Webster ended Falcons wrestling career with state podium finish
· Yahoo Sports
For his first three years of high school, it seemed Matt Webster could pin anyone.
Unfortunately, that included himself a few times.
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Until his senior year at Jefferson, it looked as if Webster’s career might be best remembered for the matches he did not win. The ones where he made critical mistakes at the most pivotal of times.
However, Webster set out to prove to everyone what kind of wrestler he is.
In the 2025-26 season, he went 46-9 and finished third in the recent Division II 215-pound weight class of the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Wrestling Tournament n Columbus.
At the Schottenstein Center, Webster’s only blemish was a loss in the semifinals to Bishop Watterson’s Michael Boyle, a three-time state champion, and future Ohio State Buckeye.
To cap everything else he accomplished along the way, Websted has been named Ashtabula County Wrestler of the Year for the 2025-26 campaign.
Now that it’s all said and done, Webster said winning the award was something he didn’t expect, but from the beginning of the season, he knew he had some unfinished business from the past to take care of.
“I had to show everyone I deserved that title,” Webster said of the award. “I think I did that at state by placing third. At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to place at state. I accomplished that and more with the support of my family and coaches.”
To get where he wanted to be, though, Webster knew there were areas of his game he had to clean up.
In his junior year, he appeared to be on his way to Columbus, until a mistake resulted in a pin and eventual fifth-place finish at the Kenston District.
There was never any question about his strength or desire, it was just learning to wrestle a little bit smarter.
“The last couple of years I would try moves that put me in risky positions because I though I was strong enough to execute,” Webster said. “This year, I think I did better at maintaining safer positions during the match.”
Cody Lewis has coached Webster when he first stepped on the mat as a fifth grader.
“He may have been the strongest junior high kid I’ve seen in my life,” the Falcons head coach said. “But he made mistakes, It’s funny. We’d make fun of it, we’d have a ‘don’t pin yourself rule,’ just based off from Matt, because he did that a few times over the years. But he put it all together in the end, and that’s what was most rewarding.”
On his way to Columbus, Webster wrestled at 285 in the Ashton Hynd Battle by the Lake Tournament at Madison and placed fourth in early December.
He also bumped up for the Painesville Riverside Rumble where he took third.
Back at 215, Webster took third at the Top Gun Tournament in Alliance, second in the Chagrin Valley Conference Tournament and first at the Ashtabula County Tournament.
For his career he finished with 138 wins, which is tied with fellow senior Jacob Lewis for third most victories in school history.
Webster’s third at the Schottenstein Center was the highest finish for a Jefferson wrestler since Kyle Gilchrist claimed second at 103 in 2006.
In his final bout, Webster defeated Madison’s Chase White by a 4-1 decision. White had beaten him three times previously.
But with one step higher on the podium on the line, Webster played it safe, and recorded the takedown he needed to get the win.
“I couldn’t lose to him again,” he said of his final match. “I came out there and wrestled more aggressively. I think I did foresee this in my future because when I’m wrestling my best, any match is a winnable match.”
Webster said he is considering going to college for wrestling, but hasn’t made any decisions yet.