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Local wrestling teams have high hopes as they head into OVAC Tournament

By JAKE GLAVIES

But to those skilled in fireman's carries, duckunders and hiplocks the sport is a never ending labyrinth of discovery.

Perfection comes in three period increments and lasts only as long as the time between matches.

And for a handful of local wrestlers the opportunity to push the boundaries of excellence will come over the next three days as they take to the mats at the 56th annual OVAC Wrestling Tournament at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling.

East Liverpool, Beaver Local, Oak Glen and Wellsville will all have their time to shine at the 32-team event.

But with 20 seeded wrestlers and just four returning place winners between them, this years tournament is wide open.

First-year coach Jimmy Joe Savage will have a tough task ahead of him at the OVAC Tournament - take a team that finished 14th last year a step closer to the promised land.

And with just one returning place winner suiting up, the burden of propelling the team into the top 10 has been made that much harder.

"You always strive to improve. I think that this is a different team than last year," Savage said. "I'd like to see as a first year coach if we could get four to eight people to place. Now whether or not you pull that off is another aspect."

Junior Preston Foster - a fourth place finisher in the 119-pound weight class a year ago and the No. 2 seed this year - will help the Potters along their way.

If Savage is going to get anywhere near his goal though, he'll need more than just Foster to have a strong showing.

Josh Coil and freshman Kaleb Riggle must also produce during the three day tournament.

Riggle - the No. 7 seed in the 103-pound class - and Foster are the only two Potters to be seeded heading into the tournament.

But with strong competition across the board, placing upwards of eight wrestlers could be easier said than done.

"The OVAC is an outstanding tournament. You always look forward going into it because ... the competition is so fierce," Savage said. "Between the two states, and the way they have it set up, I've always gone with the theory you could have seven state champs in any given weight class."

Savage's take on the tournament resembles a hard-luck math problem, making the prospect of taking home a title seem even more daunting.

"You're looking for one OVAC title amongst 32 schools (and) two different states," he said.

As for how his team may fair in the event, Savage said with a little bit of luck - and the right placement in the brackets - the Potters should do just fine.

Though his squad might not be tops on most people's list to take home the overall title, one local team is a front runner in Savage's mind.

Oak Glen, with it's fourth place finish last season, is his pre-tournament pick.

Undefeated Arizona Miller heads a strong group of Beaver Local wrestlers that will attempt to improve on the team's second place finish in 2008.

Miller (17-0) is the No. 1 seed in the 112-pound weight class, a division he won last year.

Ice (140) has just one blemish on his record this season, as he'll enter the tournament 17-1.

Though he and Miller are evenly matched in nearly everything, the 112-pounder has something Ice doesn't - an OVAC title.

But according to coach Rich Wright, it isn't the guys with top billing that win team titles.

"The seeded kids don't win the OVAC for you, it's a team thing," Wright said. "It's not the seeded kids, everybody has to score points. ...It's going to come down to those other guys. We have to have other people score points instead of our six seeded wrestlers."

The coach will look to lower seeds Johnny McComas (No. 5 at 103), Lucas Kroesen (No. 7 at 160), Mike Nentwick (No. 4 at 171) and Jake Henderson (No. 4 at 189) to be the keys to another Beaver Local title push.

But this is far from the same team that finished just six points behind tournament winner Wheeling Park last season.

That team placed four wrestlers, with two champions - Miller and heavyweight Derek Wolfe - but just Miller will return from that group.

A number of young faces will be forced to fill the voids left by graduated seniors Mitch Thompson, Jon Bittenger and Wolfe, something that has caused Wright a bit of apprehension.

"A concern is that the arena is big," the coach said of WesBanco Arena. "Probably for a lot of them it will be their first time in a big arena. You just have to put it in perspective. It's really just a 32-team tournament."

Beyond an overall win, the Beavers will look to take the 4A division. Last season the group proved to be very competitive as the top three teams - Wheeling Park, Beaver Local and Cambridge - were separated by just 20 points, the closest finish in any of the four divisions.

