Point Pleasant may have locked out their fourth straight Class AA state championship, but Independence made an impact.
And it could have been better.
The Patriots had three wrestlers in Friday's semifinals at the 75th annual state tournament and all three progressed to Saturday's championship.
Dillon Perdue defeated Slayton Petit of Cameroon 6-3 and will defend his 106-pound state championship when the finals begin at 6 p.m. Judah Price continued her march with a 37-second pinfall of Frankfurt's Chris Sherman. Colton Caron wrapped it up with a pin from state No. 1 Gabriel Clark of Berkeley Springs to advance to the 170th final.
The Patriots finished the night with 93 team points and finished second, well behind Point Pleasant's 194. But still it has been a successful two days.
Independence coach Jeremy Hart said the rest of the team were fed up with Perdue (30–4) and their semi-final victory.
"They saw him go out there and win a big match," Hart said. "I mean, it's a tough opponent and he took it to himself. That's just how everybody was going."
It also featured Caleb Nichols, who made a late move to a 10–9 win over men's Jim Green in consolation. Guaranteed to put it.
Price (30–1) secured his second pin of the tournament and won his quarterfinal match by big decision. The state's top-ranked 145-pounder will face Point Pleasant No. 2 Justin Barty for the state title. Price defeated three-time state champion Barty 4–3 in a third-place match at the WSAZ Invitational.
"He really got it right last night in the finals," Hart said. "It's going to be a tough match. Everyone in this building wants to watch. We're excited for him. Both him and Barty in the final, you're just looking forward to a match like this."
Karen (36-4) wrestled most of the year at 160 before moving to 170 for the Region 3 tournament. He skipped the title match against Nicholas County's Dalton Henshaw and doubts arose.
"I think in his mind at the regional level he was doubting what we were doing because he was wrestling with the big guys," Hart said. "But we just thought about the weight category, 170 was a better shot at getting a title. He dropped that match at the regional level and questioned us a bit, but he's really put himself in practice over the last few weeks. And ever since we brought him here in Huntington, he looks totally dialed-in."
The Patriots qualified 12 wrestlers for the state tournament, but 113-pounder Seth Snuffer missed out due to illness and 195-pound Region 3 champion Joshua Hart injured his ankle a few days before the tournament.
Woodrow Wilson hasn't had a state champion in 23 years, and opportunities to end that drought are few and far between.
The Flying Eagles will have three chances on Saturday night.
JJ Bailes and Ethan Osborne punched their tickets for the championship round. The Belles advanced at 113 pounds with a big 9–1 decision over Wheeling Park's Adam Carmen, and Osborne advanced with an 8–3 win over University's Dom Parker.
The Belles (47-1), a freshman ranked No. 1 in the state, will meet Jacob Perry of Spring Mills. Osborne (47-3) will face Perry's teammate Patrick Jackson. The two have met twice this year, with Jackson handing Osborne two of his three losses.
Jackson (47-2) is No. 1 in the state and Osborne is second.
"We haven't played two in a final in a long time," said Woodrow's third-year coach, Matt Osborne. "He has a good chance of winning. JJ's wrestling is really impressive and I love his chances. Ethan gets to rematch. (Jackson) beat him twice; maybe he's got a little bit of him. Me. have hope."
Woodrow's eventual state champion was Matt Callahan, who won the title in 1999 at 140 pounds.
The bales will get their first crack at breaking that drought.
Woodrow had five wrestlers in the semifinals. Garrett Johnson lost by major decision to reigning No. 1 Matthew Dolan of Spring Mills at 106; Jay Jones was pinned by Logan Fisher of Caballe Midland in 195; and heavyweight Jackson Evans lost 7-6 to Jeffrey Jones of Parkersburg.
The Flying Eagles finished the second day in seventh place with 84 points, half a point behind Cabela's Midland.
The weekend has not gone as Osborne had hoped, but wants his youth team to learn and apply it next season.
"It shows that he needs to continue wrestling in the off-season. Stay in the weight room and have a good attitude with it," he added. "These new guys, they know what to expect for next year.
"The week ahead at the state tournament next year, the training will be a little different."