The 2025 OHSAA Division III State Wrestling Tournament at the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus was a great weekend for the Covington Buccaneers because junior Caleb Ryman became the 19th state placer in the history of the program and sophomore Trenton Havenar made it into the second day of the tournament in his first year as a high school wrestler.
Plus, freshman Brody Taylor was able to be in the arena as he was a state alternate after finishing fifth at districts in the 106 pound weight class.
For Caleb Ryman, his overall performance was outstanding as he beat two wrestlers who had defeated him previously – first, Landen Roeder from Monroeville in the championship quarterfinals and second, Bodie Martin from Amanda-Clearcreek in his match for fifth place in the 150 pound weight class. In Ryman’s two losses at state, they came against the eventually state champion and the wrestler who placed fourth.
“Caleb’s quarterfinal match is a great example where he wrestled a kid that beat him pretty convincingly last year at state (Landen Roeder from Monroeville) and he controlled the entire match and won this year,” said Buccaneer coach Eric Vanderhorst. “I know that he really wanted a win in his first match this morning (consolation semifinal), but he rebounded in a great way, defeating the wrestler who beat him in the district finals last week (Bodie Martin from Amanda-Clearcreek).”
What made Ryman’s accomplishment at state and throughout the season where he compiled an impressive 51-3 record was the hard work he put in so far throughout his career. Plus, he buys into the great coaching staff he has.
“We (the coaches) are all super happy with Caleb‘s performance this weekend and getting him on the podium,” continued Coach Vanderhorst. “He has put a lot of work into the sport of wrestling and has made continuous improvement each season. Coach (Lance) Miller did some great scouting for him and he used that to his advantage this weekend.”
Sophomore Trenton Havener hasn’t wrestled since he was in seventh grade, but he amazingly made it to state by finishing fourth in the district meet in the 215 pound weight class.
In his first state experience, Havenar had to face the eventual state champion Danny Zmorowski from Lake Catholic in his opening bout. But after losing that match, Trenton stunned the entire bracket by pinning a wrestler with 49 wins on the season, Parker Bixler from Archbold. He then lost to another state placer, Knox McKibben from Harrison Central, who finished fifth in the 215 pound weight class.
Havenar closed out his first high school wrestling season with a 28-15 record and amazingly came one victory away from reaching the podium.
“Trenton has been such a pleasure to coach this year,” said Vanderhorst. “He is a strong athletic kid, which obviously helps, but the difference with him is he is a sponge when it comes to technique and coaching. That has allowed him to make bigger strides than most do in a single season. He has a great work ethic and gave everything he could in every match so we are super proud of him qualifying for state and getting a pin at state. With more mat time, he will continue to develop his skill and become an even bigger force to be reckoned with.”
It is obvious that the two Buccaneer wrestlers who competed at state (Caleb Ryman and Trenton Havenar) and the state alternate (Brody Taylor) buy into the coaching philosophy and put in the hard work for success.
The coaching staff Eric Vanderhorst compiled also deserves so much credit for putting everything in place for the wrestlers to develop their skills and maximize their potential. It is the culture that was established since the program started in 1973 and the kids who buy into it 100% have success.
There are so many kids in the Buccaneer program who have potential for future success at the state level, but it will all be determined on how much work they put in as the coaching staff has everything they need in place for development.
CALEB RYMAN PLACES FIFTH AT STATE
SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 2025 – COLUMBUS
Caleb Ryman became the 19th wrestler in Covington history to place at state as he finished fifth in the 150 pound weight class.
Ryman’s final match to earn fifth place came against the same opponent who he lost to in the district finals a week ago, Bodie Martin (44-3) from Amanda-Clearcreek. And fittingly, Caleb took control of the match early as he recorded a quick takedown in just 13 seconds into the first period.
With a 3-0 lead to start the second, Martin chose the bottom position and Ryman switched things by choosing neutral. This was an important decision despite surrendering one point. That’s because Ryman controlled the match on his feet and held Martin in check throughout the entire second frame.
