Top West Virginia Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores, Freshmen: 1997-98

This page reviews the 1997-98 West Virginia State High School Wrestling Tournament and includes those 1997-98 seniors and juniors who placed in the top three, sophomores who placed in the top five, and freshmen who placed in the top six. A few additional stats and comments are added to allow you to draw your own conclusions.

Attention wrestlers and coaches: If you have other "credentials" to add to your listing here (a good finish in other major tournaments, statistics, etc) let us know and we can update your stats!

This year, 30 seniors placed in the AAA top three:

• Jason Johnson, Parkersburg South, 145 champ (25-6); champ at 140 as a junior (26-12); champ at 140 as a sophomore (21-13);
• Adam Gorby, North Marion, champ 130 (46-0); third at 119 as a junior (41-1); third at 112 lbs as a sophomore (38-1); fifth at 112 as a freshman, (25-10); AAU Folkstyle National Champion 1996, Tulsa
• Ryan Besedich, North Marion, champ 160 (41-3); runner-up at 152 as a junior (34-6); fifth at 145 as a sophomore (35-7); fifth at 140 as a freshman (32-7)
• Daniel Bonasso, Fairmont Senior, 112 champ (40-4); champ at 103 as a junior (41-7); fifth at 103 as a sophomore (38-7)
• Zach Kerns, Elkins, champ 275 (39-1); fourth at 275 as a junior (28-6); fifth at 275 as a soph (25-7);
• Joe Thorpe, Huntington, champ 125 (30-2); runner-up at 112 as a soph, (28-7)
• Chris Wilson, Preston, champ 130 (38-3); fourth at 125 as a soph (39-8)
• Gene Ochap, Wheeling Park, champ 215 (43-8); fourth at 215 as a junor (35-11);
• Jason Conaway, North Marion, champ 189 (39-2); fifth at 171 as a junior (35-9);
• Mike Cinalli, Fairmont Senior, runner-up 135 (25-7); third at 135 as a junior (43-9); sixth at 130 as a sophomore (33-10)
• Beau Hill, Point Pleasant, 112 runner-up (38-6); fourth at 103 as a soph (26-3); fifth at 103 as a freshman (39-9).
• William Steele, Roane County, runner-up 152 (46-2); runner-up at 145 as a junior (43-3)
• Josh Craddock, Roane County, third at 140 (46-3); champ at 135 as a junior (38-1); sixth at 119 as a sophomore (33-8)
• J.D. Kirby, Jefferson, runner-up 160 (48-2); third at 160 as a junior (44-5)
• Eric Frazier, 130, runner-up (39-3); fifth at 125 as a junior (35-10);
• Mike Hosaflook, Ripley, runner-up 145 (46-3); fifth at 140 as a junior (40-9)
• Josh Chaplin, John Marshall, runner-up at 140 (30-5); fifth at 135 as a junior (31-13)
• Lonnie Sharp, Elkins, runner-up 189 (31-6); sixth at 189 as a junior (42-7);
• Ryan Zombro, Jefferson, runner-up 171 (50-1); sixth at 152 as a soph (31-7)
• Scott Moore, North Marion, runner-up 215 (32-7);
• Mike Hennessey, Nicholas County, runner-up 275 (39-4)
• Mike Zebuhr, Buckhannon Upshur, third 215 (41-3); runner-up at 215 as a junior (29-3)
• Bob Wilson, John Marshall, third 160 (36-5); runner-up at 160 as a junior (35-7)
• Joel Newberry, Parkersburg, third at 125 (26-5); runner-up at 130 as a junior (37-16)
• Jeremy Rickard, Point Pleasant, 171 third (38-7); fourth at 171 as a junior (43-9);
• Rick Stanley, Brooke, third at 130 (34-13);
• Justin Coffey, Cabell Midland, third at 135 (40-6)
• A.J. Monseau, Wheeling Park, third 135 (45-10);
• Jeremy Burris, Point Pleasant, 119 third (42-6);
• Matt Reed, Lewis County, third 275 (36-7)

This year, 15 seniors placed in the AA/A top three:

• David Drennen, Wirt County, champ 160 (12-0); champ at 125 as a junior (42-4); champ at 112 as a sophomore (35-0); third at 103 as a freshman (33-8).
• Denny Lebec, Oak Glen, champ 145 (28-10); champ at 140 as a junior (32-14)
• Garrett O'Neil, Cameron, champ 215 (40-3); third at 215 as a junior (34-5)
• Mike Witherow, Oak Glen, champ 135 (25-11); fourth at 130 as a junior (17-13)
• Adam Blevins, Iaeger, runner-up 160 (40-3); champ at 160 as a junior (35-3); fourth at 160 as a sophomore (22-6)
• Morgan Sisk, Petersburg, runner-up 145 (38-3); fourth at 135 as a junior (33-9)
• Anthony Perdue, Independence, runner-up 171 (37-12); fifth at 160 as a junior (33-13);
• Stephen Stiles, Winfield, runner-up at 215 (22-5); sixth at 275 as a sophomore
• Chris Basford, Grafton, runner-up 152 (44-5);
• Jason Miller, Wirt County, third 140 (42-2); champ at 130 as a junior (41-3); fifth at 119 as a sophomore (22-6)
• Josh Kuykendall, Frankfort, third 171 (34-4); third at 160 as a junior; fifth at 152 as a sophomore (22-7)
• Brandon Blake, Independence, 119 third (36-11); third at 112 as a junior (32-10)
• Jeff Martin, Frankfort, 275 third (42-1);
• Jake Spicer, Petersburg, third 215 (42-3);
• Robbie Richardson, Sissonville, 135 third (28-9);

