Mar 8, 2025
Gilmer County’s Dallas Goodrich celebrates after his semifinal win at the state wrestling tournament Friday in Huntington. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
HUNTINGTON — Following Friday night’s semifinal round at the 78th annual West Virginia state wrestling tournament being contested inside Marshall Health Network Arena, both the Big Reds from Parkersburg and the Eagles of Braxton County are in second place in Class AAA and single-A, respectively.
PHS head coach Matt Littleton’s program, which qualified 11 and will place nine, had victories in their first four semifinals, but lost the other three.
Defending big school champ University has amassed 182 team points with the Big Reds holding a narrow 149-145 advantage on Woodrow Wilson, which also has four in the finals and will place eight. Fairmont Senior (111.5) and Wheeling Park (96) round out the top five. Parkersburg South, which has 90 points, sits in sixth, sent 11 and will place a half dozen, saw freshman 157-pounder Asa Yost lose by fall in 1:15 to Fairmont Senior’s Maximus Fortier, but head man Shaun Smith’s squad will have one chance for a title with senior heavyweight Logan Middleton. The Patriot will try and upset Robert Dutton Award candidate Brock Kehler of University after the Patriot pinned Riverside’s JR Cochran with 44 seconds left in their match.
Seth Drennen got the good times rolling for PHS at 106 when the sophomore pinned Hedgesville’s David Marble in 5:23. The Big Red will square off against Woodrow Wilson freshman Bryson Simmons.
Colston Skeen managed to reach the finals as a freshman after collecting a hard-fought 12-8 decision against Spring Mills’ Dallas Owens. Once again, it will be a Big Red versus Flying Eagle final as Skeen squares off versus senior Garrett Johnson.
Parkersburg’s Colston Skeen wrestles Spring Mills’ Dallas Owens during the state wrestling tournament Friday in Huntington. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
Parkersburg’s other two semifinal triumphs came from expected state champions in 132-pounder Stephen Myers and 138-pounder Dominic Way, a pair of sophomores. Myers registered a quick 15-0 technical fall against Buckhannon-Upshur’s Andrew McDowell and has University ninth grader Nico Maisel in the finals. Way, who missed the regionals a year ago, secured his finals match versus a familiar foe in George Washington’s Ben McComas after handing Fairmont Senior’s Jason Walker an 8-3 setback.
PHS 144-pound sophomore Kayden McDonald will join teammates Parker Woods (157) and Cyler Marks (165) somewhere on the podium, but fell in the semis to Flying Eagle Tyler Roark, 10-0.
Sophomore Big Red Lars Cooper faced a defending champ in Beckley’s Jimmie Bailes, who reached the finals after securing a win by fall in 1:33 at 150.
Senior 175-pounder Jesse Showalter’s run to reach the finals came up just short. The Big Red was scoreless with Preston senior Cole Turner after one and picked up an escape to secure the first point of the match in the second, but Turner got a takedown soon thereafter and held on for a 5-3 decision.
Aside from Yost and Middleton placing for PSHS, the Patriots also will have podium finishes thanks to Jordan Dearth (120), Aaydin King (132), Reese Kelley (138) and 215-pounder Brycen Arthur.
Parkersburg South’s Logan Middleton wrestles Riverside’s JR Cochran during the state wrestling tournament Friday in Huntington. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
In the Class AA/A semifinals, five grapplers from the Mid-Ohio Valley punched their ticket to tonight’s final match of the season.
Gilmer County freshman Dallas Goodrich said he wasn’t worried after getting down big early against Frankfort’s Wes Files, who won via an 18-0 tech fall in their only other meeting. The Titan, who was the first wrestler from his school to ever win a Little Kanawha Conference crown, thanked his family, coaches and especially youth coach Brian Ritchie at Calhoun County for helping him as he secured a mat slapper in overtime at 6:21. Goodrich now will face Greenbrier West’s Matthew Kesterson.
There was a chance both the 113 and the 120-pound divisions could have had an all-LKC finale. However, Doddridge County’s Trey McDonough suffered his second loss of the year, 4-0, to Eligah Parsell of Berkeley Springs while Williamstown 113-pounder Aiden Meeks was pinned by Herbert Hoover’s Josh Bostic in 4:28.
Although Williamstown freshman 120-pounder Dutch Sandy, who is trying to join former Dutton Award winner and assistant coach Dalton George as the only ‘Jacket to ever win state as a ninth grader, took care of business via a 16-1 tech fall of Independence’s Tyler Varney, South Harrison’s Maddox Lewis lost by fall in 63 seconds to Huskie Hunter Hughart.
