HUNTINGTON -Parkersburg South sent head coach Paul Jackson out with a fourth straight Class AAA championship and in the process won the school's 18th wrestling crown and the 200th state title for the city of Parkersburg here late Saturday night inside the Big Sandy Super Store Arena.
The 65th edition of the West Virginia state wrestling tournament came down to Parkersburg South having the best team from the start of the campaign until the end.
Leading runner-up Ripley 191-168.5 thanks to a strong showing in the consolation rounds, the Patriots nearly had their record-tying fourth consecutive triple-A title wrapped up before the finals.
Article Photos
Photos by Jeff Baughan
Both Dylan Cottrell of Roane County (left, on top of his opponent) and David Jeffrey of Parkersburg South (right, attempting a takedown) joined the short list of four-time state wrestling champions on Saturday night in Huntington. Jeffrey is the first South wrestler to accomplish that feat.
However, it wasn't until David Jeffrey became the 13th four-time state champion in Mountain State history that the Patriots had sealed the four-peat and finished with a winning total of 199.5. This is the second time a triple-A program has won four in a row as PSHS had done it previously from 1999-2002.
"If you want the definition of team, Parkersburg South is your answer," said an elated Jackson, who won the Rod Oldham Coach of the Year Award, after Jeffrey doubled up Wheeling Park's Dylan Taylor 6-3 to win the 126-pound crown.
Prior to Jeffrey's match, Patriot 106-pound teammate Lance Hill needed double overtime to score a 6-4 win versus Logan Grass of Huntington. Following a scoreless first minute of sudden death overtime, Hill got his winning tally on a caution point against Grass and then he used an escape to make it 6-4 after the first 30-second overtime period. Grass never got out of Hill's grasp in the other 30-second OT.
Fact Box
Class AAA state tournament results
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - Results Thursday from the Class AAA high school wrestling tournament at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena:
Team Standings
1. Parkersburg South 199.5 points. 2. Ripley 182 points. 3. Huntington 145 points. 4. Washington 108.5 points. 5. Wheeling Park 96 points. 5. (tie) Parkersburg 96 points. 7. East Fairmont 69 points. 8. Musselman 65 points. 9. Cabell Midland 62 points. 10. North Marion 61 points. 11. George Washington 54.5 points. 11. (tie) John Marshall 54.5 points. 13. Buckhannon-Upshur 52 points. 14. Lewis County 43.5 points. 15. Bridgeport 43 points. 16. University 38 points. 17. Martinsburg 33 points. 18. Fairmont Senior 32 points. 19. Brooke 31.5 points. 20. Morgantown 27.5 points. 21. Jefferson 23 points. 22. Winfield 17 points. 23. Preston 16 points. 24. Capital 15 points. 25. Woodrow Wilson 11 points. 25. (tie) Greenbrier East 11 points. 26. (tie) Spring Valley 11 points. 28. Hurricane 7 points. 28. (tie) Logan 7 points. 30. Nicholas County 3 points. 30. (tie) Robert C Byrd 3 points. 30. (tie) Nitro 3 points. 30. (tie) Hedgesville 3 points. 34. Hampshire 1 points. 35. Riverside. 35. (tie) Princeton. 35. (tie) Elkins.