Ryman’s lead was still 3-1 in his favor as he chose the bottom position to start the third period. Ryman quickly escaped to push his advantage to 4-1 and then closed out the remainder of the match by holding Martin off on his takedown attempts.
Afterward’s Ryman had hoped of finishing higher on the podium, which shows how competitive and determined he is.
“I feel alright with placing, but I feel like I should have finished at least third,” Ryman said.
The reason Ryman feels that way is the result in the consolation semifinal match where he lost to Lane Thacker (40-4) from Lakota by a narrow margin, 2-1. Neither wrestler was able to record a takedown throughout the entire match and the first points that went on the board came on a reversal by Thacker, who chose the bottom to start the second period.
Ryman was able to escape to cut the deficit to 2-1 at the end of the second period and he chose the bottom position at the beginning of the third. Unfortunately, Ryman wasn’t able to escape or capture a reversal due to Thacker riding him out throughout the final two minutes.
When wrestling at the state level there are different challenges each opponent presents, but Ryman performed very well in earning his first state placement in his third straight year at state.
He finished his junior season with an impressive 51-3 record and also has one more season ahead of him for an opportunity to accomplish more goals.
RYMAN DROPS CLOSE SEMIFINAL BOUT
SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2025 – COLUMBUS
Caleb Ryman battled hard in the championship semifinal Saturday night, but came up short in a close match against a projected state champion, Caleb Greenwood (45-2) from Beachwood.
Ryman, who is now 50-2 on the season, wrestled with intent to reach the state finals and he nearly recorded a takedown in the opening frame, but it never materialized as the two wrestlers ended up out of bounds. The score remained at 0-0 heading into the second period and Greenwood chose neutral.
Twice there were takedown attempts by both wrestlers, but each time the scrambles forced them back to the center of the mat. With 18 seconds left in the second period another takedown attempts led to another scramble, but Greenwood was able to pull out the three points to put Ryman behind 3-0 with one period left.
Ryman chose neutral in the third period and continued pushing his intensity with more takedown attempts. Unfortunately, Greenwood was able to hold off what Ryman was looking for and eventually scrambled his way into a second takedown with just nine seconds left in the match.
Even though Ryman suffered a defeat that prevented him to head into the championship finals, both wrestlers showed great sportsmanship by crediting each other on a great match.
Caleb Ryman still has opportunities to move up as high as third place on the podium if he can capture two consecutive victories in consolation matches tomorrow morning. His first match will be against Lane Thacker (39-4) from Lakota.
Wrestling resumes tomorrow at 9:30am.
RYMAN ADVANCES TO SEMIFINALS, HAVENAR ENDS GREAT SEASON
SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2025 – COLUMBUS
On Saturday morning in the second day of the state tournament, Buccaneer junior Caleb Ryman advanced to the championship semifinal round with a win in the quarterfinals and sophomore Trenton Havenar closed out a great season in his first year in high school wrestling.
In the championship quarterfinals, Caleb Ryman (50-1) defeated Landen Roeder (47-9) from Monroeville in a thrilling 3-1 decision. The victory was extremely emotional for Ryman because it was a rematch against the same wrestler who had defeated him 11-4 in his final match at state a year ago.
“Yes, Caleb lost to him last year (at state), so we knew he (Roeder) was a good wrestler on top and also on getting takedowns with a fireman’s carry,” said Covington coach Eric Vanderhorst. “So the strategy for us was to try and take away his (Roeder’s) strength in positions.”
Caleb Ryman executed the strategy to near perfection as he never allowed the extremely talented wrestler from Monroeville to record a single takedown or get on top in any positions.
Ryman came so close to getting a takedown in the opening frame, but neither wrestler could score in the first period.
To start the second period, Roeder chose bottom, which was fortunate for Ryman as he rode out his opponent for over one minute and then surrendered an escape to get the match back to his feet. Ryman then recorded a huge takedown on a scramble to take a 3-1 lead at the end of the second period.
“Caleb did very well in executing the strategy we set up for him,” Vanderhorst said. “That takedown in the second period was big.”
