By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
NORWALK (March 7, 2026) – The Wauseon Indians are peaking just at the right time following their solid performance in the Division II district wrestling tournament held Friday and Saturday, March 6-7.
Wauseon finished sixth in the team standings with 84 1/2 points. Clear Fork took the team title with 129 points and Sandusky Perkins was runner-up with 125 1/2 points.
Coach Mike Ritter’s squad will be led by three standout senior wrestlers, Joseph Lugabihl, Carter Stuckey, and Kahle Albright, who have qualified for the state tournament which begins Friday afternoon at Value City Arena in Columbus.
Lugabihl (38-11), who is making a return trip to state after placing eighth as a sophomore two years ago, put together quite a weekend culminating with the 138-pound district title.
After posting a third-period fall over Gage Herb of Johnstown in his first match, Lugabihl then knocked off fifth-ranked Ryder Alberty of Galion, 4-2, in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, he narrowly defeated Owen Sterritt of Bellevue, 4-3, before facing Ayden Douglas of Licking Valley for the district title with Lugabihl emerging as champion with a 13-7 decision.
Stuckey (40-9), who is a returning two-time state placer, posted a pair of first-period falls in his first two matches before facing projected state champion Gradey Harding of Galion in the semifinals.
Despite falling to Harding, 9-2, in the semifinals, Stuckey would face Noah Curry of Licking Valley in the consolation match for a state berth, and he succeeded with a 12-4 major decision. He would then face Payten Staugler of Celina in the third-place match and eventually pinned Staugler in 3:16.
Albright (39-13), who will be making his third straight trip to state, had registered a pair of first-period falls in his first two bouts, but then faced third-ranked Wyatt Buell of Wapakoneta in the semifinals where he dropped a tough 3-0 decision.
With a trip to state on the line, Albright faced Ramieron Raldon of Sandusky Perkins and posted a fall in 3:07 to advance to the third-place final where he dropped a 13-6 decision to Lakota Leedy of Clear Fork, thus placing fourth.
Also earning a district placement was Kendell Pontious (113). The sophomore won his first match before falling to Colen Shinault of Hebron Lakewood, 7-1, in the quarterfinals.
In the consolation bracket, Pontious won his first two matches before being pinned by Thomas Reesman of Bellevue in 1:40 in the semifinal round. He then fell to Shinault for the second time in the tournament, 5-4, to finish sixth in the weight division.
Other area wrestlers who competed in districts but were unable to advance were John Haury of Bryan (132, 1-1 record), Albert Balderas (120, 0-2 record), Jett Smith (126, 2-2 record), AZ Hicks (157, 1-2 record), Parker Wilson (165, 0-2 record) and Jaden Duncan (190, 1-2 record) all of Wauseon.
