Prep wrestling: Flying Eagles erase any doubt, win fifth straight regional title
· Yahoo Sports
The prevailing thought seemed to be that Woodrow Wilson’s regional run was coming to an end.
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That belief certainly carried no weight in the Flying Eagles mat room.
Overcoming the loss of a generational senior class, the Flying Eagles placed six wrestlers in the finals and went on to win the Division I Region 3 championship Saturday evening in Beckley. They came away with four individual champions and qualified 11 wrestlers for the state tournament March 5-7 at the Marshall Health Network Arena in Huntington.
Woodrow finished with 215.5 points, outdistancing runner-up Oak Hill and its 177.5 points.
Woodrow won its fifth straight regional championship. Many people thought the Flying Eagles were ripe for the picking after losing nine seniors who not only brought the program four consecutive regional wins but also combined for nine individual state championships.
It took some work, but a much younger, less experienced group kept the momentum going.
“It's nice seeing what the team can do, even when people aren't expecting us to do very well,” said freshman 106-pounder Wyatt Kennedy, who was one of three Woodrow wrestlers to win his first regional championship. “It’s just kind of a good feeling that people thought we weren't supposed to do much, and we came out here and won the region championship. So it’s pretty awesome.”
“You try to get a little bit better every day and you get out there, you wrestle in tough competition and you learn from your losses,” first-year head coach Chris Matkins said. “You know what you need to work on, what you need to get better, and you're trying to put all the pieces together so they come together on a day like today.”
Sophomore Brayden Jones won his second regional title, pinning Capital's Isaiah Martin in the second period. He took home the 106-pound championship as a freshman.
Ian Webb (150) and Ben King (157) joined Kennedy as first-timers.
"It's nice to have it as a freshman, and it was fun wrestling under the spotlight," Kennedy said of the atmosphere. "We took the win home as a team, and I just hope to keep doing it all throughout my high school career."
Webb has been a leader for the team this season.
“I was fortunate enough to have practiced with them (last year’s seniors), and they really helped and showed me how I should lead,” Webb said. “It means a lot that we still came out here and showed what us guys who were behind the scenes last year could do. You know, step in the spotlight a little bit, get our time to shine. But at the same time, these freshmen that came in this year, and with everyone saying that we weren't going to perform, it means a lot that all of us put our work in and made it happen.”
The day was not just about winning, but redemption for King and Webb. King defeated Oak Hill’s Kohlsen Coleman in the semifinals and Capital’s Bradlee Sigmon in the final, two wrestlers who defeated King in the regular season.
“It shows improvement, because at the beginning of the year, I was a completely different wrestler,” King said. “Now I feel like I could be all-state. It just shows great improvement.”
Webb, meanwhile, faced George Washington’s Eli Derr in the 150-pound final. Derr already owned three wins over Webb, but the Woodrow junior was in control for most of a grueling match for a 9-3 win.
It was hist first regional title and the 100th of his career.
Woodrow also had two runners-up after two hard fought matches. Oak Hill’s Payton Holstein edged out Woodrow’s Jimarcus Harbison 6-5 at 120, and Alonzo Long of St. Albans survived a battle with Woodrow’s Brenton Sebolt, pinning him with 33 seconds left in the third period to end a back-and-forth match.
Oak Hill was considered by many the heir apparent to Woodrow’s throne and looked the part. Holstein was the first of five finalists for the Red Devils, and all five came away with wins. Joining Holstein were Evan Ulrich (132), Tyler Gilkerson (138), Landon Dunlap (175) and Aiden Robinson (215),
“Our kids showed up at the finals,” said head coach David Vincent, who shared Region 3 Coach of the Year honors with Riverside’s Steve Petty. “We had five in the finals and five champs. I was worried about a couple of those matches, and our kids pulled through. And they pulled through handily. So I feel like they made a statement.
“It is something to build upon. Of course, we were really hoping to come away with the team title this go around, but it lit a fire under some of these kids. We have one senior on the team, and we're going to build on it.”
Ulrich was voted the Most Outstanding Wrestler for the lighter weights, and George Washington’s James Payne won for the upper weights.
Greenbrier East had two champions, including senior Kaden Stone winning his first regional at 144 via 16-0 tech fall over South Charleston’s Elijah Cossin. Mason Miller outdueled Riverside’s Chayden Johnson 8-6.
Cohen Lusher of Nitro decisioned Riverside’s Eli Taft 7-2 for the title at 190.
After quieting any doubts at the region, the Flying Eagles will next try to do the same by earning a fifth straight top 10 finish at the state tournament.
“Those guys last year, they were something special,” King said. “But it feels great because everyone was doubting us. There were newspaper articles about us not being ready to give up the title, but I didn't think it was going to leave anyways.”
PREP WRESTLING
Division I Region 3 Results
Team scores
Woodrow Wilson 215.5, Oak Hill 177.5, Riverside 147.5, George Washington 141.5, Greenbrier East 134, Capital 99, St. Albans 86.5, Nitro 61, South Charleston 29.5, Princeton 16
Individual placers (top 4 qualify for state tournament)
106 pounds: Wyatt Kennedy (WW), Mason Lyons (SA), Hunter Holcomb (GE), Damien Nicholas (GW)
113: Brayden Jones (WW), Isaiah Martin (C), Tanner Johns (OH), Gage Webb (GE)
120: Payton Holstein (OH), Jimarcus Harbison (WW), Sonny Herbert (GE), Ryan Branham (SA), Matthew Arnold-Hale (P)
126: Alonzo Long (SA), Brenton Sebolt (WW), Emory Lanham (R), Chase Sizemore (OH), Patrick Rankin (GW), Shiloh Walls (P)
132: Evan Ulrich (OH), Dylan Burkes (C), Jason Goodnite (R), Joseph Chandler (WW), Wyatt Psimer (SC), Owen Edwards (GE)
138: Tyler Gilkerson (OH), Owen Anderson (GW), Heath Matkins (WW), Tyson Arms (R), Max Busse (N), Ashton Cole (C)
144: Kaden Stone (GE), Elijah Cossin (SC), Jay Rankin (GW), Malik Brown (N), Khelon Eneje (WW), Brayden Horton (SA)
150: Ian Webb (WW), Eli Derr (GW), Carter Webb (GE), Steven Hope (SA), Colden Buckley (R), Quavon Gore (C)
157: Ben King (WW), Bradlee Simon (C), Steven Frank (GE), Duncan Bishop (GW), Kohlsen Coleman (OH), Caleb Brewer (R)
165: Mason Miller (GE), Chayden Johnson (R), Henry Kime (GW), J.T. Bragg (WW), Eli Kirk (OH), Jayden Jackson (C)
175: Landon Dunlap (OH), Isaac Slater (C), Kayden Riggan (SA), Nolan Confere (R), Tamim Barghouthi (WW), Keegan Barrron (GE)
190: Cohen Lusher (N), Eli Taft (R), Riley Biggs (OH), Damari Swafford (WW), Evan Cobbs (GW), Tristan Matheny (GE)
215: Aiden Robinson (OH), Paul Cochran (R), Elijah Smith (GW), Blaze Call (N), Leonidus Swich (C), Tripp Stiffler (WW)
285: James Payne (GW), Harrison Smith (GE), Remington Rose (R), Tamarion West (WW), Aiden Robinson (P)
Most Outstanding Wrestlers: Evan Ulrich, Oak Hill (106-144) and James Payne, George Washington (150-285)
Coach of the Year (tie): David Vincent, Oak Hill; Steve Petty, Riverside