Wright knows there's a lot of tough tests to come after the OVACs, but the three-day tournament will give him and his team a clearer picture of just where they're at as they move forward.

"At this point of the season it's a good test for everybody (to) see where you stand," Wright said. "It's the first thing you look forward to."

The Bears might have the prestige - winning 12-straight West Virginia team titles and holding the current No. 1 spot on the AA/A state rankings - but last season the Patriots snagged the glory in Wheeling.

Despite missing out on the title, Oak Glen's three OVAC team championships in the past five years make the team a perennial favorite.

The Bears made a statement in their last match before the tournament beating Wheeling Park, 27-26 - despite falling behind 12-0 to open the match.

Though they'll enter the OVAC on a high, injuries may keep the Bears from making it four titles in six years.

According to coach Larry Shaw, Marcus Wells, the team's starter at 160 pounds, suffered an injury in a 39-25 win over Beaver Local Jan. 16 and was held out of the match against the Patriots.

"We'll take it day-to-day and see where we're going to be," Shaw said of Wells' status. "It's been a process all season of trying to get our line-up together. The Beaver Local match was the first time we've had the line-up I thought we were going to have together. Of course, then, boom one of them gets hurt and that affects us.

"We'll adjust and move on. I'm not going to worry about things I can't control."

With eight seniors on the roster - the most he's had in 15 years - he knows the team is in good hands if things get rough.

"Our seniors have continued to be the leaders of our team. We're a pretty senior dominated team this year," he said. "The strength of our team is the senior class."

One senior looking to close things out on a good note is Troy Eckleberry (119 pounds).

Eckleberry - the team's lone returning OVAC champion - took the '08 title after beating the Beavers' Mitch Thompson before going on to finish third in the state.

"Hopefully ... at the OVAC our top guys will be top guys - Ryan Asbury, Paden (Potts) and Troy. I'll hopefully get David Mahan back in the line-up," Shaw said before adding another to his list. "Joel Paolo is one of our really top flight guys."

Asbury (125) and Paolo (135) are both seeded No. 2 - the highest of any Oak Glen wrestler.

If the coach can get the type of production he expects out of his ace group, the Bears might just begin to add some more OVAC clout to its already impressive West Virginia resume.

Ryan Crabtree will enter the tournament with a 24-1 record and a No. 3 seed in the 189 weight class.

But Tigers coach Doug Barnhart knows Crabtree will have a bumpy road to the finals.

According to Barnhart, the 189 class is shaping up to be a battle to the finish.

Crabtree's top competition is Harrison Central's Jake Mallernee (No. 1), Martins Ferry's Matt Shreve (No. 2) and Beaver Local's Jake Henderson (No. 4)

Though his bracket is full of top talent, the Tigers' early slate leaves a little to be desired.

He'll open the tournament against a winless opponent, followed by a probable match-up against a Magnolia wrestler that he's beat twice this season.

The only obstacle early on may be Shadyside's Jerry Kahl, though Crabtree pinned him earlier in the season.

"We should have a pretty good road right to Saturday morning and the semi-finals," the coach said.

"I think he should win it and I think he wants to win it," he said. "He's focused, he's down to 184 he's working hard ... all we have to do is keep his head straight and he's ready to go."

Crabtree - who finished eighth at last year's tournament - will be a large factor in determining if Wellsville can improve on its 29th place finish in '08.

"Five freshman, two sophomores and one first-year senior, they're all young," Barnhart said.

Finishing second at the Beallsville Tournament Saturday, LaClair is peaking at just the right time.

"He's really picked it up lately. He beat a couple of good kids at Beallsville," the coach said.

The only other Tiger to receive a seeding is Matt Flanigan (145). He's set as the No. 7 seed.

Bauer leads WC mat crew

Wheeling Central wrestling coach Chick LaMotte has been around the sport a long time.

He knows that his Maroon Knights virtually have no chance at winning the upcoming Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Tournament, or even challenging for the Class 2-A crown, but all he wants is for his grapplers to get better each time they step onto the mat.

"Most of our kids, with the exception of Kyle Bauer and Josh Wilson, are first-year kids," said LaMotte. "All we're hoping for is that these kids get better each week in preparation for the regionals."

