It was one of those dream weeks of wrestling as the Mustangs and the Panthers each took their mat show on the road.

On Friday of this past week, the Mustangs traveled to Huntington for the WSAZ wrestling tournament held both Friday evening and Saturday.  The who’s who of middle school teams were there with their best wrestlers. This tournament is on the same level as the state tournament for high school wrestling teams in February. It is the best of the best, and the Mustangs brought the heat.

The Mustang team battled it out tooth and nail on Friday night and racked up the points, putting them high on the boards. For some of the team, Friday would be their last matches as it was a double elimination format. However, a good part of the team continued into Saturday’s rounds and continued to rack up points. According to WVmat.com there were 90 teams represented and to get into the top ten would be a feat. The Mustangs did just that!

When the smoke cleared, the Mustangs took 9^th place overall with 115 points and four Mustangs earned the privilege of climbing onto the podium at the end. Noah Casto wrestled the whole tournament without a loss and got to wrestle for first place against a tough Braydon Connolly from Point Pleasant. Noah wrestled a great match but came up one point shy and took second place, with the final score Connolly 8, Casto 7. Other Mustangs who took to the podium were Jake Legg  taking 4^th place, Gene Sams placing 5^th, and Ethan Cunningham going home with 8^th place. The Mustangs wrestled a great tournament and held their own against some of the finest teams in the state. This proves once again that when a Clay County wrestler steps on the mat, it’s game on and no quarter is given. Congratulations to those that placed and to the team on a fine job of wrestling.
The Panthers were in a war of their own on Friday and Saturday at the Goff Armory in Clarksburg. Nineteen teams from around the state competed in the duals format tournament.  Clay was put in a bracket for the first day that included some of the best AA teams. The Panthers went 4-1 on Friday night, losing only to Liberty Harrison. Saturday was a tough one, but the Panthers set the mats on fire, and when the day ended, the Panthers captured 4^th place. It is a good tournament to place in the top five due to the level of wrestling talent that was there. The Panthers are setting the stage for the program to get back to the glory days of old when the mention of the Panther team being in the house struck enough fear for some to break out the white towels. Clay County wrestling is back and taking names on the mat. Don’t forget, the Bob Stover Classic, aptly named for one of the greatest living legend coaches Bob Stover, will take place this Saturday. The tournament has had some of the finest teams to compete in the event and has had some memorable matches. This year with schedule changes at different schools, there won’t be as many teams, but eight teams will compete and butt heads. There promises to be many good matches. Wrestling begins at ten o’clock and will last through the day. You won’t want to miss it!