Grappling through the snow to reach Braxton County was merely a test of determination in preparation for the Class AA-A Region II Wrestling Tournament last weekend where Moorefield and East Hardy Wrestling squads combined for ten medals with the Yellow Jackets earning four state tournament berths with one regional crown and the Cougars are sending the first male in program history to Huntington.
The five wrestlers from Hardy County earning a state tournament berth are: Moorefield’s Isaac Van Meter, Kevin Wetzel, Tyberious Clayton, Layne Spitzer and East Hardy’s Dayton Miller.
Region II Wrestling Tournament champion Braxton County hosted 15 teams with state tournament berths being earned in the circle: Doddridge County, Bridgeport, Clay County, Philip Barbour, Liberty Harrison, South Harrison, Grafton, Moorefield, Lewis County, East Hardy, Lincoln, Notre Dame, Elkins, Roane County and Robert C. Byrd.
Moorefield junior captain Isaac Van Meter (41-2) garnered the Class AA-A Region II 170-lb. Championship, the second regional title in his career and third trip to the state tournament.
“This one isn’t really important to me. I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks working hard to get ready for states. I love wrestling for Moorefield and representing my teammates. It is a lot of fun. It is very exciting to be on this road and we keep getting better. All the glory goes to God,” Region II champion Isaac Van Meter said.
“I took what my opponent gave me and capitalized on his mistakes. I am always nervous, but it keeps me on my toes.”
East Hardy junior captain Dayton Miller (34-12) in the 195-lb. weight class became the first male in school history to qualify for the state tournament earning the spot in fourth place as his twin sister SierraMarie Miller had the honor of being the first East Hardy female wrestler to be in Huntington last season and claimed the inaugural girls state title this year.
The Yellow Jackets made history with the most representation at the state tournament in program history with four grapplers going [private]to the state wrestling tournament.
Moorefield junior captain Kevin Wetzel (29-15) earned his second state appearance with a fourth place finish in the 160-lb. weight class at the Region II Tournament in Sutton.
Moorefield sophomore Tyberious Clayton (42-9) battled for a bronze medal in the 152-lb. weight class for a state tournament bid.
Rounding out the Yellow Jackets state wrestling quartet is freshman Layne Spitzer (38-11) in the 106-lb. division with a third place qualifying finish in Braxton County.
The accolades kept hitting the mat for Hardy County with more medals at the Region II Tournament.
In the 106-lb. weight class, East Hardy Wrestling freshman Shane Riggle (16-20) finished in sixth place.
East Hardy junior captain SierraMarie Miller (27-18) garnered a fifth place regional medal in the 113-lb. weight class to compliment her girls state title falling one spot shy of a return to Huntington.
East Hardy freshman Mason Miller (30-13) joined his siblings Dayton and SierraMarie in earning medals at regionals finishing with a fifth place medal in the 152-lb. division.
Moorefield Wrestling sophomore Matthew Delawder (35-20) took home a fifth place medal for the 220-lb. weight class.
For the 285-lb. weight class, East Hardy sophomore Dale Hockman (28-8) tallied a fifth place medal.
The first day of regional action was swift utilizing three mats to complete the first couple rounds of wrestling in just two and a half hours.
The Yellow Jackets shared a cowboy hat as they were fixing to Cowboy Up against the competition, while East Hardy donned sharp looking sweatsuits reminiscent of Rocky preparing to battle.
“We are definitely taking a step moving forward in the right direction with four wrestlers going to the state tournament, but we would have liked to have more on there. We have dealt with some missed opportunities and some nagging injuries this year and a two-week bout with the flu. We would like to have kids healthy and competing well,” Moorefield Wrestling coach T.J. Van Meter commented.
“Kevin [Wetzel] lost that first match and had to battle back all the way through. He was up against it and I am really proud of his effort, holding his composure battling back. Layne [Spitzer] is an undersized 106-pounder tipping the scales at 100 pounds. A lot of those guys weigh 110 of 115 and cut down to 106. He has been strong for us all year battling giving up ten pounds or ten percent of his body weight everywhere he goes and wrestled real well. I thought Ty [Clayton] and Isaac’s [Van Meter] experience really showed up on the mats this weekend. They wrestled smart and hard all season long and did that here this weekend. This is Isaac’s second regional title. We don’t wrestle for region titles, but it is better than the alternative and in two weeks is what we want.”
It took over eight hours to complete the tournament using two mats on the second day of wrestling with host Braxton County winning the Region II Wrestling team championship for a fourth consecutive season with 238.5 points.
Moorefield Wrestling placed ninth overall as a team with 80 points at the Region II Tournament and East Hardy Wrestling finished in 11th place with 57 points.
