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WVU is messing with Texas

It’s funny how some things work out.

When West Virginia University was considering joining the Big 12 Conference, there was some fear that it wouldn’t be able to compete with its flagship member, the University of Texas, which has its own television network.

Guess what has happened? (As if you didn’t already know).

The Mountaineer football team beat Texas. WVU’s men’s basketball team has handled the Longhorns twice. And the West Virginia women’s team won its first meeting against UT.

So in high-profile sports, the score is West Virginia 4, Texas 0.

Let’s hope that streak continues.

  • 1 vs. 2: No matter what the sport, there’s nothing more exciting than seeing a meeting of the top two teams.

That’s what will happen on Thursday night in Huntington, when the top two Class AAA?wrestling squads in the Mountain State will decide who goes into the state tournament as the favorite.

Parkersburg South is the four-time defending state champion and is bidding to be the first school to win five straight Class AAA titles. But the Patriots will enter their meet against Huntington High ranked second in the latest ratings on wvmat.com. Coach Rob Archer’s Highlanders dominated the Mountain State Athletic Conference meet last Saturday and have so much quality they have earned the top spot in the poll.

Veteran wrestling observers consider the match a virtual dead heat. It certainly represents an opportunity for South to make a statement. If it can go into Huntington’s gym and beat the Highlanders, then it can do it again at the state tournament, even though tournaments and dual meets are two different animals.

Anyway, it’s great to see quality programs like South and Huntington on top. Sooner or later, Huntington is going to win its first state title. Obviously, those of us in Parkersburg hope it is later. But we have so much respect for Huntington coach Rob Archer and his parents, Bill and Diane, who run the state tournament, that we will be happy for them when that day comes.

  • Golf: If the last two PGA Tour events are an indication of things to come, interest in golf may soar this year. Two weeks ago, Tiger Woods looked liked the dominating Tiger of old, smoking the field at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Last week, it was Phil Mickelson’s turn to lap the competition at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Every sport needs a rivalry to hold fan interest. When a sport has two players at the top of their games, interest soars.

Who didn’t tune in when Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe battled one another in tennis or Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier were duking it out?

Golf has a lot of young, up-and-coming stars.

But most of them have plastic personalities and don’t create the type of excitement that Woods and Mickelson generate.

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