Rastetter to be inducted into Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association (OHSWCA) has announced its 2027 Hall of Fame induction class. Otterbein University Director of Wrestling, Brent Rastetter will be inducted in the upcoming class for his contributions as a coach during his tenure at Lexington High School.

While coaching at Lexington, Rastetter amassed a dual record of 208-34 and was named the 2010 Division II Ohio Coach of the Year. His Minutemen went on a stretch of winning eight straight Ohio Cardinal Conference titles, becoming one of the premier teams in the state. Under his direction, he led Lexington to eight sectional titles, qualified for the OHSAA State Dual Team Tournament in the three years it was a sanctioned event, and finished as the 2009 State Runners-Up.

"It's an incredible honor to be inducted into the OHSWCA Hall of Fame," said Rastetter. "Coach Short was inducted in 2011 and Frank Jayne, who I am being inducted with in this current class, is a proud Otterbein alum who was a member of the Cardinal wrestling team during its first tenure on campus. It's cool to add more of an Otterbein presence to the Hall of Fame."

Rastetter continued to rack up the accolades at Lexington, producing 189 district qualifiers, 45 state qualifiers, 27 state placers and four state champions. Rastetter has served as the Head Men's Wrestling Coach since the program's revival prior to the 2016-17 season. He was later named Director of Wrestling when the Cardinals added the women's program in 2024-25.

"It's hard to say who [Coach] Ratty is as a man and a coach in a sentence or two. I've known him since elementary school and he has always had my back when I got in trouble, when I lost, when I won, when I cried," said Drew Kasper '20. Kasper wrestled for Rastetter at Lexington High School, winning a state title, and followed him to Otterbein to compete for him during his early days reviving the program, eventually becoming one of the most successful Cardinal wrestlers. "We have a lot of similarities and we have a lot of differences, but we both have one of the biggest things in common – and that is to win. We just happen to share the same goals and passions. Winning a state championship is still to this day my favorite individual accomplishment, and with him in my corner, that was one of the best moments of us sharing the common thing between us – winning. I love him."

"Coach Rastetter's induction into the Ohio Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame is a well-deserved recognition of his accomplishments as a coach and positive influence on countless young people over the years," added assistant men's wrestling coach and 2011 OHSWCA Hall of Fame inductee, Doug Short. "I coached against him at the high school level and am honored to be able to coach alongside him at Otterbein."

With the first induction class in 1971, 224 total members are now part of the OHSWCA Hall of Fame. More information can be found at this link.

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