Harrison wins inaugural OHSAA girls wrestling state championship

Cincinnati Enquirer

While the OHSAA hosted the boys wrestling state championship for the 86th time, it was the first time that a girls wrestling bracket was included alongside the classic tourney.

The inaugural run was a smashing success for wrestlers across the state, especially athletes from Greater Cincinnati.

OHSAA state wrestling:Cincinnati's 2023 state champions

Harrison's historic run ends soundly

The Harrison Wildcats entered the final day of the OHSAA state wrestling tournament with 80 total points and a few opportunities to add on. Harrison didn't need them.

Harrison's Raegan Briggs raises her hand in victory as she wins the 125-pound title at the OHSAA inaugural girls wrestling state tournament, March 10-12, 2023.

The Wildcats did end up with a pair of individual state champions, but also claimed the team title with 97 total points, more than enough to beat runner-up Olentangy Orange's 69 points.

"Even though the official team scores were not announced, we kind of knew that math of it," Harrison coach Chris Baird said. "We felt really confident about it so the girls were in a position where they could just go out and perform for themselves without that pressure of winning a team title and putting extra pressure on themselves."

Harrison High School girls wrestling takes home the state title at the OHSAA 86th annual boys wrestling state tournament and the inaugural girls wrestling state tournament, March 10-12, 2023.

Who were Harrison's individual champions?

While only one local champion was guaranteed in the girls tournament, more were likely.

Harrison's duo of Chloe Dearwester and Raegan Briggs, both state champions in past girls tournaments, earned state championships in the 105-pound and 125-pound classes respectively.

Harrison's Chloe Dearwester celebrates her championship at 105 pounds during the OHSAA inaugural girls wrestling state tournament, March 10-12, 2023.

Undefeated Dearwester pinned Sandusky's Nikera Johnson in under a minute and, in total, spent just 4 minutes, 25 seconds on the mat.

Briggs, a champion last year at 115 pounds, was unshaken by the jump and ended her season with a 10-3 decision in the finals.

Clermont Northeastern's first wrestling champion

A local competitor was guaranteed a championship in the 145-pound finals. Clermont Northeastern's Jesse Foebar and Lebanon's Lexi Fornshell met in the finals with Foebar working a pin in the second period.

Foebar was defeated by Fornshell in the regional finals but worked her third pin of the tournament to become the first Clermont Northeastern wrestler to win a state championship.

Clermont Northeastern's Jesse Foebar celebrates and Lebanon's Lexi Fornshell is saddened after their 145-pound championship match at the OHSAA inaugural girls wrestling state tournament, March 10-12, 2023.

Loveland freshman Madison starts off perfectly

Loveland's Elizabeth Madison may have been in her first year wrestling for the varsity Tigers, but she's been wrestling for Loveland and head coach Chris Switzer since the second grade.

Elizabeth Madison receives an embrace of joy from the Loveland coaches after winning the 170-pound championship at the OHSAA inaugural girls wrestling state tournament, March 10-12, 2023.

"We knew she was special," Switzer said of Madison. "She won the boys junior high district in Cincinnati last year so we knew when she came up to high school, it would be motivation to go out and recruit a girls program. There's no better person to represent it than Elizabeth."

The win also made history for Switzer, who is one of the earliest coaches, if not the first, to lead a boy and girl to a state championship. Loveland's Andrew Alten won the Division I heavyweight title under Switzer in 2014.

Local placers

100 – Leah Willen (Harrison), 3rd; Bri Graves (Oak Hills), 6th; 105– Chloe Dearwester (Harrison), 1st; 110 – Charley Jones (New Richmond), 7th; 115 – Lexi Grant (Oak Hills), 6th; 125 – Raegan Briggs (Harrison), 1st; Andi Addis (Lebanon), 8th; 135 – Rylee Gust (Springboro), 6th; Kelsey King (Lakota West), 7th; Savvy Jacobsen (Little Miami), 8th; 140 – Sophia Rohrs (Lebanon) 2nd; Ariana Finn (Batavia), 5th; 145 – Jesse Foebar (Clermont Northeastern) 1st; Lexi Fornshell (Lebanon) 2nd; 170 – Elizabeth Madison (Loveland), 1st; Audrey Garcia (Ross), 7th; 235 – Kate Fenton (Lakota West), 4th; Jessica Edwards (Harrison) 6th.