Hardy County wrestlers competing in Sutton without claiming a medal were: Moorefield sophomore Dominick Davis 138-lb. (25-19), East Hardy sophomore Damien Iman 138-lb. (17-18), East Hardy junior Sky Spell 145-lb. (4-9), East Hardy junior Ryan D’Amico 160-lb. (6-17), East Hardy sophomore Miles Kidwell 182-lb. (6-16), Moorefield junior Allen Hardbarger 182-lb. (9-13), East Hardy freshman Matthew Harman 220-lb. (8-14), Moorefield freshman Levi Howard 285-lb. (9-10).
“I am proud of the effort from the entire team. We wrestled hard, just came up short with everyone but Dayton. I’m really proud of the way he wrestled at regionals. He is the first male to make it to the state tournament from East Hardy. He has worked really hard to get to where he is and we will keep working to win a state title,” Coach Steve Miller remarked.
There were three all-Hardy County matches during the Region II Tournament pitting Moorefield and East Hardy against each other with the Yellow Jackets emerging victorious: Moorefield’s Layne Spitzer vs East Hardy’s Shane Riggle (Spitzer 1:05 pin), Moorefield’s Tyberious Clayton vs East Hardy’s Mason Miller (Clayton 10-2 major decision), Moorefield’s Matthew Delawder vs East Hardy’s Matthew Harman (Delawder 4-2 decision).
Spitzer’s victory over Riggle earned a championship bracket semifinal spot and sent Riggle into the consolation round.
Clayton’s win over Miller created an advancement to the championship bracket semifinal as Miller went into the consolation bracket.
Delawder met Harman in the consolation bracket with Delawder moving to the semifinal round and eliminating Harman.
Kicking off the second day of the tournament, Hardy County had most of their wrestlers in medal contention and the consolation quarterfinal rounds were the first to land on the mats.
East Hardy’s Shane Riggle began the Saturday morning session with a first period pin with one second left against Bridgeport’s Xander Mouser to reach the consolation semifinals creating a reversal and using a power-half to secure the pin.
Philip Barbour’s Matthew Shahan defeated Riggle by a 14-2 major decision (could have been a rematch against Spitzer with a win), then Elkins’s Grant Hutton beat Riggle in the fifth place medal match in a 15-2 major decision.
East Hardy’s Sky Spell (4-9) lost to Grafton’s Dillon William in the second round of the 145-lb. weight class by pin after a bye, then two byes moved Spell to the consolation quarterfinal.
Philip Barbour’s Bailey Wilt beat Spell with a first period pin at 0:44.
Spell managed a couple of reversals, but wasn’t able to capitalize on the moves.
East Hardy’s Mason Miller opened with a win against Roane County before falling to Clayton in a major decision, then edged Lincoln’s Jacob Parson in the consolation bracket with a 9-3 decision to reach the quarterfinals on Saturday morning.
Mason Miller earned back points with lock around the arms in the first period against Braxton County’s Tyler Cox and made reversal in the second period reinstating a lock of the arms leading up to the pin at 3:24.
Liberty Harrison’s Bryce Shearns edged Miller in a 5-4 decision to advance to the third place medal match against Moorefield’s Clayton.
Mason Miller won the fifth place medal with a 6-4 decision over Grafton’s Jeremiah Mitchell.
Moorefield’s Kevin Wetzel had a bye before falling to Notre Dame’s Brent Robinson by an 11-2 major decision.
Wetzel pinned South Harrison’s Johnny Smith to reach the Saturday consolation quarterfinal start facing Lewis County’s Ethan Leavitt.
Wetzel garnered two takedowns in the opening period against Leavitt, then tangled up legs and made a choke style hold shifting weight on top for what was called an Assassin move for the second period pin at 1:21.
Wetzel pinned Doddridge County’s Parker Todd to ensure a state tournament berth, then flexed and rushed upstairs to hug his parents.
“This is a big one, because I thought I was going to have a rough tournament. I came in as the sixth seed and it was a little rough, but it is amazing to come out here and go back. It was a good match, we both wrestled well and one of us came out on top. It was amazing hearing my family cheer. The first thing on my mind was I needed a hug,” Moorefield junior Kevin Wetzel stated.
Wetzel had a rematch against Robinson in the third place medal match, but lost by pin with the state tournament berth intact.
D’Amico lost to Lincoln’s Logan Ford by pin at 2:26 in the consolation quarterfinals.
Hardbarger was pinned by Doddridge County’s Justin Mace in the consolation quarterfinals at 1:01.
Delawder made two takedowns and Harman executed two escapes during the 4-2 decision match in the consolation quarterfinals.
Lewis County’s Julius Church pinned Moorefield’s Levi Howard at 0:14 in the first period of the consolation quarterfinals on Saturday with East Hardy’s Dale Hockman awaiting the winner.
Spitzer started Saturday in the championship semifinals facing off against Doddridge County’s Dawson Pumphrey, who earned a first period pin with about 21 seconds on the clock.
