And for the first three years, things went as planned with state championships.
This time around, however, Hoskins was battling a slow recovery from an ACL injury and the flu bug and it all came back to bite him in overtime in the semifinals Friday night.
“My freshman, sophomore and junior years I didn’t feel great and I was able to get through it,” Hoskins said. “This time, I wasn’t able to get through it.
“God gives the hardest challenges to the toughest people.”
The tough part was getting up and battling through a Division III consolation semi before finishing third at 126 with a 4-3 win in his last high school match.
“It was the hardest thing I have had to do,” Hoskins said of coming back for the consolation semis. “This is something that is going to haunt me the rest of my life, but it’s not over. I am going to get in the training room and get ready to wrestle at Oklahoma.”
Hoskins was one of 20 locals to finish in the medal on Saturday morning.
In Division I: Butler’s Ronnie Pietro was fourth at 132, Wayne freshman Austin Mullins was seventh at 145, Drew Wiechers was fifth at 152 for Centerville, Fairmont’s Nevan Snodgrass was fourth at 160 and Wayne 285 Jacob Padilla was eighth.
In Division II: Chaminade Julienne’s Isaiah Worthum was eighth at 126 with teammates Micah Marshall finishing fifth at 145 and Hunter Johns was fourth at 182.
Graham’s Isaiah Stickley (eighth at 132), JD Stickley (third, 138), Andrew Shaffer (seventh 182) and Johnny Shafer (third, 220) all closed out medal spots to push the Falcons over the 200 point mark in the team race.
The Falcons have clinched their 18th consecutive D-II team title.
Bellbrook’s Ben Sherrill was also sixth at 138.
Marshall, who lost a tough 5-4 decision in the semis Friday night, had early problems figuring his opponent out in the semis and ran out of time before finishing fifth by default.
“Everything happens the way it is supposed to happen.” Marshall said. “I put in a ton of work before this season. I’m kind of OK with it because I gave it everything I could.
“I’m appreciative of everything I got, but it is kind of bittersweet. Obviously, I wanted better but I am proud of myself and I don’t regret anything.”
Covington got places from Keilan Anderson (sixth, 106) and Cael Vanderhorst (8th, 113) while Versailles’ Preston Platfoot (seventh 132) and Jeffrey Ware (seventh, 285), Legacy Christian’s Clint Brown (third 132), Miami East’s Alex Isbrandt (fourth 138) and Troy Christian’s Jared Ford (fifth, 138) also placed.
Isbrandt used a third period rally to beat Ford 4-3 in the ninth installment of their four year battle to move into the consolation finals.
“It wasn’t too difficult to let go (of my loss in the semis),” Isbrandt said. “I was kind of ready to be done with it and get a break. Just take awhile and chill.”
The state championship matches were Saturday night.
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