Braxton County, which has a solid lead for second and is ahead of Greenbrier West (38), Ravenswood (29.5) and Tyler Consolidated (27.5), suffered a pair of semi setbacks, but will be represented by LKC 150-pound Outstanding Wrestler Paxton Smith, who registered a 16-1 tech fall against Ripley’s Garrett Brown and now will face Cameron senior Slaton Pettit.
Ripley’s Ethan Kay wrestles Petersburg’s Lukas Wofford during the state wrestling tournament Friday in Huntington. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
The Eagles of head coach Sterling Beane, who finished runner-up to Williamstown at the LKC, suffered semifinal defeats at 132 when Luke Kelly was nipped 7-6 by North Marion’s Noah Hess as well as at 175 where Eliah Moore fell 4-1 to Louis Diaz of East Fairmont.
Ripley, which is in fourth in double-A with 92 points and trails Point Pleasant (125), Herbert Hoover (106.5) and Oak Glen (99.5) with Keyser (88) sitting just ahead of Williamstown (83) in fifth place, went 2-1 in the semifinals.
Senior 190-pounder Cooper Durst will try and secure his second career state crown. The Viking took care of Oak Glen’s Great Sauers, 4-1. Previously, head coach Matt Smith watched Ethan Kay register the first seven points of his 157-pound semi versus Petersburg’s Lukas Wolford, who only managed a reversal in his 7-2 setback.
Top-ranked Viking heavyweight Carter Neal suffered a 4-3 loss to ex-Braxton County Eagle and now Herbert Hoover Huskie Connor Facemire. Durst, who was an underdog a year ago versus Cabell Midland’s Robert Shockey, will be in the same role tonight when he faces Independence’s Jesse Adams. In order to win his first career state crown Kay will have to solve Cameron’s Eli Tedrow.
The only other area semifinalist was Roane County 215-pound senior Lane Watson, a defending state champ who picked up a 13-2 major decision against Point Pleasant’s Caden Hill. The Raider now faces Wheeling Central’s Isaac Martin.
Roane County and head coach Wayne Jarvis’ only other placer will be Wyatt Nichols at 175.
Other area grapplers set for a podium finish today are Ritchie County’s Zayden Cordeiro (120), the Williamstown trio of Cole Smith (126), Kipp Freed (157) and Thad Trent (215) along with Vikings Kendrick Durst (126) and Mason Philyaw (144), Ravenswood’s Linkin Andrick (132) and Trenton Bush (165) as well as Tyler Consolidated’s Colsen Spragg (138) and Branson Winfrey (157).
Calhoun County sophomore Reese Schoolcraft, who won his first match on Thursday, suffered a hairline fracture in his leg during the quarterfinals and was forced to injury default out.
Action resumes at 10:30 a.m. today and the state finals are set to get underway at 6 p.m.
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com
78th W.Va. State Wrestling Tournament
CLASS AAA TEAM SCORES (Top 10): University 182, Parkersburg 149, Woodrow Wilson 145, Fairmont Senior 111.5, Wheeling Park 96, Parkersburg South 90, Washington 86, Cabell Midland 67.5, George Washington 66, Martinsburg 65.5
Friday’s State Championship
Semifinal Results, Class AAA
106
Brayden Jones (W. Wilson) d. Bryson Simmons (C. Midland), 8-3
Seth Drennen (PHS) p. David Marble (Hedgesville) 5:23
113
Pepper Martin (University) tf. Landyn Lioi (S. Mills), 18-3
Bryce Nichols (F. Senior) tf. Jacob Lowdermilk (Hurricane), 17-2
120
Haydyn Spitznogle (F. Senior) md. LJ Anderson (C. Midland), 15-5
Kai Plinski (Washington) tf. Ian Cornett (B-Upshur), 19-3
126
Garrett Johnson (W. Wilson) md. Colton Gillespie (University), 8-0
Colston Skeen (PHS) d. Dallas Owens (S. Mills), 12-8
