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Wheeling Wrestling Club Wins State Title

By KIM NORTH 2 min read
Photo Provided The Wheeling Park Wrestling Club captured its fifth straight championship inside Mountain Health Arena in downtown Huntington. Wheeling qualified and all but 11 made it to the podium. Wheeling also had 15 wrestlers compete in the finals with nine bring home state championships. Front row, from left, are Blaine Wahl, Tyson Banks, Brecken Robinson, Jace Keller, Easton Bellanco, Jimmy Walker, Conner McCullough, Levi Dunkin, Armoni Ray, Gavin Young, Preston Moses, Tucker Wells, Jaxon Conklin, Owen Kennedy and Sam Komorowski. Second row, from left, are Micah McCardle, Nic Lowe, Bodie Cox, Manhattan Rogerson, Maxx Taylor, DiNico Jerome, Kash Wilbert, Brock Humphrey, Isa Adams, Beau Braunlich, Evan Cottrill, Hunter Flanegin, Triton Brown, Jaxx Taylor, Wyatt Reeves and Josiah Wilke. Third row, from left, are JaáBril Delong, Marshall Crow, Trey Brawner, Braxton Harbert, Landon Cottrill, Georgie Mamakos, Terence Brawner, Wyatt Brady, Noah White, Carter Lucas, Trenton McCardle, Dreydon McCardle and Donovan Dunkin. Back row, from left, are Jameson Maynard, Kolin Wiley, Josef White, Jason Ross Jr., Isaac Martin, Brody Cottrill, Zac Lydick, Jack Lowe, Chance Funari, Carter Duncil and Adam Carman. Not pictured is Isaac Sands.

WHEELING -- It's becoming commonplace for the Wheeling Wrestling Club to dominate at the West Virginia Youth Wrestling state championships. The WWC didn't disappoint again this year.

Wheeling captured the state championship for the fifth consecutive year recently inside Mountain Health Arena in downtown Huntington. It did so in convincing style.

"Our team has been practicing and competing almost every weekend since October in preparation for the state tournament," spokesman Josh Braunlich said.

"We qualified 48 wrestlers to compete in the state tournament who range from 4-years-old to middle school.

All but 11 of our kids made it to the podium and placed in the top 8 of their respective weight classes.

"We had 15 kids wrestle in the finals and we brought home nine state champions."

Those champions included Armoni Ray (4U ,40lbs.), Levi Dunkin (6U 45), DeNico Jerome (8U, 45), Isa Adams (6U, 55), Kash Wilbert (8U, 70), Brock Humphrey (10U, 65), Wyatt Brady (12U, 100), Brody Cottrill (12U, 160), Isaac Martin (12U, Hwt) and Noah White (middle school, 78).

Runner-ups were Conner McCollough (4U, 40), Beau Braunlich (8U, 50), Georgie Mamakos (10U, 75), Terrence Brawner (12U, 95) and Zac Lydick (middle school, 145).

According to Bruanlich, this was the first year West Virginia Youth Wrestling had a girls-only division.

"Girls wrestling is one of the fastest growing girls sports in the United States," Bruanlich said.

Dunkin competed in the girls' 40 lbs. division was the first West Virginia girls state champion.

"One of the most exciting things about what we are doing is the future of wrestling in West Virginia, and more specifically at Wheeling Park High School," Bruanlich said. "If you take a look at Park's team this year you will find that just about the entire starting lineup began their wrestling career with Wheeling Wrestling Club.

"When Todd Shelek, who now coaches with Wheeling Park, revitalized and rebuilt Wheeling Wrestling Club more than 10 years ago, I don't know if he ever envisioned the level of success these kids would go on to achieve," Braunlich pointed out. "As coaches, the most rewarding aspect of what we do is getting to watch our kids grow as wrestlers, as student-athletes and into young men."

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