Bauer is by far the best of the Maroon Knights as the 112-pound sophomore had compiled a spotless 16-0 mark heading into last weekend's Beallsville Invitational. The returning OVAC and W.Va. state runnerup at 103 has already captured titles at the Hoppel Tournament, Brooke Classic, Marion-Harding Classic and Shadyside's Last Man Standing event two weeks ago.

"Kyle has grown a little bit since last season," explained LaMotte. "I think his chances are very good at both the OVAC and state levels. He is a really hard worker and has set his goals pretty high, but only being a sophomore, he still has a lot to learn."

Learning is what the remainder of the Maroon Knights are doing this season as the roster is dotted with two freshmen, a sophomore and two juniors in addition to Bauer and Wilson, who is 10-8 at 140 pounds.

"This season is a learning process for most of the kids," added LaMotte. "We need to eliminate mistakes and keep improving with each week. If we do that, we have a good chance."

The remainder of the roster includes freshman Andrew Howard (1-6 at 103); junior Ben Burns (4-4 at 130); classmate Jon Napier (3-9 at 135); freshman David Stanley (2-1 at 189); and sophomore Aaron Schneid (3-7 at 215).

LaMotte noted that Stanley has just returned to the mats following an injury sustained during the Hoppel Tournament at Beaver Local.

JM boasts solid grappling roster

John Marshall coach Ted Zervos realizes his young squad may not be in contention for a team trophy at the annual Ron Mauck OVAC Wrestling Tournament this weekend. However, the veteran coach believes his balanced squad is more than capable of bringing home a handful of individual place winners.

"We are going in as a very balanced team. If we can get in good positions at the seeding meeting we can make some noise. We just have to get put in the right positions," Zervos explained.

The Monarchs' mat squad will be hosting a full lineup and could expect as many as eight on the podium come Saturday evening.

"We have wrestled a lot of dual meets," Zervos said as his team has plenty of mat preparation for the three-day grind. "We have 12 guys on the team over .500 this season. Of those 12 over .500 we have a legitimate shot of seeing some of them placing if they wrestle well."

The Monarch will have a plethora of senior matmen leading the way, but one who sticks out above the rest is Jeremy Howard. The returning two-time OVAC place winner will be making a transition down a weight class to 130-pounds from 135-pounds this weekend.

"He's wrestling better than anyone on the team," Zervos acknowledged. "He is wrestling on a mission and is very focused."

With close to 30 matches, the rest of the Monarchs have received valuable mat time this season, but none of them possess OVAC hardware from previous seasons.

"I think the experience from our dual meets will allow our kids have the confidence to go out and compete," Zervos said.

In the lighter portion of the Brown and Gold's lineup are three 20-plus match winners that will campaign for the podium this weekend. At 103-pounds, senior Eric Beck will toe the line with the best in the OVAC.

"You cannot count him out of anything. He's a senior who has been wrestling varsity for four years," Zervos said as Beck is currently ranked fifth in the Mountain State among big schools. "He' wrestled the best across the state and brings a lot of experience to the tournament."

At 112 and 119 pounds are sophomores Josh Longworth and Justin Goode. With 21 and 22 wins, respectively, both have seen great success this season.

"Josh made the biggest sacrifice in weight loss this season. He was our 119 pound starter last year and lost his wrestle off and went down," Zervos explained. "Justin's has had a real good season putting together some big wins. If he can put together some confidence he can come out very high."

Making Zervos in the starting lineup at 135, 140 and 160 pounds are three highly ranked West Virginia wrestlers in Dalton Hall, Jarrett Blake and Matt Smith.

Hall, who wrestled 130 pounds all season and is ranked No. 5 in West Virginia, has notched 19 wins on the season and has experienced a numerous number of tight matches.

"He'll be bumping up. He has had a good season up to this point. He has been a pleasant surprise. He took some hard knocks last year and has gained a lot of experience," Zervo said.