132
Nico Maisel (University) tf. Carter Adkins (J. Marshall), 19-3
Stephen Myers (PHS) tf. Andrew McDowell (B-Upshur), 15-0
138
Dominic Way (PHS) d. Jason Walker (F. Senior), 8-3
Ben McComas (G. Washington) md. Zander Ward (J. Marshall), 12-1
144
Carter Pauley (University) d. Blake Messick (S. Mills), 2-1
Tyler Roark (W. Wilson) md. Kayden McDonald, 10-0
150
Jack Lowe (W. Park) d. Logan McFarland (Washington), 6-5
Jimmie Bailes (W. Wilson) p. Lars Cooper (PHS), 1:33
157
Maximus Fortier (F. Senior) p. Asa Yost (P. South), 1:15
Solomon Truman d. John Knight (O. Hill), 4-1
165
Brody Kehler (University) d. Vance Neal (W. Wilson), 7-6
Blake Jacobson (Washington) tf. Isaac Sands (W. Park), 20-5
175
Zachary Meisenzahl (Washington) md. Emerson Murphy (University), 10-2 Cole Turner (Preston) d. Jesse Showalter (PHS), 5-3
190
Eli Knight (B’port) md. Braxton Johnson (C. Midland), 10-0
Jameson Maynard (W. Park) tf. Ryder Hastings (University), 15-0
215
Kyle Beverly (G. Washington) d. Kaleb Arbogast (F. Senior), 5-2
Malaki Washington (W. Park) d. Jackson Pate (University), 5-4
285
Brock Kehler (University) p. Kojo Osafo-Mensah (Washington), 1:06
Logan Middleton (South) p. JR Cochran (Riverside), 5:16
CLASS AA TEAM SCORES (TOP 10): Point Pleasant 125, Herbert Hoover 106.5, Oak Glen 99.5, Ripley 92, Keyser 88, Williamstown 83, East Fairmont 79, Berkeley Springs 67.5, Independence 67, Roane County 44,
CLASS A TEAM SCORES (TOP 10): Cameron 101.5, Braxton County 57.5, Greenbrier West 38, Ravenswood 29.5, Tyler Consolidated 27.5, East Hardy 27, Gilmer County 23, Midland Trail 17, Doddridge COunty 15.5 , Moorefield 13.5
Semifinal Results, Class AA/A
106
Dallas Goodrich (Gilmer) p. Wes Files (Frankfort), 6:21
Matthew Kesterson (G. West) md. Maverick Lilley, 15-1
113
Eligah Parsell (B. Springs) d. Trey McDonough (Doddridge), 4-0
Josh Bostic (H. Hoover) p. Aiden Meeks (Williamstown), 4:28
120
Dutch Sandy (Williamstown) tf. Tyler Varney (Independence), 16-1
Hunter Hughart (H. Hoover) p. Maddox Lewis (S. Harrison), 1:03
126
Jackson Swingle (Keyser) md. Xaden Wilett (E. Fairmont), 14-0
Braxton Birch (Cameron) d. Daniel Clark (B. Springs), 6-2
132
Noah Hess (N. Marion) d. Luke Kelly (Braxton), 7-6
Carter Price (P. Pleasant) p. Wyatt Wolanski (O. Glen) 1:07
138
Gunner Andrick (P. Pleasant) p. Marshall Crow (Cameron), 0:58
Lane Metcalf (Keyser) tf. Logan Graham (O. Glen), 17-2
144
Blake Ringer (E. Fairmont) tf. Landon Bush (Lewis), 15-0
Hayden Lamb (O. Glen) md. Talen Brown (Cameron), 11-2
150
Slaton Pettit (Cameron) tf. Bobby Minor (P. Pleasant), 15-0
Paxton Smith (Braxton) tf. Garrett Brown (Ripley), 18-0
157
Eli Tedrow (Cameron) p. Alek Detrick (Keyser), 0:42
Ethan Kay (Ripley) d. Lukas Wolford (Petersburg), 7-2
165
Tony Preolitti (E. Fairmont) d. Jake Eden (H. Hoover), 7-4
Kollin Sullivan (B. Springs) d. Brayden Hart (Independence), 7-6
175
Louis Diaz (E. Fairmont) d. Eliah Moore (Braxton), 4-1
Josh Woyan (P. Pleasant) p. Toby Michael (N. Marion), 5:40
190
Cooper Durst (Ripley) d. Greg Sauers (O. Glen), 4-1
Jesse Adams (Independence) p. Cruz Tompkins (B. Springs), 0:25
215
Isaac Martin (W. Central) p. Garrett VanMeter (E. Hardy) 1:57
Lane Watson (Roane) md. Caden Hill (P. Pleasant), 13-2
285
Noah Schmidt (O. Glen) p. Sean O’Callaghan (E. Hardy) 5:49
Connor Facemire (H. Hoover) d. Carter Neal (Ripley), 4-3
ONA — Cabell Midland (12-11) and Parkersburg (9-14) battled back and forth all game as The Big Reds took a one …
Copyright © News and Sentinel | https://www.newsandsentinel.com | 519 Juliana St., Parkersburg, WV 26101 | 304-485-1891
