By DAVID WALSH - The Herald-Dispatch

ONA -- For Ryan Frazier, one of the big moments in the Cabell Midland wrestling season happens tonight when the Knights take on rival Huntington High at 7 p.m. on their home mat.

"For me, it ranks right up there with the state (tournament)," Frazier, who competes at 189 pounds, said Tuesday during lunch. "It�s important to me. It�s my last chance to go head-to-head against Huntington High. It�s the last time at home."

The winner gets possession of the Cabell County High School Team Championship Trophy. Huntington�s name appears most on the trophy since it started being handed out in 1987. At that time, there were four high schools in Cabell County.

Barboursville won in 1987. Milton won in 1988 and shared the award with Huntington in 1991. Cabell Midland prevailed in 1999 and 2000. Every other year, Huntington (Pony Express before and Highlanders after consolidation) has had the award in the trophy case at school.

"This is special," Knights coach Ernie Sparks said. "Our kids talk about it all year long."

Tonight�s also Senior Night for the Knights. Frazier and fellow seniors Roman Hodges, Jarod Diamond and Chris Morgan will be introduced before the first match.

"It�s for bragging rights," said Chris Gibbs, junior who competes at 140 for the Knights. "We think about Huntington High the whole time. After the match is over, we go back to being friends."

"We start the season thinking about them," said Jason Mays, Huntington�s 160-pounder. "It gets intense. At the time of the match, we don�t like each other."

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Both teams are young. Huntington, with three senior starters, has yet to lose this season. In their most recent start, the Highlanders repeated as champion in the Nitro Invitational last weekend. The Knights placed fourth.

"Balance did it," Huntington coach Bill Archer said of the Nitro win. The Highlanders had nine wrestlers place. Seven of those nine are underclassmen.

"We�ve come a long way since the opener," Mays said in recalling the wins against Roane County and Nicholas County on Nov. 30 at Nicholas County. "The young guys have really stepped up."

Huntington High won last year�s dual, 44-27, to end Cabell Midland�s two-year run.

"The times we�ve lost, the kids go in the lockerroom and cry," Sparks said. "They�re torn up. It hurts for a year."

Mays knows what Sparks means. He enters the showdown with a 1-2 record.

"It felt great to win last year," he said. "You take the losses hard. You work through them the best you can."

In football, the two schools compete for "The Shield." The Knights have won it three straight. That makes Frazier, who plays football, too, happy. Now, he�d like the wrestling hardware to return to eastern Cabell County.

"It means the same thing," he said when asked about the prizes. "This is the breaking point for us. We�ve got to be focused all week. If we win, it means we�re for real."

Archer takes a somewhat low-key approach.

"It�s still a big deal," he said. "They want to win. We want to win. That�s the way it should be."