The unofficial girls state wrestling championships were held last weekend in Parkersburg. The sport is still unsanctioned by the W.V.S.S.A.C., so only 38 of the schools in West Virginia fielded teams and entered wrestlers.
Class AAA Musselman won the team championship for the second year in a row, despite not finishing with an overall weight class champion. The Applemen did have two runners-up plus a third-place finisher en route to accumulating 104 points. Musselman was followed by East Hardy (89), Cabell Midland (64.5), Greenbrier East (51), and Paden City (45) to round out the top five.
Paden City? Yes, you read that correctly. The Wildcats, with a grand total of roughly 120 students in grades 9-12, are one of the smaller Class A schools in the state. Yet, PC is, competing with AAA and AA schools and earning places, and scoring points.
Despite the low numbers, Paden City head coach Mike Owens managed to convince six girls to come out for wrestling when, primarily, they’d be competing against boys. PC was one of the few teams at the recent Ron Mauck OVAC Wrestling Championships to feature girl wrestlers.
In fact, the six girls on the PC team are one more than the number of boy participants.
“Honestly, I’m not really sure what generated the interest, except for the coaching staff just asking the girls to come out and let them know that they’d have the opportunity to wrestle for a girls’ state championship,” Owens said. “Only having about 120 students in our school and trying to get the kids who are not playing basketball is really difficult. Regardless of the number of athletes we get out on this team, we still show up and compete.”
Trip(s) to the Podium
And compete the Wildcats did.
In the team’s first trip to the state girls’ championships, PC saw two girls finish third. Rory Amos pinned Tyler Consolidated’s Mya Anderson in 1:08 in the third-fourth place match at 185. Destiny Rone, meanwhile, recorded a 20-second pinfall victory against Musselman’s Kendall Shepherd. Rone and Amos were both the No. 4 seeds coming in.
Marie Schramm fell by pinfall to Liberty’s Karlie Osborne to come in fourth at 140. Chaney Bacorn finished 7th (128), with Brealynn Little (123) and Evelyn Smith (140) coming in eighth.
Schramm is a foreign-exchange student from Germany and came out for the team, never having wrestled before. Owens said she’s now on the hunt for a club team for her to compete on when she returns home after the school year.
PC wasn’t the only local school competing, however. While no OVAC affiliated girl finished as a state champion, Brooke’s Aubrey Moore came in third in the 240-class. University’s Bailey Emery (115) finished second, and John Marshall’s Pearl Chambers (150) came in third.
Linsly’s Caitlin Lewis (115), Oak Glen’s Mallary Heinrich (150), and Brooke’s Sophie Diaz (240) were fifth. Linsly’s Shantel Githii (107) and Audrey Wilson of Magnolia (134) were eighth.
Sanctioning Next on the Horizon?
“I’m sure having such a good showing at the girls’ state tournament will show the interest is growing,” Owens said. “I think the size of the tournament doubled this year. As far as the OVAC Conference goes, I think they will need to start taking a good long look about having a girl’s tournament. Ohio teams have already begun to see a rise in interest, just like in West Virginia.
“I think it’s time to sanction girls’ wrestling.”
In Pennsylvania and, just recently in Ohio, that time has already come. Both states, with the Buckeye State recently coming on board for next school year, have sanctioned girls’ wrestling. Might West Virginia soon follow suit?
Dirk Decoy, the Executive Director of the OVAC previously stated after Ohio made its announcement, that if enough OVAC schools stated they would field a girls’ wrestling team, then the conference would add it as an official sport, as well as putting on an OVAC girls’ tournament.
Even if West Virginia takes a few more years to come on board, having an OVAC wrestling championship to compete for would be a huge boon to girls’ wrestling rosters on the eastern side of the Ohio River. Just the announcement from Ohio has got wheels turning in the Mountain State.
“The girls were really excited to hear about Ohio making girls’ wrestling an official sport,” Owens said. “The drawback for us is four of our girls are seniors. West Virginia is going to have to pick up the ball with the surrounding states already bringing the sport on.
“Hopefully sooner rather than later.”
Until then, Owens will consider this season a success, both on the girls’ front, as well as the Wildcats’ wrestling team overall.
For now, girls’ wishing to compete in wrestling in West Virginia will have to do so against boys primarily throughout the season. It’s not the easiest decision for parents to make, but one that the coach is truly appreciative of the parents that do say yes.
“I would like to thank all the parents who allowed their daughters to compete this season,” Owens said. “I know it is difficult to see your daughter wrestling against boys. However, know your daughters competed very well this season and showed their toughness.”
Now, if they’d just get a chance to display that toughness on their own stage. Only time will tell.
