HUNTINGTON — The 2023 WVSSAC state wrestling meet came to a conclusion on Saturday in Huntington at Mountain Health Arena with the championship final rounds.
Three University High School wrestlers earned a spot in the championship finals of their respective weight class for a shot at a state title as the Hawks finished second in the team standings.
Sophomore Brock Kehler (215) entered the state tournament in Huntington with a perfect record and it remained that way through to the championship final in the 215-pound weight class.
Kehler faced off against three-time defending state champion Erick Brothers Jr. from Wheeling Park. Kehler had previously beaten Brothers three times this season before their match on Saturday evening, but this one was for all the marbles.
Kehler jumped out to an early lead midway through the 1st period after two points from a takedown, and he controlled the rest of the opening frame to sustain the advantage.
Another point was added for the sophomore from UHS on an escape to open the 2nd. Kehler then used that momentum to earn a takedown on Brothers and eventually pinned him to win the state championship at 215 pounds and finish the season 54-0.
“I thought Brock would win that match, but I figured we would miss out on second by that half-point,” UHS coach Ken Maisel said of Kehler’s match affecting the team standings. “But the pin put us in second and made it extra special.”
“This season was fun, I wanted to go in and prove that I could win more this year,” Kehler said. “I wanted to dominate out there.”
Kehler won the state championship last season in the 190-pound weight class, he made the 25-pound jump to 215 this year and says he may even jump to heavyweight next year.
“I want to put some muscle on this summer, get as big as I can,” he said. “I wanted to make the jump this year and I think next year I could even make the jump to heavyweight and go out and dominate again.”
UHS senior Dom Parker (157) and junior Luca Felix (175) also battled as one of the last two standing through the bracket from Thursday to Saturday. The Hawks entered the final day in second place in the team standings with 143 points, 23 points behind first-place Parkersburg South at 166.
“Honestly, going into this season I didn’t think we were as strong as last year,” Maisel said. “Thought we had some holes and we had some young wrestlers in the lineup, and here we are. I think it’s a testament to the kids we have and the program from top to bottom. We’re not trying to win from time to time here, we want to compete every single year in this program.”
Parker, who entered the tournament with only one loss on the year, would see a rather storybook matchup come to fruition, as he met the wrestler who gave him that one loss on his record; Ethan Osborne of Woodrow Wilson.
Parker took an early 3-2 advantage after the first period and earned another point via an escape to open the second. Parker carried the lead through the second period but Osborne earned two points from a reversal to tie up the match at 4-4 going into the final two minutes. An escape and takedown gave Osborne a 7-4 advantage midway through the final period. Unable to close the gap in time, Parker would fall to Osborne by points and place second in the state at 157 pounds.
Felix found himself in the same scenario as his teammate Parker in his championship match. The only blemish on his record this season coming into the tournament was Gage Wright of Parkersburg South, who just so happened to be the one meeting Felix in the final.
Wright started quickly in the match with two takedown points early in the first period and maintained control for the remainder of it. Another point came for Wright via escape to begin the second, as Felix found himself in a 3-0 hole halfway through the match.
Felix earned one point from an escape, but Wright continued to pile on the points in the third, earning four from takedowns and eventually winning the match 7-2.
The Hawks had five wrestlers in the consolation rounds that placed in the top six places, securing a spot on the all-state list for their weight class. They were sophomore Pepper Martin (third, 106), junior Brodie Emery (fifth, 113), freshman Colton Gillespie (sixth, 120), sophomore Carter Pauley (sixth, 132) and senior Dakota Hagedorn (third, 165).
Preston sophomore Cole Turner finished fourth overall in the 157 weight class, with his teammate Owen Kilmas placing 6th at 175.
The Hawks finished second overall as a team in the final standings for Class AAA behind Parkersburg South.
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