Unfortunately, that included himself sometimes.
Until his senior year at Jefferson, it seemed Webster’s career would be best remembered for the games he didn’t win. The ones where you made critical mistakes at the most critical moments.
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However, Webster set out to show everyone what kind of fighter he is.
In the 2025-26 season, he went 46-9 and finished third in the recent 215-pound weight class of the Division II Ohio High School Athletic Association State Wrestling Tournament in 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 off all he’s 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 start of the season, he knew he had some unfinished business from the past to take care of.
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“I had to prove to everyone that I deserved that title,” Webster said of the award. “I think I did it at state by placing third. At the beginning of the year, I set a goal of placing at state. I accomplished that and more with the support of my family and coaches.”
However, to get to where he wanted to be, Webster knew there were areas of his game he had to clean up.
As a junior, he appeared to be on his way to Columbus, until a mistake resulted in a pin and an eventual fifth place finish at the Kenston District.
There was never any doubt about his strength or desire, it was just a matter of learning to fight a little smarter.
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“The last few years I tried moves that put me in risky positions because I thought I was strong enough to execute them,” Webster said. “This year, I think I did better by maintaining safer positions during the game.”
Cody Lewis coached Webster when he first stepped on the mat as a fifth-grader.
“He may have been the strongest high school kid I’ve ever seen in my life,” the Falcons head coach said. “But he made mistakes. It’s funny. We would make fun of it, we would have a ‘don’t stare’ rule, just based on Matt, because he did it several times over the years. But in the end he did it all, and that was the most rewarding thing.”
On his way to Columbus, Webster wrestled at 285 at the Ashton Hynd Battle by the Lake Tournament in Madison and placed fourth in early December.
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He also went up to the Painesville Riverside Rumble, where he placed third.
At 215, Webster placed third at the Top Gun Tournament at Alliance, second at the Chagrin Valley Conference Tournament and first at the Ashtabula County Tournament.
For his career, he finished with 138 wins, tying him with fellow senior Jacob Lewis for the third most wins in school history.
Webster’s third-place finish at the Schottenstein Center was the highest finish for a Jefferson wrestler since Kyle Gilchrist took second place at 103 in 2006.
In his final fight, Webster defeated Madison’s Chase White by 4-1 decision. White had beaten him three times previously.
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But with one step higher on the podium at stake, Webster played it safe and recorded the takedown he needed to earn the victory.
“I couldn’t lose to him again,” he said of his last match. “I went out and fought more aggressively. I think I foresaw this in my future because when I’m fighting the best I can, any fight is a winnable fight.”
Webster said he is considering going to college to study wrestling, but has not made any decisions yet.