Trending
SHADYSIDE — With the 68th annual OVAC Ron Mauck Wrestling Tournament looming at the end of the week, Martins Ferry gained some momentum by capturing the Last Man Standing Tournament Saturday inside the Tiger Den at Shadyside High School.
The Purple Riders tallied 183 points in the pool-style event, which was 17 better than runnerup Southern Local’s 166. Wheeling Park’s “B” team was third with 129.5, while short-handed Barnesville had 102 and River 55 to round out the top five. Defending champion Bridgeport was sixth with 50. Shadyside finished with 47.4, Toronto had 37 and Steubenville Catholic 31.
Martins Ferry had six of the 14 champions with Jace Mahoney (106), Dylan Ward (113), Johnny McFarland (157), George Hulsey (165), Alexander Finsley (190) and Zak Dobson (215).
Four other Purple Riders placed in the top four of their respective weight class. They were runners-up Jonathan Rossano (126), Trey Regis (144) and Zeke Bruney (285), while Kaden Archer (138) finished third.
“This was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. We just jumped into this tournament at the beginning of the week,” Martins Ferry head coach Chad Ware said. “We had some points open up on our schedule so we thought it would be good to get matches in before the OVACs. This should give us some momentum heading into this week.”
Martins Ferry was able to score bonus points all day long as the half-a-dozen titlists combined for 17 pins. Dobson, who is now 20-0, led the way with four, including three in less than a minute. McFarland, Hulsey and Finsley all had three, with Hulsey’s coming in less than 60 seconds. Mahoney and Ward evenly divided four.
Barnesville had a pair of champs in Reese Stephen (126) and Luke Shaffer (132), who was competing unattached. Stephen, now 20-0, scored five falls, with all but one coming in less than a minute. Shaffer had four pins.
Shadyside’s Andrew Osman (144) had a pin, a technical fall and two decisions in earning his title.
Also standing atop the awards podium were Wheeling Park’s Cody Walsh (120); Southern Local’s Maddox Dickey (138), Chance Wooley (150) and Wyatt Morris (175); and Toronto’s Josh Fancher (285).
Wheeling Park had four runners-up in Chance Funari (138), Jordan Combs (150), Kevon Burkle (157) and Gavin Washington (175).
Barnesville had two second-place finishers in Blake Hinkle (132) and Marshall Meade (190), while Bridgeport’s Peyton Pyle (144) and River’s Noah Lively (215) also finished second.
Osman and Wooley were named co-Most Outstanding Wrestlers by a vote of tournament coaches.
The OVAC Ron Mauck Tournament begins Thursday and runs through Saturday inside WesBanco Arena. It was postponed for the first time in its history last winter due to the COVID-19 pandemic.