By DAVID WALSH - The Herald-Dispatch
 

Mike Andrick/The Herald-Dispatch  Huntington High’s Chad Nelson, right, hangs on the back of Winfield’s Matt Howrylak Saturday in the 135-pound class during the WSAZ Invitational wrestling tournament.

HUNTINGTON -- Sheldon Clark celebrated its return to the WSAZ Invitational wrestling tournament by winning the Class AA-A division title Saturday night.

The Cardinals didn’t have an individual champion, but they had nine wrestlers place in the 25th annual event and that accounted for 162 points to 143.5 for AA-A runner-up Williamstown. 

"Tremendous wrestling. That’s why we came," Sheldon Clark coach Jim Matney said. "We were able to win without a champion. It was a good team effort."

The Cardinals had missed the WSAZ in recent years due to a scheduling conflict. Thanks to a calendar change, the Kentucky State Duals got pushed back a week in 2003, allowing the Cardinals to travel to West Virginia for the third time this season. The State Duals are next weekend in Lexington.

"We’ll come back next year," Matney said.

Parkersburg South celebrated its return after a shorter absence by capturing the Class AAA crown with 278 points. Huntington High, the winner a year ago, placed second with 199.5. 

The Patriots, four-time West Virginia Class AAA champion, had 12 competitors place. Six made Saturday night’s finals and four won. They were Felix Osuna Cotto (112), Shane Grogg (125), Seth Young (145) and Cody Norman (152).

Huntington’s lone champion was sophomore Chad Nelson at 135.

"He looks good," Highlanders coach Bill Archer said. "We wrestled a lot better."

The Highlanders finished one spot ahead of East Fairmont, which dethroned them in the Nitro Invitational two weeks ago. East Fairmont did have three champions.

"No surprises," Archer said in summarizing the event.

For the younger wrestlers, Milton Middle won that division as well as the overall title. The Panthers racked up 196.5 points to achieve the rarity -- local school winning the overall.

"This is the ultimate," Panthers coach Jim LeMaster said. "I hope we have a pep assembly Monday."

Milton had seven wrestlers place. Chappy Chapman got the lone title at 145. 

"We’ve come full circle," LeMaster said, adding that 28 of the 33 athletes on the roster are on the honor roll.

Milton’s next event is the Cabell County Tournament on Saturday at Huntington High.