FAIRLEA – A pair of northern panhandle high school wrestling powers will be among 16 teams competing in the seventh annual West Virginia Wrestling Dual Meet State Championships early next month at the state fairgrounds.

John Marshall (Division I) and Oak Glen (Division II) will compete for state championships in their respective divisions. The Division II bracket will be wrestled on Friday, Feb. 6, with the Division I teams competing on Saturday, Feb. 7. Doors open at 8 a.m. each day with weigh-ins taking place at 9 in the Underwood Building. A Breakfast of Champions and a guest speaker will be held from 9:30-10:30. Doors to the Wrestling Venue – the West Virginia Building – open at 10:30, with wrestling to commence at noon with quarterfinal action on four mats. Round 2 – semifinals and consolation rounds – begin at 1:30 p.m., with the championship matches and placement matches starting at 3. Awards and pictures take place at 4.

The event was first held in 2020, with team champions crowned in two divisions: “AAA” and “AA-A.” Qualifying regional quad matches were held on different days at different locations, and the winners of each division and region advanced to the state duals tournament. The inaugural tournament was held at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs. In 2021 and 2022, due to the capacity limitations brought on by COVID restrictions, the tournament site was relocated to the WV State Fairgrounds in Fairlea, just outside of Lewisburg. In 2023, the tournament expanded to eight teams with the champion and runnerup from each region qualifying.

The event is sponsored by the West Virginia Wrestling Coaches Association and is sanctioned by the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission.

This year the format has been changed from Class AAA and Class AA-A to Division I and Division II.

DIVISION I

The Monarchs will be making their second consecutive appearance. They finished sixth last season and are listed as the runnerup from Region I. University is the No. 1 team in Region I.

Other schools competing are Region II (Washington, No. 1, and Spring Mills); Region III (Riverside and Woodrow Wilson) and Region IV (Parkersburg and Parkersburg South).

John Marshall will face Parkersburg in its opening match. That winner will meet the winner of Washington-Woodrow Wilson in the semis.

Wheeling Park represented Region I in 2021, 2023 and 2024, placing third in 2023 and 5th a year later.

The City of Parkersburg has owned the ‘Big School’ division, with Parkersburg High winning the inaugural event. Parkersburg South captured the next three events before University prevailed in 2024. Parkersburg regained its top spot last year.

DIVISION II

The Golden Bears are the only local team to ever compete in the event. They have placed four times, including second in 2020; third in 2023 and 2024; and sixth a year ago.

Others entered are Region II (Keyser, Moorefield); Region III (Herbert Hoover, Independence) and Region IV (Ripley, Point Pleasant).

Oak Glen enters as the Region I runnerup to Williamstown. It will face Ripley in the quarterfinals, with that victor meeting the winner of Keyser and Independence in the semis.

Point Pleasant has captured five of the previous six events, with Fairmont Senior prevailing in 2023.