HUNTINGTON, WV (WOAY) – The Class AA/A state wrestling tournament began Wednesday in Huntington, with one of the storylines being Greenbrier West competing for a third straight Class A team state title.
The Cavaliers were tied for the team lead after the first session, but are tied for fourth after Wednesday’s bouts. Noah Brown, who won the 220 individual title in 2020, is in the 285 semifinals after winning both his first two matches by fall.
Independence originally had all 14 grapplers qualify for the state tournament, but five had to withdraw due to COVID-19 contact tracing, and one through injury. The Patriots do have four representatives in the semifinals: Dillon Perdue (106), John Sanders (113), Bryce Perdue (126), and Sam Adams (170). Nicholas County’s Connor Jones reached the 182 semifinals after two wins.
Six additional wrestlers will still be in the consolation brackets when bouts resume on Thursday, including representatives from Shady Spring and Liberty in addition to the schools who also have semifinalists.
Independence is fifth in the Class AA team standings with 46 points. Semifinal and consolation matches are scheduled to start at 10 AM Thursday, with the finals beginning at 6:30 PM.