Robert Shockey reacts after winning his 160-pound state semifinal against University’s Dakota Hagedorn Friday in Huntington. Shockey won 6-4 in overtime via a takedown. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

WPHS has 170.5 points and leads second place University (137) and seven-time defending state champion Parkersburg South (136). The Patriots of head coach Shaun Smith will have three shots at claiming an individual state crown thanks to Brent Bosley (120), Robert Shockey (160) and Gage Wright (170).

Parkersburg High’s lone finalist will be heavyweight Jeffrey Jones, who used a late four-point move to secure a 7-6 decision versus Jackson Evans of Woodrow Wilson.

“He knows how to stress me out, for sure,” said Big Red head coach Matt Littleton, who watched 220-pounder Zach Howard fall 4-0 to Wheeling Park’s Eric Brother and 120-pounder Jesse Showater come up short in a 14-5 setback to Huntington’s Garrin Arthur in what was an all freshman showdown.

“He didn’t wrestle the best match, but at the end of the day he got the job done. I thought Zach Howard wrestled a really good match and Jesse wrestled a good match in the semifinals. All in all I liked the way our guys performed.”

Williamstown’s Ashton Wasmer wrestles Clay County’s Bratton Samples during state tournament action Friday in Huntington. Wasmer won, 7-6. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

Big Red 113-pound senior George Cantwell also earned a podium finish. Jones will try for his first state title versus Huntington’s Robby Martin.

Coach Smith’s squad, which will place nine, went 3-2 in the semifinals. Bosley doubled up Buckhannon-Upshur’s Liam Garcia, 12-6, and will take on Arthur. Shockey used a takedown in overtime to upend University’s Dakota Hagedorn, 6-4, while Gage Wright pinned Hawk Elijah Wellings-Osha in 1:27. Wright, who will be going after a fourth pin this week, faced Riverside’s Zach Holstion. Shockey squares off against Park’s Gabe Carman.

“It’s been an up and down last couple of days. I’m prety proud of the kids and how they’ve wrestled,” said coach Smith, who watched Ryan Martin fall 15-5 at 132 to Park’s Ryan Morris and 138-pounder Trent Jones lost 10-5 to Park’s Bradyn Lucas.

“We’ve taken some tough losses, but no one has laid down. They came back and they wrestled better the next time they came out after a loss and that’s all you can ask for. I’m proud of them. Three big wins in a row. That was a really great way to finish the night.”

Soon after Wright got a pin, Shockey won in overtime and senior Aydan Edwards (182) shortly thereafter earned a pin to secure a top six finish. PSHS senior Jude Childers (152) also will place along with teammates Kyle Wheeler (145) and Ayden Morris (195).

Parkersburg heavyweight Jeffrey Jones will wrestle for a state championship Saturday night thanks to a late four-point move that gave him a 7-6 victory against Woodrow Wilson’s Jackson Evans Friday in Huntington. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

Ripley’s lone semifinalist was 145-pound senior Brett Haskins, who fell 8-2 to University’s Luca Felix. Haskins will be joined on the podium by teammates Brock Maston (126), Hunter Brown (152) and Cooper Durst (170).

While Point Pleasant has another Class AA crown sealed, so too does Cameron in Class A. However, Greenbrier West sits in second with 50 points while Doddridge County follows in third with 45. St. Marys and Tyler Consolidated are tied for fourth with 41 points and is followed by Ritchie County in sixth with 29 points.

Only one Class AA/A state final will be Little Kanawha Conference wrestlers and that will be at 220 when Cody Houser of St. Marys takes on Clay County’s Noah Casto, who won 5-3 in overtime against Nitro’s Scott Worstell. Houser needed 35 seconds to secure a fall versus Doddridge County’s Justin Mace.

The Bulldogs from West Union will have a chance at a state title thanks to Riley Curran, who worked North Marion’s Brody Hess for an 11-6 victory. Currant now faces Braxton Smith of Nitro for the 132-pound crown.

Ritchie County’s Kodi Camp got a mat slapper in 4:18 versus Cameron’s Payton Neely in his semifinal. The Rebel now has Fairmont Senior’s Kolbie Hamilton.

Doddridge County 132-pounder Riley Curran controls Brody Hess of North Marion in his 11-6 state semifinal victory Friday in Huntington. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

Also winning their semifinal from the LKC were Clay 120-pounder Zane Minger and Braxton 195-pounder Colton Moore, who pinned Fairmont Senior’s Dylan Ours in 1:44 and will face Tate Britton of Sissonville in the finals. Minger pinned Herbert Hoover’s Dylan Corbin in 3:24 and now has Point Pleasant’s Conner Blessing in the finals.

Falling in the semifinals from the area were Tyler Consolidated’s Kaden Huffman (113) and Trenton Huffman (160), Braxton’s Blayne Jarvis (138) and Jackson Davis (160) and Calhoun County’s Jett Sampson (126).

Also advancing to the final day of the season were Braxton’s Bryce Leegan (182), Williamstown’s Ashton Wasmer (113), Doddridge’s Dylan Knight (170), St. Marys’ Ben Wagstaff and Wirt County’s Kolton Parsons.

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com

Ritchie County 138-pounder Kodi Camp, who won via fall in 4:18 in the state semfinals, controls Cameron’s Payton Neely Friday in Huntington. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

Parkersburg South’s Brent Bosley goes for near fall points in the 120-pound state semifinals against Buckhannon-Upshur’s Liam Garcia Friday in Huntington. Bosley won, 12-6. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

Parkersburg freshman Jesse Showater competes with Huntington’s Garrin Arthur in the 120-pound state semifinals Friday in Huntington. Arthur won, 14-5. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)