By GEORGE PORTER - The Herald-Dispatch
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HUNTINGTON -- For the next three days, more than 400 high school athletes will be competing in the 55th annual West Virginia High School Wrestling Tournament at the Huntington Civic Arena.

For those athletes traveling with a large contingent of teammates, bringing home a team state title might be the goal. For those high schools represented by maybe just one or two wrestlers, an individual state championship would be a more realistic achievement.

But for the city of Huntington, the large following of fans that always comes with the state tournament has many businesses licking their chops.
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"We definitely won�t be sending any of our workers home this weekend," said assistant general manager Tom Ross of the Bob Evans Restaurant at 606 3rd Ave. "We look forward to this tournament every year. We always have a good weekend when it is in town."

Cabell-Huntington Convention & Visitors Bureau president Gerry Krueger said the city of Huntington can expect to profit from this weekend�s events.

"We estimate that each wrestler spends about $50 a day for food, shopping and lodging," he said. 

"We would then double that for each adult traveling with that wrestler. Keep in mind that in some cases, only one parent travels. While in other cases, both parents along with grandparents, siblings and cousins might make the trip." 

Not only will most restaurants in and around downtown Huntington be buzzing for the next couple of days, but hotel and motel availability for this weekend might extend as far east as Milton. 

"We are, and have been, booked up for this weekend," said general mananger Richard Monga of the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites in downtown Huntington. "Most of our clients are coming from Parkersburg. We are always full when the wrestling tournament comes into town." 

Tournament director and Huntington High coach Bill Archer said the state wrestling tournament has more than 1,500 people involved. With the preliminary rounds taking place today leading into the finals Saturday, more than 4,000 fans can be expected to join those 1,500 Saturday.