Blake, whose record doesn't show his capability, is ranked No. 7 in West Virginia, started the season off 2-12. After turning the corner, the Monarchs' surprise has won the last 6-of-10 and is expected to contribute to the overall team effort.

Smith, who is ranked No. 6 in West Virginia, is one who goes six minutes non-stop, according to Zervos.

"He's a very tough senior. He's been pinned once in two years. He keeps matches close and is never out of a match," Zervos said about his returning state qualifier. "He uses the mat well. Tries to keep the score close and pulls most matches out in the end or comes up close."

Hoping to bang some bodies around in the upper weights are Sam Gilmore (215) and Paden Morris (285).

Ranked seventh in West Virginia, Gilmore is a beast on the mat, manhandling his opponents with his brute strength. His efforts set him apart from his teammates in the takedown category with 57, which leads the team."He's a boy who has to wrestle with a lot of emotion. If you can get him fired up every time he steps on the mat he can compete with the best of them," Zervos said. "If he comes out flat anyone can compete with him."

Morris, who is ranked seventh in the Mountain State and has 20 wins under his belt, has been forced to wrestle conservative in most matches. Being a bid dual squad, Morris is typically the last match and has to wrestle in a different manner to secure a team victory.

"He's beaten some pretty good kids. He's kept it close with a lot of this kids he's lost to as well," Zervos stated. "In a bracket tournament he'll be in a position to have a lot of success."

Aside from Zervos' podium hopefuls, the Monarchs' mat mentor has a number of wrestlers who are on the fence to place or can be point contributors by winning match or two.

One of those guys on the fence is 125-pounder Jason Stocklask. A starter as a freshman, Stocklash did not go out for the team as a sophomore and has been slowly making the transition back into wrestling form.

"He's had a very slow start, but has shaken off some of the rust and is getting back into the swing of things. He can come into the tournament and score some valuable points for the team" Zervos said.

Others trying to fight a difficult learning curve at the varsity level include Marshall Mason (145), Thomas Schwing (152), Cody Taylor (171) and Michael Gonchoff (189).

All four wrestlers who are first year starters, Zervos believes the time on the varsity mats will only make this rookie group better in the future. Mason enters the weekend with a 16-13 marking while Schwing has a 11-5 record. The pressure of a big tournament will be something both need to overcome as Zervos welcomes the learning process.

Schwing move to the varsity squad came after Monarchs' standout Dannie Ruza went down with a shoulder injury earlier this season.

"I truly thought 171 and 189 would be some huge holes. However, we managed to find two guys to fill those weights who wrestles with some guts. They give it everything and wrestle a complete six minutes," Zervos.

Gonchoff, who replaced injured Andrew Clark, will boast a 10-10 record entering the WesBanco Arena Thursday evening.

Wheeling Park to defend OVAC title

Walking into the WesBanco Arena this year with an 'X' on his back will be Wheeling Park mat mentor Sean Doyle as his Patriots hope to defend their OVAC championship. However, lacking the personnel will make it much more difficult for the defending champions.

"I think last year was a big accomplishment, but it's something this class has to answer to. They have taken the right attitude and approach this season thus far," Doyle explained. "We are looking to peak this weekend and come along when needed in key matches."

Expecting to be the front runners for Doyle's squad are his returning starters and OVAC place winners Dirk Bauer (119), Aaron Majetich (125), Nick Taylor (130), Danny Doyle (171) and Tucker Goodwin (189) from a year ago.

"Those solid guys have been what our team has been based around. They are known as good wrestlers with a group of inexperienced guys around them," Doyle acknowledged. "There is no guy in the room who doesn't expect to win that team championship. They fully expect (a team championship) to be their accomplishment."

Park's Bauer returns as the highest accomplished wrestler on the mat this weekend as a returning two-time OVAC champion and three time place winner.

"Dirk's expectations of himself are not only to win, but to be a dominant force," Doyle stated boldly. "He wants to lead this team to a championship which many think is out of reach for us."

Bauer has posted a career record of 139-22, coming into Thursday night's opening ceremonies. This season he was second at North Canton and posted records of 4-1 at the Christiansburg Duals and 7-1 at the Park Duals.

