Photo by Jay W. Bennett Parkersburg High School’s Jalen King tries to control Parkersburg South’s Wyatt Linder during 170-pound regional action earlier this year. The two grapplers will join their teammates for the three-day state tournament, which gets underway this evening in Huntington.

PARKERSBURG — When the 72nd annual West Virginia state wrestling tournament gets underway at 6:30 p.m. today inside Huntington’s Big Sandy Superstore Arena, a trio of area grapplers will attempt to place for a fourth straight year while top-ranked Parkersburg South will be out to set Class AAA history.

The Patriots of head coach Shaun Smith are heavy favorites to capture what would be a triple-A record fifth consecutive team championship. Of course, PSHS has a long way to go in order to break the overall state record of 13 straight team mat crowns held by Larry Shaw’s Oak Glen dynasty from 1997-2009.

“It’s been a weird week and a half, honestly, with all the stuff going on and having a couple kids sick and this and that,” said coach Smith, who should watch seniors Tucker Windland at 126 and heavyweight Louden Haga become four-time state place winners.

“Everything is going pretty well, just dealing with a little bit of sickness. We had a good regional, just trying to keep going after that and have a big weekend.”

Haga, a three-time heavyweight state runner-up, is one of five Patriots who sit atop their respective weight class in the final wvmat.com coaches’ rankings. Windland, a two-time state runner-up, is ranked second behind St. Albans’ Brandon Holt. Two-time Ironman champ Braxton Amos carries a 42-0 record and is eyeing a repeat title at 220. Also carrying No. 1 state rankings for PSHS are a trio of defending state champions in 138-pounder Gavin Quiocho, 145-pounder Brayden Roberts and 160-pounder Zane Hinzman.

Joining Haga, Windland and Hinzman in their final state tournament appearance for the Patriots are fellow seniors Mikey Shamblin at 152, 170-pounder Wyatt Linder and 182-pounder Dalton Fullerton. Shamblin missed his junior season to injury, but was the 132-pound state champ as a sophomore.

He enters the final weekend of the campaign ranked third.

“The seniors, they do a really good job of just getting the whole team going and we do have underclassmen who are capable of that and they do a good job as well,” coach Smith added. “We have six senior starters and they are the lifeblood of the team and they keep the team together. It’s going to be sad when they go. That’s for sure.”

While Parkersburg South qualified its entire team, the Big Reds of PHS head coach Matt Littleton advanced 10 to the final weekend of the campaign, which includes seniors Hunter Ackerman at 132 and 170-pounder Jalen King. Ackerman is ranked fourth and King third.

Top-ranked Big Red junior John Martin Best at 152, a 120-pound state champ as a freshman and a state runner-up at 138 last winter, is the only red and white wrestler expected to win a state title according to the rankings. Second-ranked Bo Moler will attempt to make his was through the field at 138 with hopes of a Saturday night finals rematch against the Patriot Quiocho, who bested Moler 4-3 in the 132-pound state finals last winter.

“For us, not really, just because most of our guys have their weight under control or have steadied,” Littleton said when asked about getting a four-pound weight allowance this week.

The only other Big Reds competing this weekend who have placed at state previously are 120-pounder Garret Donahue and 195-pounder CJ Wade, a pair of juniors.

“It doesn’t really matter,” Littleton replied when asked about being out of school this week because of a strike by Mountain State teachers. “I told the kids they need to focus on what they need to do to reach their goals in the state tournament. When this strike happened, I messaged them nothing changes. We have to be focused to get the job done.

“I think our guys are wrestling good right now. You want to send off your two seniors as state champs or at least reach the goals they’ve set for themselves. We think highly of Jalen and Hunter. They are great kids and we want to see them be successful.”

Roane County senior 160-pounder Jake Whiting is one of two Little Kanawha Conference wrestlers with No. 1 rankings. Whiting, who sports a 44-1 record, has placed fifth twice and won the 145-pound consolation finals match as a junior. The only other LKC expected champ is Braxton County 170-pounder Jordan Williams. The junior is 50-0.

Two years ago, Wirt County claimed the first single-A state crown and last winter the Tigers of head coach Danny Life finished state runner-up. Wirt County enters the tournament ranked second behind expected Class A champ Greenbrier West. Ritchie County, which is led by senior 126-pounder and two-time state place winner Connor Spaulding, is ranked third.

Only four matches this evening will pit area wrestlers against each other and that includes Tiger 120-pound freshman Kolton Parsons taking on Doddridge County sophomore Joseph Powers as well as Wirt County 195-pound senior Glen McFee mixing it up with Braxton County junior Seth Meador.

Williamstown 138-pound junior Mason Deem squares off against Doddridge County freshman Jared Jones. In the same weight class, Roane County 12th-grader David Rhodes will face off against Ravenswood junior Preston Menas.

