MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Despite the fact that the high school wrestling season has a long way to go, Wednesday’s tri-match between John Marshall, Morgantown, and host University High had some real juice, and not just because the gym was packed and rowdy.
The Monarchs were ranked No. 6 in the latest state poll, so both area teams were looking to make a statement against one of the top teams in the state.
Additionally, the winner of the UHS-JM battle would qualify for the first-ever state duals championships on February 1, at The Greenbrier.
Although University came out the big winners in convincing fashion, defeating John Marshall in the second match, 50-18, then following up with a 57-16 win over Morgantown, it was the Mohigans who pulled off the biggest surprise of the night, besting the Monarchs, 42-34, in the first match despite a pair of forfeits in two weight classes.
Cameron Lawrence got MHS off to a strong start with a quick pin at 126, but after John Marshall returned the favor to tie it up, the momentum titled in the Mohigans’ direction when sophomore Trentin Thompson jumped up a weight class to face 20-1 senior Dakoyta Thatcher at 138. Thompson appeared to be in trouble early, but he managed to roll all the way through the hold to put Thatcher in a dangerously vulnerable position that led to a pin at 32 seconds.
“Trentin’s win really energized the team,” MHS coach Joe Abu explained. “And that happens a lot in wrestling, because it’s maybe an unexpected 12-point swing in your favor, which really gets the rest of the guys ready and focused. It was exactly what we needed to kick start the match.”
It was the Hawks’ turn to defend their own gym and let the pollsters know that they deserved a spot in the top 10.
Once again, an early surprise from an underclassman put UHS in the driver’s seat. The match started at 132 pounds, when freshman Dom Parker tangled with 19-2 sophomore Gabe Carman. Parker led throughout, but the talented Carman looked poised to tie the match until Parker pulled off a gutsy reversal with 10 seconds left to seal the win, 10-6.
In perhaps the most exciting match, Thatcher pulled out an overtime victory against University’s Mason Pauley.
Pauley dug himself a big hole early, but rallied with seven-straight points to send the match into overtime, where Thatcher managed a takedown for the narrow win.
But, the Hawks took advantage of their superior strength and quickness at the higher weight classes — featuring pins from Dakota Hagedorn, Ben Tower, Sean Murray, Josh Sanders — to blast out to a commanding 44-6 lead.
Jace Stockett punctuated the convincing win with a pin at 126 pounds.
In the final match against UHS, Morgantown, already down two forfeits, was also hurt by two OT losses that might’ve gone either way, but the Hawks were too deep and too talented for the Mohigans on this night.
“We’re working hard, showing improvement, and our stamina showed well all night,” Abu said. “We were ready to go six-plus minutes, and we are definitely closing the gap. And a big win over a quality program should give us a boost heading forward.”
For UHS coach Ken Maisel, the current rankings weren’t lost on his team.
“Sure, that’s certainly something we were aware of,” he said. “Parker’s win at 132 got us started, and we took care of business from there. We knew what we needed to do to win the matches, but I was especially happy that the work we’ve been putting in on the bottom position seemed to show up in matches.
“We had a good effort from everybody,” he continued, “we qualified for the state duals, and the two pretty big wins hopefully got us some attention around the state. And the gym was full, which was really great. All in all, I’d call it a real good night.”
Both the Hawks and the Mohigans will return to action Friday and Saturday in the Winners Choice Tournament in the Fairmont Convention Center.
University’s Joey Gidley wrestles John Marshall’s Ben Mcardle on Wednesday. 
University’s Dom Parker wrestles John Marshall’s Dakoyta Thatcher on Wednesday. 
University’s Dom Parker wrestles John Marshall’s Dakoyta Thatcher on Wednesday. 
University’s Mason Pauley wrestles John Marshall’s Gabe Carman on Wednesday. 
Morgantown’s Tyler Yost wrestles John Marshall’s Mathieu Wright on Wednesday. 
Morgantown’s Rennick Wotring wrestles John Marshall’s Ryder Jones on Wednesday. 
Morgantown’s Michael Gale wrestles John Marshall’s Kaden Shriner on Wednesday. 
Morgantown’s Michael Gale wrestles John Marshall’s Kaden Shriner on Wednesday. 
Morgantown’s Preston Harman wrestles John Marshall’s Cody Rischard on Wednesday. 
Morgantown’s Griffen Leombuno wrestles John Marshall’s Mason Orndorff on Wednesday.
