MORGANTOWN — Every year, the moment the high school wrestling schedule is released, Preston and Morgantown – historically evenly matched rivals – definitely search out and circle each other’s names and dates. On Thursday night, the emotional stakes ramped up a little bit higher, as the Mohigans celebrated Senior Night while hosting the Knights, and the closely contested match lived up to the billing.
In an exciting, see-saw affair, Preston pulled away with three straight wins in the heavier weight classes to prevail on the road, 39-22.
The Knights (11-4) took the first match at 113 pounds on Brody Bryner’s decision, but Morgantown (14-5) came back at 120 behind Jameson Hare’s technical fall. Preston 126-pounder Levi Jennings registered a pin fall, only to see Ryan Shreves even the score at 9-9 for the Mohigans with a major decision at 132.
Preston 138-pounder William Schmidle won by forfeit, but again, MHS responded with a major decision win at 144 by senior Carter Jones, to pull within two points.
A terrific battle at 150 between Zaden Peddicord and Dylan Belt saw Belt forge a big lead, only to have Peddicord gain momentum in the third period, leading to a crucial pin for the Knights, and when Preston 157-pounder Brayden Miller earned a pin, the Knights took control. Dominick Smith, another MHS celebrated senior (along with Jones, Mason Haney, Ty Travis, Remy Hawkins, and Owen Newbold) responded with a pin at 165, but the three straight Knights wins from Cole Turner (175), Sam Klimas (190) and Blake Jennings (215) clinched the victory for Preston.
Morgantown High 285-pounder Justin Fridley rode a late takedown to a decision to close out the match.
Mohigans head coach Joe Abu shared that the yearly matches with Preston are usually “one of my favorite duals of the year. They’re always so close, with back-and-forth matches – they won 7 to our 5 tonight – which makes it exciting for the teams and the fans. Although I guess it hurts a little more to lose these close ones, right?
“Still, we still have a full month left before the postseason starts, and results like these gives us feedback on where we are and what we need to work on. Our conditioning was very good, and we can build from that base. You always learn more from your mistakes, and we will use this as motivation and direction to improve.”
Knights head coach Brad Reed was certainly pleased with his team’s solid victory.
“This is usually the match we point to every year,” he smiled. “Morgantown is our major rival, so it’s always satisfying to wrestle well against them, especially when the weather has kept us out of our gym for long stretches recently. I thought we fought through in our tough matches and picked up big points at 126, 175, and 190, and Zaden gave us a major boost when he came back and won his match. We are hoping to finish in the top 15 and send 6 to 8 to states, although our region is brutal with University, Wheeling Park, and Fairmont Senior.
“But first, we’re going to enjoy this win for sure.”
The Knights head to Herbert Hoover today for a weekend tournament, while the Mohigans travel to Kyser for a dual match next week.
