magna145 wrote:At 113, Viars (Huntington) and Harper (Spring Valley). At 120 Talbott (Hurricane), and the two Flinn gentleman (Parkersburg South). From region 4, AAA.
Here are ones i know of:
113 - #6 Harper, Spring Valley
113 - #9 Viars, Huntington
120 - #7 Talbott, Hurricane
120 - #9 Salmons, Cabell Midland
132 - #6 Dempsey, Huntington
132 - #7 Isabell, George Washington
132 - #8 Blake, Cabell Midland
138 - #8 Flinn, South
145 - #7 Flinn, South
152 - #10 Thomas, Hurricane
170 - #7 Hartley, Cabell Midland
182 - #10 Moler, Parkersburg
285 - #10 Chance, Hurricane
Of the 13 ranked wrestlers that didn't qualify, 12 are from Region 4 with the other one being from Region 3. But take the rankings with a grain of salt. Most of these wrestlers are trainable, and an unrank wrestler with an early season lost may not happen again later in the year.
I also like to give a shout out to Region 2. They have taken an undeserved beat down on the forum this past year. There are some great wrestlers in the Eastern Panhandle but the geography and finances does not allow a lot of travel to the rest of the state to get a good look at what quality they actual have. They are somewhat like the wrestler from parts unknown in professional wrestling. I look forward to seeing what Region 2 brings to the State Tournament every year even though they may not have the name recognition to the rest of the state.
The last time I had a conversation with my friend Coach Bill Whittingham, he was distraught at what the expansion of the new school Spring Mills was doing to his team. He was losing half of his team that would be attending Spring Mills and he was losing a lot of momentum he had built over the years at Hedgesville. Bill is a great enthusiastic coach and loves the sport as much as anyone I've come across. I'm sure he is aware of the lack of quantity in the panhandle and is doing his part to build those numbers up. Instead of taking a beat down about numbers, Bill should be encouraged in the work he is doing for the sport and what he has accomplished.
I am also anxious to see some of the wrestlers from the panhandle that have competed at Jr. States and were competitive. The Eastern Panhandle always brought great talent to Jr. States. One wrestler whose talent caught my eye in Middle School is #9 ranked Jace Bradbury of Washington. A freshman and regional champion with a 36-9 record was tough as nails in the middle school ranks. He's wrestling at 170 pounds where he is competing against a lot of upperclassman. I am sure there are others that may have slipped past me but I looked for Bradbury (a New England native whose family transferred to the DC area) as one underdog I think others will take notice of. So don't be fooled by the numbers, there are quality wrestlers in Region 2.
Good luck to everyone this weekend. - Brent
