OLIVESBURG — A regulation high school wrestling match lasts six minutes.

Caleb Cunningham rarely needed that long.

The newly-crowned North Central Ohio Wrestler of the Year, Cunningham pinned his way to a Division III state championship in the 285-pound weight class last month inside Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.

His showing at the state tournament capped arguably the most dominant postseason ever by an area wrestler.

Cunningham pinned nine of his 10 postseason foes and needed just 23 minutes and 51 seconds of mat time to secure Crestview’s first wrestling state championship since Hunter Reed claimed the 171-pound title in 2007.

Only Swanton’s Evan Smigelski lasted the entire six minutes with Cunningham in the Rossford District final, a 7-2 Cunningham win.

Two of the Crestview senior’s four pins at state came in the first period, including his victory over Harrison Central’s Landen Thomas in the finals. That match lasted 1:38. 

“He’s been pretty dominant,” Crestview coach Nate Godsey understated afterward. “He just got better and better as the weeks went on.”

Cunningham finished 43-3 this season. His only loss to an Ohio wrestler came in the finals of the Kenston Invitational against Painesville Riverside’s Antonio Bottiggi, the Division I state runner-up.

“I had a close match with him and he ended up pinning me in the last 10 seconds because I had to score to win,” Cunningham said. “I knew then I was good enough (to win a state title).”

Cunningham, who will play college football at Walsh, is the centerpiece of an all-area wrestling team that includes 13 other state placers.

106 pounds

Aiden Ohl, Ontario: Just a sophomore, Ohl was the Division II state runner-up. He dropped a 5-4 decision to Bexley’s Marius Garcia in the finals a week after a 3-2 loss to Garcia in the Norwalk district finals. Ohl finished the season 41-4. He was fifth at state at 106 pounds as a freshman.

Mason Bauer, Ashland: Bauer became Ashland’s first-ever freshman state placer when he finished fifth in Division I. Bauer was 47-5 on the year, placing fourth at the Perrysburg district. He won Ohio Cardinal Conference and Avon Lake sectional titles.

113 pounds

Jacob Ohl, Ontario: A senior, Ohl capped his high school career with a third-place finish at the Division II state meet. He was 33-3 on the year and won a Norwalk district title. Ohl was a three-time state placer at three different weight classes. He was state runner-up at 106 as a sophomore and finished eighth at 120 as a junior.

Carter Trukovich, Galion: Just a freshman, Trukovich placed fifth at the Division II state tournament and finished the season 30-5. He may have climbed even higher on the podium were it not for Jacob Ohl, who beat Trukovich in the consolation semifinals at state. Trukovich was runner-up at the Clyde sectional and Norwalk district and won a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference crown.

120 pounds

Gradey Harding, Galion: A sophomore, Harding was the Division II state runner-up after falling to returning state champ Colyn Limbert of Medina Buckeye 3-1 in the finals. Harding finished fifth at 120 as a freshman to become Galion’s first-ever freshman state-placer. He won Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, sectional and district titles en route to a 42-9 record.

Mike Thomas, Madison: A two-time state-qualifier, Thomas fell one win shy of the state podium. The senior capped his career with a 42-9 record. He won an Ohio Cardinal Conference crown and a sectional championship at Sandusky before finishing fourth at the Norwalk district.

126 pounds

Guardian Miller, Ashland: Another of Ashland’s talented freshmen, Miller advanced to the Division I state tournament and finished the year 43-9. Miller won a sectional title at Avon Lake and finished fourth at the rugged Perrysburg district.

132 pounds

Peyton Hoskins, Clear Fork: A senior, Hoskins won a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference title and a sectional crown at Sandusky to reach the Norwalk district. He finished the season with a record of 30-4.

138 pounds

Mason Turnbaugh, Ontario: A junior, Turnbaugh took the most grueling path to the Division II state podium. He dropped his first match in Columbus before reeling off five straight wins in the consolation bracket to finish third. Turnbaugh won Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, sectional and district championships and finished 47-3.

Christopher Marshall, Centerburg: A junior, Marshall was one of the biggest surprises of the state tournament. A third-place finisher at the Heath district, Marshall reached the state finals before falling to Norwood’s Wyatt Hinton. He won the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference title and a sectional crown at Ridgedale, finishing the year 44-7. 

144 pounds

Brock Durbin, Mapleton: The senior will go down as one of the most accomplished wrestlers in Mapleton’s storied history. Durbin was a four-time state-placer and two-time state runner-up after a 3-0 loss to Archbold’s Brodie Dominique in the finals. He won Firelands Conference, sectional and district championships and finished the year 46-2. 

150 pounds

Jaden Hedrick, Crestview: A senior, Hedrick was a Firelands Conference runner-up and finished third at the Plymouth sectional. He was 2-2 at the Rossford district, finishing the season at 32-14.

157 pounds

Jake Taylor, Mount Vernon: A junior, Taylor finished one win shy of the Division I state podium. He won an Ohio Cardinal Conference title and was runner-up at the Newark sectional. He was third at the Hilliard Darby district and finished the year at 38-11.

165 pounds

Luke Schlosser, Clear Fork: The senior got off to a late start because of a football injury, but quickly made up for lost time on his way to a sixth-place finish at state. He was a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference runner-up and took second at the Sandusky sectional. Schlosser was third at the Norwalk district and finished with a 28-8 record.

175 pounds

Blake Schlosser, Clear Fork: A junior, Schlosser came within a point of reaching the state tournament. He won a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship and was a runner-up at the Sandusky sectional. He finished fifth at the Norwalk district, capping his season with a 42-8 record.

190 pounds

Blake Elliott, East Knox: A junior, Elliott became East Knox’s first-ever state-placer after finishing sixth. The three-time state-qualifier won Knox Morrow Athletic Conference and Ridgedale sectional titles and was third at the Heath district. He was 31-14 on the season.

215 pounds

Alex Taylor, Mount Vernon: Just a sophomore, Taylor already is a two-time Division I state placer after taking fifth. He topped fellow Division I state qualifier Cayden Spotts of Ashland to win an Ohio Cardinal Conference crown, then captured sectional and district titles. Taylor was 52-3 on the year and is 94-11 in two seasons.

Landon Campbell, Ontario: A senior, Campbell capped his career with a fifth-place finish at state and a 47-3 record. Campbell won a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship and a Clyde sectional title. He was a Norwalk district runner-up.

275 pounds

Caleb Cunningham, Crestview: The area’s Wrestler of the Year, Cunningham pinned his way to a Division III state title to finish the year 43-3. He won Firelands Conference, sectional and district titles. He recorded nine pins in 10 postseason matches.

Alex Griffith, Galion: A senior and four-time state-qualifier, Griffith capped his career with a third-place finish at state. He was 42-6 on the season and 160-37 in his career. Griffith won Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, sectional and district crowns.