This year, seven juniors placed in the top three at the AAA state tournament:

• Jason Ward, Cabell Midland, champ 152 (43-0); runner-up at 140 as a soph (39-3); champ at 135 as a freshman (30-4); AAU Folkstyle National Champion 1996, Tulsa; AAU National Champ, 1997, 152 Elite, St Louis
  Signed to wrestle for WVU
  
• Nicholas Hedrick, Fairmont Senior, champ 140 (42-2); third at 130 as a sophomore (43-6); fifth at 119 as a freshman (34-14)
• Alex Reed, Point Pleasant, champ 103 (39-4); runner-up at 103 as a sophomore (31-1)
• Mike Thompson, Shady Spring, champ 171 (27-2); sixth at 171 as a soph (37-7)
• Ty Emrick, Parkersburg South, third 154 (23-11); fourth at 152 as a sophomore (26-12)
• Matt Mitchell, Roane County, third 112 (41-13)
• Dan Stanley, Brooke, runner-up 119 (42-6);

This year, sixteen juniors placed in the top three at the AA/A state tournament:

• Michael Miller, Wirt County, champ 125 (32-3); champ at 119 champ as a soph (41-4); champ at 103 as a freshman (34-1)
• Chad Purpura, Bishop Donahue, champ 152 (32-5); third at 145 as a sophomore (38-7)
• Brandon Kupfer, Cameron, champ 189 (42-2); third at 189 as a soph (34-8)
• Luke Salmons, Ravenswood, champ 275 (42-1); third at 275 as a soph (32-6)
• Stephen Kinley, Liberty Raleigh, champ 171 (31-4); sixth at 145 as a soph (27-9)
• Eric McCartney, Calhoun County, runner-up 135 (39-3); third at 125 as a sophomore (36-6)
• Alex McClung, Oak Glen, runner-up 275 (40-3); fourth at 275 as a soph (36-7)
• Dennis Blankenship, Greenbrier West, runner-up 119 (27-5); sixth at 119 as a soph (31-8)
• Andy Wharton, Oak Glen, runner-up 140 (10-4);
• Matthew Valles, Weir, runner up 125 (37-10);
• Justin Wince, Ritchie County, third 125 (42-2); fourth at 125 as a soph (32-14); fifth at 112 as a freshman (31-14)
• Jason Jones, Oak Glen, third 152 (42-8); runner-up at 119 as a sophomore (30-12)
• Adam Lewis, Liberty Raleigh, third 160 (32-8); fifth at 152 as a sophomore (30-8)
• Jason Seville, Berkeley Springs, third 145 (42-7)
• Mark Lowe, Wirt County, third 130 (40-6)
• Dan Lahman, Petersburg, third 189 (48-4)

This year ten sophomores placed in the top five at the AAA state tournament:

• Matt George, Parkersburg, champ 119 (37-4)
• Jared Walters, Cabell Midland, runner-up 125 (38-7); third at 112 as a freshman (41-5)
• Jim Shetler, Hedgesville, third 103 (40-1)
• Matt Wehrle, Herbert Hoover, third 189 (41-4)
• Ryan Fullen, Huntington, fifth 103 (33-10)
• J.P. Stanley, Cabell Midland, fifth 112 (37-7)
• Kenny Griffin, University, fourth 119 (34-9)
• Joey Mayle, Buckhannon Upshur, fifth 119 (36-7); fourth at 112 as a freshman (28-18)
• Josh Coffey, Cabell Midland, fifth 215 (34-15)
• Joe Heath, Greenbrier East, fifth 275, (33-4)

This year 15 sophomores placed in the top five at the AA/A state tournament:

• Jimmy Johnson, Calhoun County, champ 112 (30-3); champ at 103 as a freshman (43-1)
• Jason Hayhurst, Ritchie County, champ 119 (40-2); runner up at 112 as a freshman (42-2)
• Ash Wenmoth, Williamstow, champ 103 (39-3)
• Logan Glass, Oak Glen, champ 130 (33-12)
• Nat Smith, Ritchie County, champ 140 (37-7)
• Robert Busick, Weir, runner-up 189 (26-10); sixth at 189 as a freshman (29-18)
• Jason Roberts, Oak Glen, runner-up 103 (30-15)
• Jeff Hughes, Cameron, third 130 (38-7); sixth at 135 as a freshman (19-12)
• Nick Prather, Winfield, third 103 (36-1); runner up at 103 as a freshman (31-13)
• Joey Sharp, Wirt County, fourth 103 (30-11)
• Josh Cross, Wirt County, fourth 119 (37-6)
• Willie Westbrook, Williamstown, fourth at 112 (41-11)
• Travis McCartney, Calhoun County, fifth 103 (33-13)
• Caleb Lucey, Cameron, fifth 119 (24-12)
• Jason Snider, Tyler Consolidated, fifth 145 (28-13)

This year five freshmen placed in the top six at the AA/A state tournament:

• Chris Johnson, Nitro, runner-up 103 (37-1)
• Jonathan Delligatti, Fairmont Senior, fourth 103 (34-13)
• Bryan Moats, Hedgesville, fourth 130 (37-7)
• Matt Miller, East Fairmont, fourth 152 (31-15)
• Jonathan Holt, Fairmont Senior, sixth 125 (19-18)

This year three freshmen placed in the top six at the AA/A state tournament:

• Tyler Hughes, Cameron, runner-up 112 (21-8)
• Adam Schindler, Ravesnwood, third 112 (40-3)
• Ashley Gandee, Ravenswood, sixth 103 (36-7)

Looking to become a four time state champ