Parkersburg South back in familiar spot after day one
By DAVID WALSH - The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON -- Parkersburg
South entered the 26th WSAZ Invitational high school wrestling tournament
in a much better frame of mind than a year ago.
The Patriots, beaten at home by city rival Parkersburg in their annual dual meet last year, turned the tables on the Big Reds on their home mat on Wednesday night with a stirring 29-27 victory.
After the loss last year, the Patriots had two days to recover. They did and went on to win the WSAZ title. They started this year�s WSAZ event on a high and favored to repeat.
"Every win is big, but to win over there is great," Parkersburg South coach Tim McCartney said prior to Friday night�s opening action at Veterans Memorial Field House. "Now we�re down at the WSAZ. We have to focus on the next two days."
Parkersburg, the defending Class AAA state champion, entered Wednesday�s dual ranked No. 1 in the Mountain State and No. 17 nationally. The South Patriots are No. 2 in Class AAA.
"We proved what we�ve said all along. We�re a good team," McCartney said. "We�re young, but we�re starting to pick up the tempo."
Through two rounds Friday night, the Patriots were on top with 103.5 points. Host Huntington was second with 89.
Wrestling resumes for all divisions today at 11:30 a.m. Place matches are at 6:15 p.m. and championship matches follow beginning at 7:25 p.m.
The WSAZ starts Parkersburg South on its run to the state tournament. South wrestles all over the country, but before this weekend the only state schools the Patriots had seen were Parkersburg, Oak Glen and Cabell Midland.
"This tournament gives us a chance to see a lot of people," McCartney said.
The 57th West Virginia High School Tournament is coming up Feb. 26-28 at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.
The Parkersburg-Parkersburg South dual came down to the last match. Senior Lou Thomas needed a pin at 215 for the Big Reds to win, but a 12-5 decision over Josh Davis wasn�t enough.
"The place was electric," McCartney said of the setting for the final match at Parkersburg Field House. "The crowd was into it. We left with a good feeling."
In the WSAZ middle school/junior high division, Point Pleasant came in as one of the favorites. In the most recent ratings on http://www.wvmat.com/, Point Pleasant was No. 1 overall as well as in the middle school ranks. Edison Junior High from Parkersburg led the junior highs.
In the overalls, Edison was No. 2, followed by East Fairmont and Western Greenbrier Junior. Miami Trace, a WSAZ newcomer from Ohio, is expected to challenge, too.
Point Pleasant coach David Durst said few speeches are needed to get his team ready for what is the unofficial state tournament in West Virginia for middle schools and junior highs.
"We�ve won eight (four junior and four middle school)," he said. "There�s tradition. We hang the banners in the gym. The kids know what this is all about. We treat this as our No. 1 goal.
"We want to be WSAZ champs."