Individual results
Championship
106 Lance Hill, Parkersburg South Dec Logan Grass, Huntington, 6-4 OT
113 Jordan Allen, Huntington Dec Bryce Gainer, Parkersburg South, 6-5
120 Jake Martin, Ripley Dec Trapper Hays, Parkersburg, 4-3
126 David Jeffrey, Parkersburg South Dec Dylan Taylor, Wheeling Park, 6-3
132 Billy Waldeck, Huntington Dec Alex Reimann, Cabell Midland, 4-2 OT
138 Justin Arthur, Huntington T-Fall Preston Martin, Ripley, 16-0
145 Jake Smith, George Washington Dec Seth Cutright, Buckhannon-Upshur, 5-0
152 Cody Spinks, Musselman Fall Danny Colby, Wheeling Park, 2:30
160 Elijah Hull, Lewis County Fall Nick Boone, Cabell Midland, 1:59
170 Adam Bicak, Ripley Dec Jesse Roman, East Fairmont, 5-4
182 Jared Haught, Parkersburg M-Dec Keynan Williams, Jefferson, 14-1
195 Nathan Dawson, Brooke Dec Thomas Schwing, John Marshall, 9-5
220 David Hicks, Ripley Fall Ashby Heath, Washington, 1:11
285 Garrett Stanley, Bridgeport Dec Daryl Hicks, Ripley, 4-2
Third Place
106 Jason West, Parkersburg Fall Ty Reynolds, Washington, 3:59
113 Jarred Simpkins, Ripley Dec Tyler Cross, Washington, 2-0
120 Tyler Karcher, Parkersburg South Fall Ryan Elliott, North Marion, 2:12
126 Kody Kernan, Musselman Dec Jarred Burdette, Ripley, 6-2
132 Dylan Marker, Capital Dec Tyler Richards, Parkersburg South, 5-2
138 Briar Shively, Parkersburg South Fall Brooks Russell, North Marion, 2:33
145 Dylan Ceravalo, Washington Dec Skyler Terrell, Parkersburg, 8-1
152 Jesse Perroots, University Dec Isaiah Moore, Buckhannon-Upshur, 2-1
160 Jake Alexander, Parkersburg South Dec Garrett Onderko, East Fairmont, 7-2
170 Cody Amos, Wheeling Park M-Dec Drake Mills, Parkersburg South, 13-1
182 Terrance Fanning, Preston Dec Steve Brogle, Parkersburg South, 5-2
195 Mikah Skubon, Washington Fall Nick Smith, Bridgeport, 1:51
220 Nigale Cabell, Huntington Dec Cullen Ebbert, John Marshall, 2-1 OT
285 Taylor Ortiz, Morgantown Fall Josh Harwood, Martinsburg, 1:44
Fifth Place
106 Brody Nesselrotte, East Fairmont Dec PJ Dolan, Musselman, 9-4
113 Austin Patterson, Fairmont Senior Dec Casey Mowder, John Marshall, 4-2
120 Johnathan Spence, Huntington Dec Bryce Humphreys, Winfield, 8-4 OT
126 Jensen Lorea, George Washington Dec Johathan Wimer, Washington, 2-0
132 Anthony Alvaro, Fairmont Senior Dec Austin Hileman, Ripley, 6-0
138 Eric Banks, Wheeling Park Dec Hayden Stewart, East Fairmont, 6-2
145 Seth Simmons, Cabell Midland M-Dec Jordan Quiocho, Parkersburg South, 12-1
152 Josh Bombard, North Marion Dec Demadre Turner, Huntington, 3-2
160 Kodiac Garcia, Wheeling Park Dec Blake Lillard, University, 11-7
170 Alex Abrahamian, Martinsburg Dec Tyler Arnett, North Marion, 6-2
182 Nate Constante, University Dec Luke Braunlich, Wheeling Park, 8-1
195 Daniel Nolte, Buckhannon-Upshur Dec Greg Medina, Ripley, 3-1
220 Grant Cokeley, George Washington Dec Evan Hamilton, Morgantown, 2-0
285 Tyler Phillips, North Marion Dec Logan Bowman, East Fairmont, 9-7
Class AA-A state tournament results
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - Results Saturday from the Class AA-A high school wrestling tournament at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena:
Team Standings
1. Point Pleasant 224 points. 2. Independence 139 points. 3. Clay County 126.5 points. 4. Wirt County 110.5 points. 5. Greenbrier West 98 points. 6. Oak Glen 94.5 points. 7. Roane County 91.5 points. 8. Braxton 71.5 points. 9. Liberty (Raleigh) 64 points. 10. Williamstown 63.5 points. 11. Cameron 61.5 points. 12. Liberty Harrison 60 points. 13. Keyser 47 points. 14. Weir 46 points. 15. Shady Spring 42 points. 16. Berkeley Springs 37.5 points. 17. Herbert Hoover 35 points. 18. Grafton 29.5 points. 19. Oak Hill 24 points. 19. (tie) Madonna 24 points. 21. Wahama 22 points. 22. Webster County 20 points. 23. Lincoln 19 points. 23. (tie) Ritchie County 19 points. 25. Ravenswood 18 points. 26. Fayetteville 15 points. 27. Bluefield 14 points. 28. Frankfort 11 points. 29. Clay-Battelle 10 points. 30. St Marys 8 points. 30. (tie) Bishop Donahue 8 points. 32. Philip Barbour 7 points. 33. Magnolia 6 points. 34. Petersburg 5 points. 35. Richwood 4 points. 35. (tie) Calhoun County 4 points. 37. Parkersburg Catholic 3 points. 38. Notre Dame 2 points. 39. Pike View. 39. (tie) Wyoming East. 39. (tie) Buffalo. 39. (tie) Poca. 39. (tie) Sissonville.
