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Braxton County wrestlers three-peat as LKC champs

Roane County’s Jake Whiting named MOW

SPENCER — Braxton County won its third straight Little Kanawha Conference wrestling championship here Saturday and Roane County 160-pounder Jake Whiting was honored as the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 56th annual event.

Whiting, who joined Wirt County 126-pound victor Wyatt Powell as three-time LKC champs, didn’t have it easy in the finals.

The Raider denied Clay County’s Joel Cruickshanks his third LKC crown by winning a 4-3 decision in the championship match.

Ritchie County’s Connor Spaulding, the top seed at 126, also was looking for his third all-time LKC crown, but Powell edged him 3-1.

The biggest surprise of the tournament came at 145 where Ravenswood No. 3 seed Clay Tanner rallied from a 5-0 deficit in the final 30 seconds to upend expected champ Spencer Posey of Braxton County, 9-6.

“I expected him to wrestle well as always,” admitted RHS head coach Eric Hupp, whose squad nipped Ritchie County for third place (108.5 to 103.5) while the Eagles had 188.5 to the runner-up Tigers’ 149.5. “It was a heckuva match. He had a four-point move and then a five-point move.”

Braxton County, which entered the tournament with six No. 1 seeds, had five of those hold true. While Posey got upset, Eagle 120-pound No. 2 seed Jake Long pinned Ritchie County’s Brady Layman for his first LKC title. Coach Sterling Beane also had top seeds Gavin Triplett (152), Jordan Williams (170), Logan Conley (182), Seth Meador (195) and heavyweight Quin Meador stand atop the podium. It was the second LKC title for both Williams and Quin Meador.

Triplett registered a 16-1 technical fall versus Ritchie County’s Kayden Procacina. Williams pinned Calhoun County’s Dalton McCune while Conley got a fall versus Ravenswood’s Dalton Moore. Quin Meador also got a mat slapper against DJ Smith of Roane County.

In the other five LKC finals, four of the top seeds held, but that wasn’t the case at 138. Roane County No. 1 seed David Rhodes lost via injury default to Williamstown’s Mason Deem.

Wirt County had the second most LKC champs behind the Eagles with three.

Head coach Danny Life also watched Tigers Logan Powell (106) and Hunter Poole (113) win championships. The youngest Powell pinned No. 3 seed Brandon Burrell of Williamstown. Poole decisioned second-seeded Ethan Tanner of Ravenswood, 7-4.

At 132, Reese Burnside of Doddridge County pinned No. 2 seed Cody Smith of Ravenswood.

Also, Braxton County 220-pounder Sturgis May — the No. 2 seed — was denied a title when he lost via fall to Clay County top seed Colton Casto.

In the consolation finals, the 138-pound tilt was declared a tie and the points were split between Ravenswood’s Preston Menas and Ritchie County’s Andrew Hardman due to the five-match per day rule.

Wirt County had a quartet of third-place finishes thanks to Kolton Parsons (126), AJ Garrett (132), Lance Sims (170) and 182-pounder Dalton Griffin.

Clay County had consolation finals wins via 106-pounder Rush Sparks and 145-pounder Brice Cruickshanks.

No other LKC program had more than one third-place showing.

The other consolation finals winners were Doddridge County’s Caleb Lloyd (113), Williamstown’s Colton Slagle (126), St. Marys’ Brennan Boron (152), Braxton County’s Justin Paletti (160), Ritchie County’s Hunter Leggett (195), Ravenswood’s Ethan Lane (220) and Tyler Consolidated heavyweight Billy Anderson.

Results from the 56th annual Little Kanawha

Conference Wrestling championships at Roane

TEAM SCORES: Braxton County 188.5, Wirt County 149.5, Ravenswood 108.5, Ritchie County 103.5, Clay County 89, Roane County 76, St. Marys 64, Williamstown 59, Doddridge County 53.5, Calhoun County 34.5, Tyler Consolidated 28, Webster County 6

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

106: Logan Powell (Wirt) p. Brandon Burrell (Wtown)

113: Hunter Poole (Wirt) d. Ethan Tanner (Rwood), 7-4

120: Jake Long (Braxton) p. Brady Layman (Ritchie)

126: Wyatt Powell (Wirt)** d. Connor Spaulding (Ritchie), 3-1

132: Reese Burnside (Dodd) p. Cody Smith (Rwood)

138: Mason Deem (Wtown) won via injury default vs. David Rhodes (Roane)

145: Clay Tanner (Rwood) d. Spencer Posey (Braxton), 9-6

152: Gavin Triplett (Braxton) tf. Kayden Procacina (Ritchie), 16-1

160: *Jake Whiting (Roane)** d. Joel Cruickshanks (Clay), 4-3

170: Jordan Williams (Braxton) p. Dalton McCune (Calhoun)

182: Logan Conley (Braxton) p. Dalton Moore (Rwood)

195: Seth Meador (Braxton) d. Glen McFee (Wirt), 7-3

220: Colton Casto (Clay) d. Sturgis May (Braxton), N/A

285: Quin Meador (Braxton) p. DJ Smith (Roane)

CONSOLATION FINALS

106: Rush Sparks (Clay) d. Andrew Bartlett (Roane), 8-4

113: Caleb Lloyd (Dodd) p. James Judge (Tyler)

120: Kolton Parsons (Wirt) d. Wiley Houser (St. Marys), 4-3

126: Colton Slagle (Wtown) d. Parker Todd (Dodd), 6-4

132: AJ Garrett (Wirt) p. Chris Moore (Clay)

138: Andrew Hardman (Ritchie) vs. Preston Menas (Rwood), ruled a tie

145: Brice Cruickshanks (Clay) p. Kevin Lockhart (Wirt)

152: Brennan Boron (St. Marys) p. Richard Triplett (Clay)

160: Justin Paletti (Braxton) d. Kaleb Kovacs (Ritchie), 12-6

170: Lance Sims (Wirt) p. Caleb Stansberry (Wtown)

182: Dalton Griffin (Wirt) p. Ethan Weikart (St. Marys)

195: Hunter Leggett (Ritchie) p. Riley Boley (St. Marys)

220: Ethan Lane (Rwood) won by forfeit

285: Billy Anderson (Tyler) p. Zachary Hannah (Calhoun)

* Denotes Most Outstanding Wrestler

** Denotes won third career LKC crown

Dual at Ripley

Parkersburg South 74, Ripley 3

106: Brock Matson (R) d. Samantha Miller, 4-2

113: Devin Easton d. Brett Haskins, 7-3

120: Brayden Johnson p. Nate Cox, 1:51

126: Tucker Windland p. Luke Miller, 1:30

132: Jude Childers p. Gage Cobb, 1:27

138: Gavin Quiocho p. Evan Shouldis, 0:39

145: Brayden Roberts p. Eli Koontz, 1:32

152: Mikey Shamblin p. Ethan Koontz, 1:10

160: Zane Hinzman p. Jarrett Paugh, 1:11

170: Wyatt Linder tf. Isaac Parsons, 19-3

182: Dalton Fullerton p. Austen Boggess, 1:13

195: Noah Buckalew p. Ethan Bryant, 3:58

220: Braxton Amos p. Tanner Ross, 0:19

285: Louden Haga p. Matt Moore, 0:50

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