Jacobs, Hermes, Pinkelton lead strong group in SBC

Only three area wrestlers return this season with a chance to repeat as All-Ohio performers and Sandusky Bay Conference champions. Edison's Mason Hermes, Bellevue's Ben Jacobs and Port Clinton's Malakii Pinkelton are in that exclusive club as the 2025-26 season gets under way this weekend. Taking it a step further, Jacobs is the only one among those three who was a district champion. "He's definitely coming in with the mentality of a senior," Bellevue coach Brett Adkins said. "He's focused and working hard every day. He's looking at placing high this year. He definitely has a competitive nature and has the will to win. He's a very athletic kid and picks up on things." Jacobs, who was 44-6 and finished sixth at state in Division II at 144 pounds, likely will wrestle his senior season at 150 or 157 pounds. Hermes, a junior, went 51-11 last season and finished fifth at 113 in Division III. He also finished on the podium as a freshman, placing eighth. "He's been super-focused," Edison coach Jude Michel said. "He's a guy who can contend for a state title at 126. He looks so good in our room. He's so funky and he's good in all positions. We talk about him being dangerous. He can put you on your back from any position." Pinkelton, coming off an outstanding football career, went 45-7 last season and took fifth at 190 pounds in Division III. "Malakii wasn't focused on wrestling last year," Port Clinton coach Dustin Cornell said. "He practiced two days a week and the other three days he'd go to an elite football training center in Cleveland. "Going into sectional, district and state were the only three weeks he practiced full time. This year he's dedicated to the program and I'm looking for really big things from him. He's the most confident kid you'll talk to. His confidence wins matches. He thinks he's better than everybody." Other returning All-Ohio wrestlers in the SBC include St. Mary Central Catholic's Ben James (third at 138 in Div. III), Perkins' Braxden Martin (fourth at 144 in Div. II) and Clyde's Michael Gessner (seventh at 144 in Div. II). Miller lost to Jacobs at the SBC championships and at the district tournament before posting a highly competitive 5-4 decision over Jacobs at state. "He hasn't wrestled at the state tournament 100 percent healthy yet. That's our goal this year," Perkins coach Travis Crabtree said. "He's a great kid. He'll be looking for his third All-Ohio finish. He's an athlete and he does all the little things correctly. And he's tough." James had the best state finish among returning wrestlers in the area. He went 53-9 last season. At state, he lost in the first round before rattling off five straight victories to finish third. "He put in a lot of time in the weight room so we're excited to see what he can do with that new level of power and his mobility," SMCC coach Michael Baxter said. "Third place gave him a little bit of a taste of something that he wants to do. The top of the podium's the goal. Once you've gotten that far in the state tournament, you really know you can do it so that's the expectation now." James' older brother Luke was a state champion for Edison the last two seasons and Perkins heavyweight Eli Sanchez was a runner-up last season. Luke James is wrestling for California Baptist and Sanchez will graduate early and head to Nevada-Las Vegas on a football scholarship. Bellevue's Owen Sterritt is the fourth returning SBC champion. He won the title at 120 as a sophomore and will move up a couple weight classes. "He's a very hard-nosed wrestler. Very intense," Adkins said. "He wrestled some great matches last year, but at the end of the year he had a bad back injury. We didn't even know if he was going to be able to wrestle at the district tournament, let alone qualify. I see him doing well this year, hopefully placing at state." Bellevue has 36 wrestlers in its room and has every weight class covered. Konner Dauch, who qualified for state as freshman, is back from shoulder surgery and will wrestle at 157 or 165. Tatum Gore qualified for state at 190 and the Redmen also welcome back standouts Billy Sberna, Noah Green, Nolan Hartman and DJ Vasquez. "We should have a really good dual team," Adkins said. "Last year was the first year in a long time we filled every weight class. We should do that again." Perkins also has good numbers. In addition to Martin, the Pirates return state qualifier Law Davlin, a sophomore. Junior Ronnie Kromer, a district qualifier, is looking to stay healthy. "He's been injured the past two years at the end of the year so we're looking for him to burst onto the scene," Crabtree said. Jaycion Everett was a district placer for Perkins and district qualifiers for the Pirates include senior DeShawn Harper, junior Landon Flores and sophomore Rajon Randleman. This is Crabtree's 25th season coaching the Pirates, who finished third among Division II teams at last season's state tournament. Perkins has won nine SBC titles under Crabtree. One more would break a tie with Oak Harbor's George Bergman for the most by any coach. Edison also expects to field a full team. The Chargers' numbers have been helped by a seven-man freshman class that includes two-time junior high state champion Cohen Reer. Reer will wrestle at 106 and will join Hermes at the prestigious Ironman tournament next weekend at Walsh Jesuit High School. "He comes from a great family and great support system," Michel said. "He's wrestled all over. He gets on top of people and he doesn't let them out." The Chargers also return Xander Gfell-King, a two-time state qualifier who went 32-10 last season. AJ Crabtree, Josiah Walbom and Joel Smith all qualified for the district tournament. "We'll be young, but we've got a lot of good freshman and sophomores," Michel said. Port Clinton welcomes back Gavin Cornell, who was ahead 6-3 in a state quarterfinals match at 150 before injuring an ankle. He lost his next match 5-4. The future is bright for the Redskins, who have a strong eighth-grade class of 16. Gessner and Hunter Pollack, a three-time district qualifier, are the only two seniors on Clyde's roster. The Fliers had a second state qualifier last season in Heath Norris. "My two state qualifiers are my hardest workers," Clyde coach Cliff Andres said. "(Gessner has) put in the time and kept working out. He ran cross country in the fall just to stay in shape. He's a good leader in the room and just a hard-nosed kid who doesn't want to lose so he puts in the work."