Championship
106 Justin Triplett, Clay County dec. John Raike, Point Pleasant, 6-1
113 Zach Brown, Oak Glen dec. Dalton George, Williamstown, 3-1
120 Jon Cain, Wirt County dec. Micah Powell, Point Pleasant, 8-6
126 Alex Suite, Clay County dec. Steven Porter, Point Pleasant, 6-1 OT
132 Noah Searls, Point Pleasant dec. Matt Griffin, Grafton, 8-4
138 Tommy Dodd, Liberty Harrison Dflt Ricky Hammon, Braxton, INJ
145 Dylan Cottrell, Roane County fall Harley Hamrick, Clay County, 3:25
152 Sam Whiting, Roane County dec. Kane Roush, Wahama, 10-5
160 Zach Nibert, Point Pleasant dec. Josh Mack, Herbert Hoover, 3-2 OT
170 Josh Hereford, Point Pleasant dec. Jacob Summers, Roane County, 7-2
182 Tory Bennett, Berkeley Springs M-dec. Trey Fitzwater, Liberty (Raleigh), 15-4
195 Christian Roe, Madonna dec. Taylor Neely, Cameron, 3-2
220 Dylan Davis, Oak Glen dec. Daniel Fultz, Liberty Harrison, 4-3
285 Eric Young, Wirt County dec. Darren Starr, Weir, 5-2
Third Place
106 Teddy Stover, Independence dec. Ben Alderson, Greenbrier West, 3-2
113 Guy Fisher, Point Pleasant dec. Tyler Cheuvront, Wirt County, 6-0
120 Tyler Brown, Oak Glen dec. Garrett Crites, Keyser, 2-1
126 Chris Clark, Independence fall Tyler Kosut, Shady Spring, :47
132 Colton Ward, Independence dec. James Acord, Braxton, 7-2
138 Isaac Cales, Independence dec. Jake Tracewell, Williamstown, 2-0
145 Malik Boatwright, Greenbrier West M-dec. Josh Hudson, Point Pleasant, 17-7
152 Zach Zide, Williamstown dec. Trevor Hill, Point Pleasant, 4-2 OT
160 Tyler Parker, Greenbrier West fall Brandon Eldridge, Bluefield, 1:58
170 Corbin White, Keyser M-dec. Tyler Jones, Lincoln, 17-3
182 Antoine Brown, Independence dec. Jesse Ramsey, Clay County, 8-3
195 Chris Nelson, Independence dec. Colt Holbert, Wirt County, 3-2
220 Dalton Brindo, Wirt County dec. Jacob Gleason, Point Pleasant, 12-10
285 Colton Cogar, Webster County dec. Billy Knicely, Ravenswood, 4-1
Fifth Place
106 Josh Richards, Roane County M-dec. Cody Vargo, Frankfort, 13-4
113 Marc Williams, Oak Hill fall Tristan Harvey, Liberty (Raleigh), 3:32
120 Robert Alderman, Fayetteville dec. Dustin Yoakum, Greenbrier West, 7-5
126 Kyle Mack, Oak Glen dec. Cole Hinkle, Greenbrier West, 1-0
132 Nick Barker, Liberty (Raleigh) dec. John Duncan, Shady Spring, 3-1
138 Daniel Carpenter, Liberty (Raleigh) dec. Gabe Loggins, Point Pleasant, 6-1
145 Reno Castelli, Weir dec. Matthew Bailey, Liberty (Raleigh), 10-3
152 Tyler Schwertfeger, Cameron dec. Jabez Fleming, Greenbrier West, 6-4
160 Tyler Stewart, Clay County fall Austin Warsinsky, Cameron, 3:32
170 Anthony Holton, Clay County M-dec. Andrew Hale, Cameron, 12-0
182 Brycen Reymond, Point Pleasant fall Brad Riddle, Ritchie County, 4:25
195 Zane Weese, Herbert Hoover fall Nathan Greene, Braxton, 4:11
220 Travis Mills, Independence Frft Vacant, Liberty (Raleigh)
285 Andrew Spade, Greenbrier West fall Zach Fleshman, Independence, 2:52
"The nerves kind of went away after the first takedown," admitted the junior Hill. "I just went out there and gave it my all."