"He wants to be one of those guys remembered as a great OVAC wrestler," Doyle said.

Sharpening Bauer everyday on the mats and looking for OVAC gold as well will be his practice partners Majetich and Taylor.

Majetich, a senior Patriots' grappler, placed sixth last year at the OVAC tournament.

"I think 125 pounds is one of the deepest weight classes in the tournament," Doyle said. "We expect him to place high and we need him to if we are going to repeat our team title."

Taylor, a returning Mountain State champion and three-time OVAC placer, hasn't seen the OVAC finals since his freshman year.

"I think the OVACs has been a big obstacle for Nick. I don't know if its the pressure he puts on himself or what," Doyle said shaking his head. "He has been around the block and knows what it takes to win a tough tournament. It's a matter of putting it all together for three days."

In 2006 Taylor fell to Buckeye Local's Justin Turnbull 8-4 in the finals. In 2007 he fell in the semifinals to Shenandoah's Jesse Brown 5-2 and settled for fourth place. In 2008 he was shocked in the quarterfinals round by unseeded Brad Mackey of Martins Ferry 5-4 and took seventh place.

"Nick is hands down the hardest worker in the room. Despite his actions on the mat sometimes, he is a great kid," Doyle said. "He has himself as prepared as he can be."

With a strong family history embedded into the OVAC Doyle, who finished fifth in the OVAC and fourth at the state tournament last year, has set high expectations for himself.

"Anything short of winning the tournament, would not be a success to him," his coach said. "We expect him to make a solid run to win the tournament this week."

This season alone Doyle has passed the 100 win mark and will enter Thursday with a 104-39 career record.

Goodwin, who went 1-2 last year at the OVAC tournament, was far from satisfied with his WesBanco Arena performance

"He's one of those kids that needs to step out of his box and try new things on the mat and has done so," Doyle said. "He is a quiet kid who has not been real vocal. He wants to make a name for himself being hidden in the shadows by a number OVAC and state placers."

Other wrestlers that are on the fence for placing this weekend, according to Doyle, include Derek Minzler (103), John Nice (112), Hans Rogerson (135), Cody Berisford (140), Marcus George (145), Luke Braunlich (152), Tyler Settle (160), Mike Lough (215) and Zack Kimmins (285).

Minzler, a sophomore, came out for Doyle's squad late, but has years of wrestling experience at the youth level.

"He has beat 80-90 percent of the 103 pounders at the junior high level, but has taken off a year and a half," Doyle said.

Nice, a sophomore, has been at the mercy of Park's elite schedule with a 6-10 record.

"John is much better than his record shows," Doyle explained. "In preseason he beat an Ohio state placer and loss to the Tingler kid by one point at the Fall Brawl. He is capable of wrestling some of those tougher kids."

Rogerson, a sophomore, started for Park last year, but wasn't in the lineup for the OVAC. He'll enter the weekend with a 13-8 record.

"Hans is one who is making a turn into becoming a good wrestler," Doyle said. "He is up two weight classes and is not making excuses. He is getting it done and will be right there with the guys in his weight class."

Berisford, a sophomore, is right outside the realm of being seeded, but is capable of placing depending where he gets placed in his bracket.

"He has the potential of winning two or three matches and placing low. He's wrestled some of those guys in the lower range well, but hasn't been able to finish. He would have to wrestle well to have a shot," Doyle said.

George, a junior, has all the capability of being an elite wrestler, but has not been able to put it together at a tournament quite yet.

"If Marcus is focused and wrestles to his ability he will have a great OVAC. When his mind is set he can brawl with any of these kids," Doyle said as George enters the weekend with a 13-6 record.

Braunlich, the only freshman in the lineup, hasn't been in the country for while living in a military family.

"He is not used to our style of wrestling yet, but is one of the toughest kids pound for pound," Doyle said.

Braunlich is the son of former 1983 OVAC champion Fritz Braunlich of Wheeling Central.

Settle, a junior, is a first year starter for the Patriots who has been quieted the past few season by many high caliber Park wrestlers.

