight class. He’s wrestling well. Presar went 9-0 last week at Napoleon and got first here (Wapakoneta Invitational).”
Rostorfer said his starting lineup is strong but admits there is plenty of room for improvement.
“We start out at 106 (pounds) strong, and our upper weights are strong. So, we kind of bookend our lineup. We have some young guys that are not there yet, but they work hard. That’s all we can ask for – work hard and do your best. We tell them that win or lose – when you come off the mat, make sure you have no regrets,” Rostorfer said.
Knous, a football standout, got a late start to his wrestling season, due to an injury he suffered during the postseason playoffs in football.
“I hurt my knee in football and I just got back (to wrestling) after New Year’s,” Knous said. “I’ve been working my tail off, trying to get back. It feels great to get a win here today (first place at Wapakoneta Invitational).”
Knous (14-1) said his road back to the starting lineup was not a smooth one.
“It was tough because it takes a lot of work, and you have to get into a different type of shape for wrestling. So, I had to get my knee right first. I did a lot of therapy. I worked my way back, and now here I am,” Knous said with a grin.
Knous wants to improve on his stellar performance at last season’s state tournament.
“I would say (finish) top three (at the state tournament), at least. … That’s the goal,” Knous said. “Maybe be a state champ. That’s what I’ve been working for my whole wrestling career. So, I might as well shoot for it.
“If you work toward going to state and placing, (winning) the WBL and everything else will take care of itself, because you’re already going to be (wrestling) at that high level.”
Mellott (33-2) strives to be the best in his weight class. Mellott recorded his 100th career victory while competing at the Wapakoneta Invitational, where he finished as runner-up at 120 pounds.
“Being the state champ is only the limit,” Mellott said. “As long as I get there, everything else will come. That’s the end goal – to be a state champ.
“Success in the postseason is the main goal for everybody. All I train for and what I do everything for is for the success after the regular season.”
Mellott said there is a winning culture within the Wapakoneta wrestling program.
“Every day, practice is hard. We all work hard. We have a lot of good kids,” Mellott said. “Everybody is starting to fill in the weight classes. I don’t think we have a weak weight class, but we will see.”
Sophomore Wyatt Buell (32-3), who won the 175-pound title at the Wapakoneta Invitational is focused on qualifying for the state tournament this season.
“Last year, I won my sectional,” Buell said. “I made it to districts, had a couple of upsets (losses), and did not make it to state. So, that’s always on my mind whenever I go out there, and whenever I’m in the practice room. I look at those two times (losses at the district tournament) when I let my nerves get the best of me. That’s what keeps me working hard every day.”
Freshman Zane Russell (30-5), who won the Wapakoneta Invitational title at 106, wants to make a statement this season.
“My goal is to win every tournament,” Russell said. “We’re all like brothers around here. I believe in it all. I trust the process.”
Rostorfer said the path to winning championships starts in their practice room.
“We try to drill into their heads that they have to make practice tougher than the competition,” Rostorfer said. “We work hard. They go at each other. During practice, they want to beat each other, but they’re friends afterward. We have a lot of competitive wrestle-offs. That’s good because our starters know they can’t slack off because there’s somebody trying to take their spot every week.”