Ryman chose neutral in the third period and controlled the remainder of the match. Roeder tried to capture a win as he went all out on an attempted takedown late in the frame, but Ryman responded well by holding off his opponent to secure the victory. In the move, Ryman could have captured his second takedown of the match, but he didn’t need to as the clock ticked away.
“He (Caleb) wrestled as well as he needed to advance to the semifinal,” Vanderhorst said. “If he continues to follow the plan, he will finish high on the podium.”
Later this afternoon in the championship semifinal Ryman will face Caleb Greenwood (44-2) from Beachwood, a wrestler who is projected as a state champion.
Buccaneer sophomore Trenton Havenar closed out his first season in high school wrestling with a 28-15 record and a wrestler who finished one victory from earning a spot on the podium. His overall improvement throughout the year was extremely impressive.
After going 1-1 on Friday in the first day of the state tournament, Havenar faced a very talented wrestler, Knox McKibben (46-4) from Harrison Central on Saturday morning. If Havenar would have been able to record an upset victory, it would have put him on the podium as a state placer.
Unfortunately, it was obvious in the opening frame that McKibben had so much more wrestling experience than Havenar. The Buccaneer wrestler battled extremely hard and nearly put McKibben on his back, but his opponent was able to hold off Havenar and eventually recorded a pin in the second period.
Even though Havenar didn’t place at state, his overall performance was extremely impressive due to the hard work he put in and how coachable he is. Plus, the two losses he suffered at state were against state placers.
The future for Havenar is very optimistic as he has the heart and determination for success and a coaching staff who will increase the development of his skills and technique in the sport of wrestling.
A GREAT FIRST DAY AT STATE FOR THE BUCCS
FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2025 – COLUMBUS
The opening day of the state tournament went as good as expected for the Covington Buccaneers as both wrestlers, Caleb Ryman and Trenton Havenar, advanced to the second day and still have an opportunity to earn a spot on the podium with one more victory.
Junior Caleb Ryman (49-1) dominated his opening bout in a 17-1 technical fall victory over Xavier Hendon (36-15) from Columbia.
The match started off a little slow as the score was tied 0-0 at the end of the first period, but Ryman picked up his intensity throughout the rest of the match. Things started off as Ryman recorded a reversal and three back points to take a 5-0 lead. He then started off the third period with a quick takedown to build an 8-0 lead and then let his opponent back to his feet.
Ryman followed up with another quick takedown and turned Hendon to his back for three more points to push his lead to 14-1. To finalize the outcome, Ryman switched to another offensive move and recorded three more back points for the 17-1 win.
Next up for Ryman is a showdown against Landen Roeder (46-8) from Monroeville, a wrestler who placed third last year in Caleb’s same weight class.
Sophomore Trenton Havenar (28-14) opened up the tournament against the projected state champion, Danny Zmorowski (41-4) from Lake Catholic. Zmorowski showed why he is projected to finish at the top in the 215 pound weight class as he recorded a pin over Havenar.
But Havenar never relented as he returned to the mat about two hours later and put together a dominating performance in a victory by pin over Parker Bixler (49-14) from Archbold.
Both wrestlers started off physical, but neither one could score a single point in the opening frame. Bixler chose the bottom to start the second period and Havenar allowed an escape point to get the match back to his feet. Although trailing 1-0, Havenar powered his way to a takedown and turned Bixler to his back for four more points to take a 7-1 lead.
Following the strategy applied by his coaching staff, Havenar allowed another escape point to get the match back to his feet once again and the strategy worked to perfection as Trenton recorded another takedown to take a 10-2 lead at the end of the second period.
Havenar chose neutral to start the third period and recorded his third straight takedown to push his lead to 13-2 and then followed up with a huge pin with just 1:31 left on the clock.
Next up for Havenar is a match against either Owen Pummel (31-3) from Indian Lake or Knox McKibben (45-3) from Harrison Central.
Wrestling in the second day at state begins at 9:30am tomorrow.