"We talk about needing to have 10 guys place. He is one of those guys on the fence who needs to place," Doyle said. "There are some kids who are seeded low he has beaten and had battles with this year. Look for him to shake up his bracket."

"He has lost to a few potential place winners, but gave them good matches. He keeps coming back and getting better," Doyle said. "He is putting himself in a place to achieve his maximum success."

Kimmins, junior and first year starter, is sitting in a deep heavyweight division.

"He is one that is learning on the fly this season. He needs to finish in the top half of the heavyweights," Doyle said about Kimmins, who has a 12-7 record.

Blind John Marshall wrestler focuses on goals, success

• Senior eyes crown in OVAC mat tourney

By BRIAN COOK, Times Leader Sports Writer

MOUNDSVILLE - It doesn't matter whether it's a championship wrestling match or studying for a test. Sam Gilmore realizes he needs to work harder than his opponent on the mat or the person beside him in the classroom.

"Everything Sam does he does with great emotion and high expectations," John Marshall wrestling coach Ted Zervos explained.

Zervos has developed a very special relationship with Gilmore ever since he entered his sixth grade classroom. Known for being in his fair share of trouble, the Monarchs' mat mentor saw something special in the youngster.

"He was not an ordinary kid in the classroom. He was a handful and I was warned about him from previous teachers," Zervos smiled.

To this day Sam is still no ordinary wrestler.

It's not because he holds the Monarchs' bench press record at 405 pounds.It's not because Sam is 20-8 with a team high 57 takedowns after he dispatched opponents from New Philadelphia and Sheridan, helping the Brown & Gold finish third in the Meadowbrook Duals a few weeks ago.

And it's not because the 18-year old is becoming a part of the strong tradition at John Marshall and is projected to do well when tournament time comes in March.

No, it's something much different. Zervos and his John Marshall mat staff is witnessing a miracle at work every day.

Sam Gilmore is legally blind.

"I don't know any different because it's always been that way. I cannot make out features of other wrestlers or the lines on the mat," the John Marshall wrestler shared.

Sam's stagmus, or eye muscle, is not strong enough to hold his eye in place, allowing it to bobble around and not focus. Diagnosed at birth, Sam says he has always been sensitive to bright lights and needs to squint or look away.

However, Sam's handicap has never ruled out achieving the goals set in front of him.

"My parents raised me without the disability in mind. If I ever fell down as a child they would get me back up to go outside like any other kid," he said.

When Sam was at Moundsville Junior High, Zervos noticed Sam took a great interest in sports. After working with Zervos to make sure he succeeded in his books at the junior high level, Sam committed to his sixth grade teacher, saying he would wrestle for him once he got to high school.

"He is very emotional when he wrestles and so am I when I am coaching him," Zervos said. "He works so hard on the mat and has been a great kept secret backing up Taylor Potts, a West Virginia State champion, the past few seasons."

Sam's work ethic has been like no other. In the off season, the 215-pounder attended both football lifting sessions each day and could continuously be seen running the stairs behind Moundsville Junior High.

"Being legally blind you expect that you have to work harder. I hit the weight room hard and am much stronger than most of my competition. I do things with a lot of intensity because it's my advantage," he said.

In the classroom, Sam has been fortunate to have a visual aide for him provided by the Marshall County Board of Education, but has chosen not to use its services on a daily basis since his freshman year.

"I try to do it on my own," he said. "I tough it out because I want to be like everyone else. I take pride that I have a 3.0 grade point average with my major disadvantage."

Sam, who is seeded fourth in the Ron Mauck OVAC Wrestling Tournament this weekend at WesBanco Arena, believes wrestling has been a great tool to keep him on track. With close ties to his teammates and coaches, he believes he can achieve whatever goals he sets for himself.

"I'd like to win state and place at the OVAC," he shared. "What really has helped me was having Taylor Potts as a practice partner. He'd beat me up each day, but it made me tougher. He was a tank and prepared me for varisty and my senior year."

Sam is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Gilmore Sr. of Moundsville.

