OxfordPress.com

Ben Ryan, Monroe

Ryan went 117-31 during his prep career, but only one of those losses came during his senior season in 2002 when he won the Division II 275-pound state championship.

"That was a real fun time," said Ryan, who is studying mechanical engineering at Miami and working at General Electric.

Ryan finished his 44-1 senior season with a 4-3 victory against Maumee's Brett Boggs. The next day in the JournalNews, Ryan was quoted as saying, "I couldn't believe it. I thought there was an extra period hidden away somewhere. But when I jumped off the mat, I realized I was the state champ."

Six years later, Ryan is still showing off his championship medal. But he doesn't do it to brag, he does it to inspire.

"I go around to some of the local schools and help out," said Ryan, who has volunteered his time in the Hamilton, Madison, Monroe and Edgewood wrestling rooms. "I always show the guys the medal and talk to them about the whole thing and what to expect. I want to try to help them get there, too."

Ryan qualified to the state tournament as a junior, but he went 0-2.

His lone loss his senior year came against Lakota East sophomore Tony Johnson, who would go on to win his own state title in Division I two years later.

"That loss (to Johnson) was a blessing when I think back about it," Ryan said. "That really brought my head down. The rest of the year I wasn't so arrogant and thinking I was on top of everything."