Patriot fans were hoping Bryce Gainer's third state finals appearance would turn out to be a championship, but Huntington freshman Jordan Allen had other ideas. Even though the senior Gainer took a 5-4 lead with only 10 seconds left in his match after getting a shot on Allen's right leg and securing the takedown, his Highlander opponent followed the move with the winning reversal and a 6-5 victory.
Parkersburg High's Trapper Hays actually could've sealed Parkersburg South's championship against Ripley with a win against Viking Jake Martin. In the battle of 120-pound freshmen, the Big Red had things going his way and held a 3-2 lead after getting a reversal with 34 seconds left in the second period. Although Hays held Martin down nearly the entire third period, Martin was able to get a reversal with three ticks left in the match for a wild 4-3 triumph.
Jeffrey scored his first takedown with eight seconds left in the opening period against Taylor, who did tie the match at three with 1:34 left in the third before Jeffrey tallied the final three points on an escape and takedown.
"I was very confident coming into that match," Jeffrey said, noting he'd never had a match stopped because of his nose bleeding. "I have done everything that I know I was supposed to do to put myself there. I have faith in God, faith in my family, all my coaches and everyone who has put me here.
"It was nerve racking, especially after that nosebleed. It knocked me off my game a little bit. I'm just grateful that all these 13 years of me doing everything I'm supposed to finally paid off. At the same, it's bittersweet to see a chapter end."
While Jeffrey won his fourth title, both Roane County's Dylan Cottrell - the Class AA/A Most Outstanding Wrestler - and Ripley's Adam Bicak became four-time state title holders as well.
Cottrell finished his career in Huntington by winning his 16th state tournament match without ever allowing a single point. This time he pinned Clay County's Harley Hamrick in the 145-pound finals in 3:25.
"About the standing ovation, that was awesome," Cottrell said when the entire crowd stood up when he was announced on the podium. "That's one of the neatest things I've ever seen -just looking, everyone was on their feet and that's awesome. I appreciate it."
Bicak led for good 38 seconds into his 170-pound finals match against East Fairmont's Jesse Roman. He led 5-2 and capped his fourth crown with a 5-4 triumph.
"I"m really blessed to have known the people I got to meet through wrestling and all the friends I have now. I wish everybody the best of luck in the future and I hope Ripley really keeps building," Bicak stated.
Ripley's Preston Martin fell 16-0 to now two-time state champion Justin Arthur of Huntington in the 138-pound finals.
Parkersburg head coach Chris Way crowned a champ thanks to 182-pounder Jared Haught finishing a 50-1 season with a 14-1 victory against Jefferson's Keynan Williams. Haught, a state champion at 160 last year for Calhoun County, took the lead for good just nine seconds into his match.
David Hicks concluded a fine career for coach Matt Smith's Ripley Vikings, who finished with 182 team points, by securing a mat slapper in 71 seconds against Washington's Ashby Heath. Daryl Hicks' first title appearance didn't go quite as well as Bridgeport senior Garrett Stanley improved to 37-0 as he doubled up the junior Viking, 4-2.