Harrison etches four top seeded grapplers

• Oak Glen seeds 10-of-14 wrestlers

By BRIAN COOK, Times Leader Sports Writer

WHEELING -- It's fair to say it will be a battle for the gold this weekend at the 2009 Ron Mauck OVAC Wrestling Tournament at WesBanco Arena. As the coaches gathered for the conference's pre-tournament press conference it was no surprise that juggernaut Oak Glen leads the field with 10 seeded wrestlers.

In the familiar spot, Golden Bears' mat mentor Larry Shaw feels comfortable heading into the three-day grind, but acknowledges a team championship is never a done deal as Bellaire, Harrison Central and returning champions Wheeling Park all have eight seeds.

"Those seeded guys need to do well," Shaw stated. "They have to wrestle up to their seeds and some of the guys who are not seeded need to surprise a few guys."

Going in with the 'X' on their back with the most seeds is nothing out of the ordinary for Shaw and company, but he believes his team has been preparing all season to be put in this position.

"We have wrestled a lot of good competition and it will pay dividends this weekend. We are going to need a total team effort. It started with practice this week and will run through the weekend," he said.

One of the teams that is entering unchartered territory coming into this weekend is Harrison Central. Holding eight seeds, the Huskies hold four top seeds with Nick Risdon (125), Rob Eddy (152), Ian Howell (171) and Jake Mallernee (189). By far the most top seeds in the tournament, coach Todd Dunlap believes his team has been making great strides in the recent years and is ready to peak this weekend.

"It is a little more than we are used to," Dunlap commented on having eight seeded grapplers. "We're used to flying under the radar. Now it seems more like we are one of the ones to beat."

For the first time since Harrison Central was consolidated from Cadiz, Jewett-Scio and Lakeland high schools, the Huskies are considered as one of the favorites in the mammoth conference tournament. The last time any Harrison County based school captured an overall team title was in 1981 as the Cadiz Cardinals took the white championship banner and Dunlap was only one-year old.

"It has been a long time since we have been this competitive," Dunlap admitted. "This week we went over performing to expectations. It's unchartered waters for us and we have to perform."

As the Huskies deal with its high expectations, the Big Reds are going to attempt to live up to the hype which never comes to be at the OVAC tournament. With one No. 1 seed, two No. 2 seeds, three No. 3 seeds, one No. 4 seed and one No. 7 seed, Bellaire coach Shane Shaffer believes his squad can conquer the Goliaths known as Harrison and Oak Glen.

"We have six seniors in the lineup and it helps they've all wrestled here before," Shaffer explained. "They know what to expect and my expectations from them as well."

Shaffer will showcase returning OVAC champions Erik Canter (130) and 2007 OVAC champion Robbie Chilson (145).

While the Ohio side of the river continues to exult over its big guns Harrison Central and Bellaire, Wheeling Park mat coach Sean Doyle believes the Patriots have been downplayed coming into the annual conference tournament.

"I don't think we are getting looked at as a serious, legitimate contender. We are the underdogs in this tournament and it's a good challenge for us," Doyle explained as his championship team from last season was lost in the midst of graduation. "We have a lot of quality guys back. In the seed meeting I thought a few of our kids could have been seeded higher and got slid lower than expected."

Park carries only one top seed entering the tournament Dirk Bauer (119) who has not been denied in many matches in the past few years let alone the OVAC tournament.

"Dirk is at a level where he never believes he should lose at any venue or event," Doyle said as Bauer is aiming for his third individual OVAC crown.

Other top seeded wrestlers include Cambridge's Andrew Bertubin (103), Beaver Local's Arizona Miller (112), St. Clairsville's Dominic Prezzia (135), Beaver Local's Dylan Ice (140), Barnesville's Kurtis Jefferis (145), Shadyside's Johnny Merryman (160), Steubenville's Branko Busick (215) and Martins Ferry's Steve Woodford (285).

Let the fun begin

Bauer leads WC mat crew

JM boasts solid grappling roster

Wheeling Park to defend OVAC title

Blind John Marshall wrestler focuses on goals, success

Harrison etches four top seeded grapplers