CIRCLEVILLE — A record-setting senior campaign has earned Gavin Hoover the 2025 Jon Pharr Memorial Award as Pickaway County’s most outstanding wrestler.
“Coming into the program from junior high you could tell there was a lot of potential. His freshman year, he was beating some good kids and we really kept pushing him and telling him he had to keep working. He listened and kept doing it,” Logan Elm coach Jake Daniels said. “He became a leader through his work ethic and everybody else in the program followed suit.”
Hoover recently completed his senior season on the podium at the state wrestling tournament for the second time as he finished seventh in the 132-pound weight class for Division II. He won the last match of his career to place and finish his season with a 54-4 record. Through four years, he compiled a 184-32 mark.
“As an individual wrestler, he’s the all-time career win leader, all-time pin leader (108), all-time near-fall leader (192), now,” Daniels said. “All the records have been reset with him as his career is coming to a close. It shows what level of wrestler he was, compared not only with Logan Elm but statewide.”
He also has the school record for fastest pin at three seconds.
“I was aiming high,” Hoover said of approaching his final year. “I was putting in more work than I have before and getting ready for the season.
“I got a couple of the school records like season wins and career wins. I got over 100 pins, and it was a just good season all-around.”
A few weeks ago, Hoover won his fourth Mid-State League wrestling title. He was the 120-pound champion as a freshman, 126-pound champion as a sophomore and junior, and 132-pound champion this year. Hoover was named the Mid-State League’s Most Valuable Wrestler, a title he also earned at tournaments in Wellston and West Jefferson this season.
A football player in the fall, Hoover said his wrestling prep included spring workouts and competing in some summer dual tournaments with his teammates. “It was just putting a lot of work in in the barn and running a lot,” he said.
“Last weekend, coaching kids like him is why you do it,” Daniels said, referring to the state tournament. “It makes it easy, almost. It makes it fun. Basically, you’re along for the ride with him and going with him on his journey.
“It was a fun ride.”
Hoover was a team leader, as well.
“It translated into more kids following his work ethic, it translated into being competitive at the team level. Not only did we have multiple state qualifiers, we had multiple state placers this year,” Daniels said. “And just about every tournament we went to as a team, we were competing for that top spot. And winning league for the first time in (six) years, winning multiple tournaments or finishing top two or three in most of them.
“I think him and the other seniors have really set the foundation for the program moving forward.”
The team accomplishments are something Hoover is proud of, as well.
“As a team, I’ll toot our own horn here, we were the best team to come out of Logan Elm, probably ever, with three state qualifiers and a Mid-State League title,” Hoover said.
The 43rd Pharr Award winner, Hoover is the 10th Brave and third Daniels has coached. (Dominic Vagnier, 2014, and Bowen McConahay, 2019).
“You look at some of those names on (the trophy) and you see multiple state champs, state placers and it’s definitely a real accomplishment to have your name on that same trophy with those 40-plus years of wrestlers from Pickaway County who have been at that level,” Daniels said. “I’m proud of him – it’s a great accomplishment.”
Jon Pharr was a 1964 graduate of Circleville High School who lettered in four sports. He stayed active in sports after graduation, including assisting with athletics programs at CHS, teaching wrestling to students at the YMCA and became a respected official for football and wrestling. Pharr passed away in 1982 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
Peter Jonathan Pharr Memorial Award Winners
1983 — Braden Adkinson, Teays Valley
1984 — Braden Adkinson, Teays Valley
1985 — Jeff Moats, Circleville
1986 — Paul Dickey, Logan Elm
1987 — Jerry Harper, Logan Elm
1988 — Mansil Hurlbut, Circleville
1989 — Roger Fitzpatrick, Teays Valley
1990 — Russell Fitzpatrick, Teays Valley
1991 — Tim Lunsford, Circleville
1992 — Nate Greuzke, Logan Elm
1993 — Scott Williams, Teays Valley
1994 — Dustin Arledge, Logan Elm
1995 — J.P. Felty, Teays Valley
1996 — Tracy Miller, Teays Valley
1997 — Tim Geiger, Westfall
1998 — Tim Geiger, Westfall
1999 — Bob Thurston, Teays Valley
2000 — Danny Roberts, Westfall
2001 — Brad Kassner, Circleville
2002 — Tyler Jenkins, Logan Elm
2003 — Ben Carver, Westfall
2004 — Brian Haines, Teays Valley
2005 — David Jones, Westfall
2006 — Russell McFadden, Circleville
2007 — Daniel Gifford, Logan Elm
2008 — Zac Conn, Teays Valley
2009 — Shane Gifford, Logan Elm
2010 — Tyler Luft, Teays Valley
2011 — Travis Luft, Teays Valley
2012 — Brocky Leidecker, Teays Valley
2013 — Luke Nace, Teays Valley
2014 — Dominic Vagnier, Logan Elm
2015 — Nate Keaton, Circleville
2016 — Nate Keaton, Circleville
2017 — Nate Keaton, Circleville
2018 — Nate Keaton, Circleville
2019 — Bowen McConahay, Logan Elm
2020 — Chanston Moll, Westfall
2021 — Camden McDanel, Teays Valley
2022 — Camden McDanel, Teays Valley
2023 — Camden McDanel, Teays Valley
2024 — Gage Bolt, Westfall
2025 — Gavin Hoover, Logan Elm