Aside from Cottrell winning for the Raiders, Roane County head coach Wayne Jarvis also watched senior 152-pounder Sam Whiting cap a 44-0 record following a 10-5 win against Wahama's Kane Roush. Roane County was hoping for a third title, but Point Pleasant's Josh Hereford defeated Raider 170-pounder Jacob Summers, 7-4.
Wirt County had a pair of state titles, which were the first in more than a decade. Tiger head coach Kenny Dye got his first state champion when 120-pounder Jon Cain got the winning reversal with 40 seconds left in his battle with Micah Powell of Point Pleasant to emerge with an 8-6 win.
"It feels amazing right now," said Cain, who ended his junior year at 43-1. "I just worked really hard this season and I knew I could do it. I just had to believe in myself and get here to do it.
"It was a crazy match. It was absolutely crazy. Reversal after reversal and I was wondering if I was going to give up the last one or not and to get that last one felt so good."
Wirt County senior Eric Young put on a dominating effort to finish his Tiger career at 21-0 following a 5-2 win against Weir's Darren Starr at 285 pounds.
Clay County's first chance at a title came at 106 and junior Justin Triplett wasn't about to take another runner-up finish like he did last year at 103. The Panther, who finished his year at 34-0, used an escape at 1:36 of the third to tally the only point of the match as he defeated John Raike of Point Pleasant.
The Little Kanawha Conference champion Panthers of head coach Geoff Hamrick also got a crown from 126-pounder Alex Suite via a 6-1 double overtime win against Steven Porter of Point Pleasant.
Williamstown sophomore Dalton George was denied a second state title in as many years after losing for the third time this season to Oak Glen's Zach Brown at 113. Brown got the only takedown of the match just 12 seconds into the middle period and held on for a 3-1 victory.
The only other LKC grappler to reach the finals was Braxton County 138-pound junior Ricky Hammon. He trailed Tommy Dodd of Liberty (Harrison) 6-4 before he suffered a lower leg injury and lost via default.
Host Huntington took third in Class AAA with 145 points and was followed by Washington (108.5) in fourth. Parkersburg and Wheeling Park tied for fifth with 96 points apiece.
The Class AA/A Dix Manning Coach of the Year Award went to Cliff Warden of runner-up Independence. Point Pleasant had 224 points, the Patriots had 139 while Clay County (126.5), Wirt County (110.5) and Greenbrier West (98) rounded out the top five.
Lewis County senior Elijah Hull, who got a pin on Cabell Midland's Nick Boone with one second left in the first period, finish his senior year with not only a 57-0 record, but also the Class AAA Most Outstanding Wrestler Award.
Helping Parkersburg South rally from a Friday night deficit and placing third were Patriots Tyler Karcher (120), Briar Shively (138) and 160-pounder Jake Alexander.
Tyler Richards was fourth at 132 as too were 170-pounder Drake Mills and 182-pounder Steven Brogle. Jordan Quiocho took sixth at 145 to give PSHS 10 overall state placers.
The only other Big Reds to finish in the top six were Jason West, who was third at 106, and 145-pounder Skyler Terrell (fourth). Ripley also got a third place showing from Jarred Simpkins at 113 while 126-pounder Jarred Burdette was fourth. The Vikings got two sixth place efforts from Austin Hileman at 132 and Greg Medina at 195.
In the Class AA/A ranks, other area placers included the Wirt County trio of Dalton Brindo (3rd, 220), Tyler Cheuvront (4th, 113) and Colt Holbert (4th, 195); Roane County 106-pounder Josh Richards (5th); the Williamstown duo of Zach Zide (3rd, 152) and Jake Tracewell (4th, 138); Clay County's Jesse Ramsey (4th, 182), Anthony Holton (5th, 170) and Tyler Stewart (5th, 160); Braxton County's James Acord (4th, 132) and Nathan Greene (6th, 195) as well as Ravenswood heavyweight Billy Knicely (4th) and Ritchie County's Brad Riddle (6th, 182).
