The overall team balance of Shady Spring Jr. High was enough to overcome Blennerhassett's strength of five finalists (and an earlier dual lost to the Bobcats) to capture the Jr. High and Overall Title at the WSAZ Tournament. Point Pleasant went the other route and used the quality of four finalists to overcome Milton's balanced team after being defeated by the Panthers in three previous smaller scale battles. Cabell Midland's 9th grade team ran away with the Freshmen Title.
Jr. High
1 - Shady Spring 242
2 - Blennerhassett 241.5
3 - Edison 207.5
4 - Charles Town 125
5 - Independence 120.5
6 - Park 108.5
7 - Blennerhassett B 60
8 - Williamstown 55
Coach Matt Huffman's Shady Spring Tigers won 13 of their opening round
matches to take a quick lead against the Blennerhassett Bobcats but was
often found looking over their shoulders as the Bobcats kept clawing back
into the hunt for the title.
After Saturday's quarter-finals action, the Tigers had nearly a thirty point
lead but the Bobcats closed the gap and took a brief one and a half point
lead after the semi-finals. The Tigers used the consolation rounds to win
back their lead and held a ten and a half point advantage* heading into the
finals with three finalists and one head-to-head match against their
adversaries. (*The original point differential was thought to be fourteen
and a half points but a scoring error was found after the tournament where
four points from a Shady Spring B wrestler was credited to their first
team.)
In the finals, the Bobcats won a great battle at 105 pounds to cut the lead
to six and a half points but Shady gained the four points back with a
victory at the next weight, 115 pounds. A pin for the Bobcats at the
125-pound class brought the scoring to within four and a half points with
Shady out of finalists and the Bobcats having one grappler left. Victory in
the finals are an automatic four points with possible bonus points needed
for the Bobcats to pull out the title but Charles Town's Gustines clinched
the team title for Shady by losing 5-0 and preventing bonus points being
awarded to the Bobcats for their team title.
Shady completed the tournament with 11 placers, 1 champion, 2 runner-ups, 3
thirds, 2 fourths, 2 sixths and 1 eight place finish.
Weight: 115
1st: Harvey, Shady Spring
2nd: Casto, Point Pleasant
3rd: Staats, Blennerhassett
4th: Dixon, Beverly Hills
5th: Jarvis, Spencer
6th: Parks, Riverside 9th
7th: Cook, Cammack
8th: Stevens, Braxton
Shady Spring's Harvey and Point Pleasant's Casto was another evenly matched
bout that Harvey won in overtime 5-3. Casto scored first in the second
period with an escape but on his single leg attempt, Harvey counters with a
near side cradle takedown but could not get the tilt for back points. In
the third period, Casto takes back the lead with 2 near fall points yet
Harvey is able to escape to knot the score at 3 all and force overtime. In
the overtime period, Harvey secures a double leg takedown to win the match
5-3.
Weight: 125
1st: Munson, Blennerhassett
2nd: Smallridge, Buckhannon Upshur
3rd: Scarboo, Shady Spring
4th: Weatherholt, Blennerhassett 2
5th: Warner, Point Pleasant
6th: Kerns, Nitro
7th: Samples, Cammack
8th: Thompson, Andrew Jackson
Blennerhassett's Munson broke the string of close matches with a second
period pin of Smallridge form Buckhannon-Upshur 9th. Smallridge initiated
the action with a shoot but Munson spins for 2 take down points. In the
second period, Munson hits a reverse and near side cradle for 4 more points.
Smallridge scores his first points with a switch and
Munson escapes for his 7th point. Munson hits a single leg takedown and
lets Smallridge up for his third point. Munson is able to work in a
standing half and takes Smallridge down for the pin.
Weight: 135
1st: Smith, Blennerhassett
2nd: Gustines, Charles Town
3rd: Chapman, Shady Spring
4th: Goodrich, Calhoun
5th: Runyon, Cammack
6th: Kendall, Spencer
7th: Coutz, Riverside 9th
8th: Sowards, Beverly Hills
Blennerhassett's Smith won his third WSAZ title with a hard fought 5-3
decision over Gustines of Charles Town. Gustines scores first in the second
period with an escape. Smith secures a single leg takedown and Gustines
knots the score with an escape by sitting out and turning in. In the third
period, Smith stands and peels the hands for an escape and then works a
double to single leg take down for his fifth point. Gustines closes out the
scoring with a late escape.