The only LKC wrestler ranked second in his weight class is Clay County 160-pounder Joel Cruickshanks.

Braxton County teammates Gavin Triplett (152) and Logan Conley (182) along with Williamstown’s Colton Slagle (126) and Wirt County 106-pounder Logan Powell enter the final weekend of the season ranked third in their weight classes.

Area W.Va. State Wrestling

Tournament Qualifiers

CLASS AAA

PARKERSBURG SOUTH (14)

106: Samantha Miller (JR, 22-17)

113: Devin Easton (SO, 25-12)

*120: Brayden Johnson (SO, 27-12)

*126: Tucker Windland (SR, 27-9)

132: Jude Childers (FR, 26-17)

*138: Gavin Quiocho (SO, 36-7)

*145: Brayden Roberts (JR, 38-4)

152: Mikey Shamblin (SR, 26-11)

*160: Zane Hinzman (SR, 37-6)

170: Wyatt Linder (SR, 30-16)

182: Dalton Fullerton (SR, 19-18)

195: Noah Buckalew (SO, 24-16)

*220: Braxton Amos (JR, 42-0)

*285: Louden Haga (SR, 37-5)

PARKERSBURG (10)

113: Kage Mathess (FR, 11-16)

120: Garret Donahue (JR, 31-8)

126: Levi Westfall (JR, 13-14)

*132: Hunter Ackerman (SR, 29-10)

138: Bo Moler (JR, 33-5)

145: Ayden Edwards (FR, 16-9)

*152: John Martin Best (JR, 33-4)

160: Chace Mathess (JR, 26-11)

170: Jalen King (SR, 25-8)

195: CJ Wade (JR, 24-10)

RIPLEY (8)

106: Brock Matson (FR, 25-10)

113: Brett Haskins (FR, 25-11)

120: Nate Cox (SO, 18-17)

126: Luke Miller (SO, 22-15)

152: Ethan Koontz (FR, 14-19)

160: Jarrett Paugh (JR, 9-19)

182: Austen Boggess (JR, 19-13)

220: Tanner Ross (SR, 8-13)

Class AA/A

BRAXTON COUNTY (9)

*120: Jake Long (JR, 47-6)

145: Ethan Cunningham (FR, 27-16)

*152: Gavin Triplett (SR, 47-5)

160: Justin Paletti (SO, 43-15)

*170: Jordan Williams (JR, 50-0)

182: Logan Conley (SO, 45-4)

195: Seth Meador (JR, 48-7)

220: Sturgis May (SO, 43-14)

*285: Quin Meador (JR, 47-1)

WILLIAMSTOWN (6)

106: Brandon Burrell (SO, 29-16)

126: Colton Slagle (SO, 26-12)

138: Mason Deem (JR, 23-5)

145: Casch Somerville (JR, 28-10)

160: Julian Stoneman (SO, 31-9)

170: Caleb Stansberry (SO, 25-25)

WIRT COUNTY (6)

106: Logan Powell (SO, 42-5)

113: Hunter Poole (JR, 28-6)

120: Kolton Parsons (FR, 39-9)

126: Wyatt Powell (SR, 38-8)

132: AJ Garrett (SO, 31-16)

195: Glen McFee (SR, 35-11)

RAVENSWOOD (6)

113: Ethan Tanner (FR, 29-12)

132: Cody Smith (JR, 31-8)

138: Preston Menas (JR, 25-14)

152: Colton Clark (SR, 14-6)

182: Dalton Moore (SO, 17-18)

220: Ethan Lane (FR, 17-18)

CLAY COUNTY (4)

106: Rush Sparks (FR, 38-14)

126: Blake Sontos (SO, 39-12)

160: Joel Cruickshanks (SR, 45-6)

220: Colton Casto (SO, 36-3)

ROANE COUNTY (4)

132: Colton Saunders (SR, 28-13)

138: David Rhodes (SR, 33-6)

*160: Jake Whiting (SR, 44-1)

285: DJ Smith (JR, 32-10)

DODDRIDGE COUNTY (3)

120: Joseph Powers (SO, 33-18)

*132: Reese Burnside (SO, 41-8)

138: Jared Jones (FR, 25-10)

RITCHIE COUNTY (3)

120: Brady Layman (SO, 24-8)

126: Connor Spaulding (SR, 36-5)

195: Hunter Leggett (JR, 29-11)

ST. MARYS (2)

*120: Wiley Houser (SO, 32-5)

138: Brian Rhodes (SO, 23-22)

MAGNOLIA (2)

182: James Stillwagoner (JR, 31-8)

285: Mikey Hamrick (JR, 28-8)

CALHOUN COUNTY (1)

170: Dalton McCune (SR, 33-3)

*Denotes regional champion

NOTE: The 72nd annual state tournament begins at 6:30 p.m. today inside Huntington’s Big Sandy Superstore Arena.