UPDATE: OVAC Wrestling Tournament Schedule Altered

First Round Of Three-Day Competition Kicks Off At 6 p.m.

Kim North

Due to the forecast inclement weather coming into the Ohio Valley, the schedule of the OVAC Ron Mauck Wrestling Championships has been altered.

The tournament will still begin at 6 p.m., but contestants will wrestle two championship rounds and one consolation round tonight. The usual schedule is one championship round on the first night.

Original story

WHEELING - The 70th annual OVAC Ron Mauck Wrestling Championships promises to be as exciting as ever with nine defending champions and a bevy of talented teams battling for the overall title.

Action gets under way tonight at 6 with the must-see Olympic-style opening ceremony as the 42 teams represented by 423 participants parade on to the main floor inside WesBanco Arena.

Action in the 14 weight classes begins on eight mats at 6:30.

Only first round matches in the championship bracket will be contested tonight.

Friday's action starts at noon with second-round bouts in the championship bracket and will include first-round consolation matches.

The championship quarterfinals highlights Friday night's 6 o'clock session.

Semifinals in the championship bracket begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, along with consolation bouts. Matches for first-, third-, fifth- and seventh-places get under way at 4.

Prior to the finals, the prestigious Mr. Mat Award will be presented to a very deserving individual. Also, the 1999 Martins Ferry team, coached by Jeff Oberdick, will be honored as the 25-year champions. The 1999 individual champions will also be honored.

They are: Cole Bowersock (Beaver Local); Marshall Brooks (Cadiz); Jose Smith (Cambridge); Josh Hackney (Wellsville); Stan Bittinger (Cadiz); Greg Ware (Martins Ferry); Scott Roth (Martins Ferry); Mitch Wheeler (Steubenville); Lucas Sedgmer (Cadiz, deceased); Terry Smith (Buckeye Local); Joe Nichols (Brooke); Craig Bruney (Martins Ferry); Matt Salsberry (East Liverpool, deceased); and Alex McClung (Oak Glen).

Barnesville returns four individual champions from 2023 when it finished fourth overall and won its fourth straight Class 3A title.

The four Shamrocks are also the top seeds in their respective weight classes.

They are two-time champion Dakota King (138), Jonathan Huntsman (113), Reese Stephen (150) and Skyler King (157). Dakota King, who is headed to Ohio State University, is the reigning David Bierkortte Award winner, symbolic of the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler as voted by tournament coaches. Stephen is a Cleveland State recruit and won a Division III state title last winter.

Other returning champions are University's Luca Felix (190) and Brock Kehler (285), along with Beaver Local's Bobby Buccheit (126); Oak Glen's Logan Davis (120) and Wheeling Park's Jameson Maynard (175). All are the top seeds except Maynard who is No. 2 behind Parkersburg South's Gage Wright, who is ranked No. 2 nationally. Felix, Kehler and Davis are all two-time titlists.

There will be no four-year champions this year as the 2021 tournament was canceled due to COVID.

Also receiving top billing in their weight classes were University's Pepper Martin (106); John Marshall's Zander Ward (126); Steubenville's Cooper Smith (144); Parkersburg South's Brycen Arthur (190) and Harrison Central's Lucas Thomas (215).

In addition to Barnesville, Parkersburg South will look to defend its title, with stiff competition coming from Beaver Local, Steubenville and University.

The Hawks led the seeding with all 14 wrestlers receiving a seed. Barnesville and Parkersburg South each had 12, while Steubenville had 10.

Parkersburg South is the defending overall champ and has won the event all but three times since joining the bi-state conference in 2010. Steubenville (2012), Beaver Local (2019) and Wheeling Park (2022) won those years. The Wood County Patriots have also won the 'Big School' title every year except 2022 as Steubenville and Beaver Local prevailed as Class 4A overall winners.

The tournament went to the current four-division (Class 1A/2A, Class 3A, Class 4A and Class 5A) alignment in 2012.

Student tickets are only $1.

Mr. Mats Dinner Held

Ten Mr. Mat award recipients were featured during a dinner Tuesday night at Abbey's Restaurant on Wheeling Island. Attending were Dr. Bill Welker (1991), John Stephenson (1993), Ed "Buzzy" Evans (2000), Jeff Oberdick (2004), Dr. Dan Doyle (2005), Gene Monteleone (2015), Jim Crosier (2016), Larry Shaw (2018), Pete Cuffaro (2021) and Merle Tournay (2023).