Weight: 145
1st: Munday, Edison
2nd: Chapman, Milton
3rd: McKinney, Independence
4th: Mather, Blennerhassett
5th: Branard, Spencer
6th: Jones, Shady Spring
7th: Moye, Cabell Midland
8th: Schaffer, Elkview
In a weight class normally reserved for upper classmen, two seventh graders
fought for the 145-pound title when Edison's Munday major decisioned
Milton's Chapman 11-1. Munday scored the initial takedown with a modified
bear hug. In the second period, Munday locks in the legs and works a cross
face tilt for 2 near fall points. In the third period, Munday hits a switch
and locks in the legs into a tilt and then a Saturday Night ride for 3 near
fall points. Chapman garners an escape and Munday closes out the scoring
with a duck under takedown.
Weight: 155
1st: Norman, Edison
2nd: Hammack, Sissonville
3rd: Thompson, Shady Spring
4th: Deal, Cammack
5th: Johnson, Cabell Midland
6th: Odell, Elkview
7th: Long, Dupont
8th: Powell, Blennerhassett
Edison's Norman dominated Sissonville's Hammack with a 16-1 tech fall.
Norman hits a single leg takedown and grapevines the leg but is penalized
with an illegal hand lock to close out the first period scoring 2-1. In the
second period, Norman sits out to score a 2 point reversal, shoots a half
and scores 2 near fall points, works a far side cradle for 3 near fall
points, runs an arm bar for 3 more near fall points, works a guillotine for
2 near fall points and finishes the scoring with 2 near fall points from a
half nelson.
Weight: 170
1st: Cremeans, Cabell Midland
2nd: Perry, Charles Town
3rd: Whystell, Edison
4th: Kincaid, Shady Spring
5th: Wellman, Park
6th: Villers, Ripley 9
7th: Christian, Milton
8th: Rollins, Covanant Christian
Cremeans of Cabell Midland earned a hard fought third period pin over
defending WSAZ champion Perry of Charles Town. Cremeans scored the first
points in the second period when he sits out and turns in for an escape and
then scores 2 points from a takedown to go up 3-0. The third period looked
like deja vu with Perry sitting out and turning in for an escape but
Cremeans hits a spinning takedown and sinks the half to get the pin from an
exhausted Perry.
Weight: 190
1st: Sparks, Cabell Midland
2nd: Shirley, Point Pleasant
3rd: Cook, Beverly Hills
4th: Farley, Milton
5th: Glascock, Charles Town
6th: Burnside, Edison
7th: Spriggs, Park
8th: Neal, Milton 2
Another great overtime match up occurred at 190 pounds when Cabell Midland's
Sparks (name sounds familiar, he looks familiar to, like a ghost from 25
years ago) won a referee's decision 4-4 overtime victory over Shirley of
Point Pleasant. In the second period, Sparks works a 2 on 1 hand control
into a near side cradle but slips off the head for Shirley to score a 2
point reversal. Shirley works a far side cradle where Sparks is able to
turn into his own reversal. Shirley also hits a reversal to finishes the
second period scoring up 4-2. In the third period, Sparks hits a standing
reversal to tie the score 4 all and force overtime. In first overtime
period, Sparks initiates all the action and with 3 head locks and the
Shirley is warned for stalling. Shirley elects down in the second overtime
period and Sparks controls the period working for near side cradle to win
the referee's decision.
Weight: 275
1st: Wojo, Riverside 9th
2nd: Davis, Edison
3rd: Anderson, Ripley MS
4th: Gillispie, Park
5th: Branch, Buckhannon-Upshur 2
6th: Turner, Riverside 9th 2
7th: Miller, Buckhannon-Upshur MS
8th: Suttle, Cabell Midland
Wojo from Riverside won the big boy title with a 7-2 decision over Edison's
Davis. Wojo is awarded 2 penalty points when Davis locks hands twice trying
to control Wojo in the second period. Wojo is able to hit a roll and turn
to score reversal points and sinks the half for 2 near fall points. Davis
stands for an escape point to close out the second period scoring. In the
third period, Wojo works an ankle pick break down into a near side cradle
for 2 more near fall points but Davis is able to roll out to finish the
scoring at 7-2.