By DAVID WALSH - The Herald-Dispatch
 

Randy Snyder/The Herald-Dispatch Huntington’s Isaac Meyers, top, tries to pin Nitro’s Ben Young during the 152-pound championship match in the Class AAA Region 4 tournament Saturday at Cabell Midland High School.

ONA -- Huntington High lived up to its billing Saturday by winning the West Virginia Class AAA Region IV wrestling tournament at Cabell Midland.

The Highlanders had nine champions and 14 wrestlers place in the top four in racking up 275.5 points. Nitro edged Cabell Midland for second, 186.5-186. The top four finishers in each weight class qualify for the state tournament scheduled this Thursday through Saturday at Big Sandy Superstore Arena.

Huntington -- before and after consolidation with Huntington East -- has 23 regional titles to its credit in 33 tries under coach Bill Archer.

"Coach talked to us before the finals," said senior Jeremy Ray, who won the title at 140 pounds. "He told us to go out and do what we need to do."

"There was a little bit of pressure," added Mike Waldeck, a senior and champ at 145. "If we do the job, we know we can win. We buckle down and focus."

Other Huntington champions were Steve Riner (112), Shawn Dixon (119), Drew Hetzer (125), Chad Nelson (135), Isaac Meyers (152), James Nelson (189) and Kenny Hutchinson (215).

"The kids wrestled well," Archer said. "We won some close ones. You have to do that. We had nine champions. I told them (before the finals) the most we’d ever had was seven."

Champions for Cabell Midland were Chris Gibbs (160) and Michael Cremeans (171). Gibbs beat Nitro’s Mitch Casto, 3-1, in overtime. Casto had won the two prior encounters (Nitro Invitational and Mountain State Conference Tournament).

Spring Valley’s Nate Howard, who has signed to play football at Marshall, won the heavyweight crown, pinning Cabell Midland’s Adam Richardson in 56 seconds.

Nitro had the other two winners, Anthony Easter (103) and Matt Easter (130). Matt, the older of the brothers, is 39-0.