Spitzer would move on to beat Hutton by fall and Shahan in the third place match by a 7-1 decision mastering the leg takedowns and using proper techniques in shifting around on top for positioning.
“It means a lot being my freshman year and making it in my first try this year. I just stayed smart and made sure everybody stayed off my legs, because being smaller makes it harder to win as everyone is heavier than you. I am glad that I made it to state. Moorefield is my hometown and I love it,” Moorefield freshman Layne Spitzer said.
Clayton went three rounds against Doddridge County’s Dylan Knight in the championship semifinals before losing by a 10-2 major decision.
Knight made a couple of early takedowns with Clayton countering with one escape in the first period.
Knight tangled with Clayton flipping around out of bounds a couple of times in the second period.
Clayton was caught in a cross-face move and went on his back, but managed to escape in the third period.
Clayton defeated Grafton’s Jeremiah Mitchell by a 13-2 major decision and edged Liberty Harrison’s Bryce Stearns in an 8-6 decision to earn the third place medal.
“This is very special, because I didn’t get to come to regionals last year. I am very proud of myself for making it here this season. I fought hard and trained in the off-season. It is awesome representing Moorefield, taking four guys to state this year is the most we have ever taken,” Moorefield sophomore Tyberious Clayton noted.
Moorefield’s Isaac Van Meter started the championship semifinals on Saturday against Lincoln’s Job Proffitt.
Van Meter lifted Proffitt up turning his legs into the air and angled his head toward the mat which sort of looked like a farmer emptying a wheelbarrow. Although, Van Meter coined the move as “Who’s Your Daddy?” and finished with a first period pin at 0:51.
In the championship bout, Van Meter took his time as a technician using a 9-1 decision to defeat Braxton County’s Colton Moore effectively using a takedown in each period and earning back points in the final stanza.
Van Meter was smelling Moore’s sneakers at the final buzzer, but the aroma of the championship victory was sweeter.
East Hardy’s Dayton Miller lost to Region II champion Noah Casto of Clay County in the semifinals by pin, then beat Liberty Harrison’s Charles Case with a pin in the consolation semifinals to secure a state tournament berth before falling to Doddridge County’s Adam Burnside in the third place match.
Miller was caught off-guard with his arm up and Burnside swept in with a hold for the pin to finish in fourth place.
“This is really exciting, especially since I was one match from going the last two years. I should have won the third place match, but he caught me with my hand up in the air. It is really exciting to be the second person in school history and first boy to go to state. We are putting ourselves on the map, that’s for sure. Some people here at regions we’ve been wrestling for three or four years and nobody knew who we were. To send somebody to states is putting us on the map as far as Hardy County and East Hardy. The only people from the county they know is from Moorefield, so they need to know East Hardy too. I like to stick to the basics and fundamentals in matches, like the power-half works very well in my weight class. I use simple stuff to get the job done,” East Hardy junior Dayton Miller commented.
East Hardy’s Dale Hockman lost to Grafton’s Garrett Williams in the championship semifinals in the second period at 1:24 with the score at 4-1 before the pin on Saturday afternoon.
Hockman lost to Lewis County’s Julius Church by a 7-1 decision in the consolation semifinals just barley missing out on a state trip, then fought back to earn the fifth place medal with a pin against Robert C. Byrd’s Mike Alvaro with a strong headlock.
East Hardy’s SierraMarie Miller started off Saturday in the consolation semifinals against Bridgeport’s Connor Arnett, who would advance to take third place overall and denied a state bid for Miller.
Arnett made the first takedown, but Miller countered with a reversal and tried to wrap around on his back.
In the second period, Miller shifted around the upper-torso with one arm wrapped around the neck and legs folding around like a clam shell to create back points before Arnett managed to get an arm free to make a reversal and garnered the pin.
Wrestling is often described as a family sport as relationships are built among communities and for East Hardy Wrestling there is a close-knit bond as father-coach Steve Miller’s three children compete and all three won regional medals, but the family aspect extends to other members of the team starting this journey together 11 years ago and two of his children have fulfilled the goal of being in the state tournament.
“We all started this journey 11 years ago in the Wardensville gym. We have been traveling every weekend from December through March for wrestling for 11 years, so it is very special for Diane and I to see the kid’s success,” Coach Miller stated.
“It has not only been my own children I have been with over the years it has been countless kids from our community. On this year’s team alone, Dale [Hockman], Sky [Spell] and Cole [Pusl] have been wrestling for me since they were six or seven. Wrestling is like no other sport, it is like a family. Even the other teams like Moorefield, Petersburg and Hampshire become close to us because we spend so many weekends together over the years. We are still competitive with each other, but we all support each other when we are facing other teams. I am happy to see the success of our kids and the sport as a whole. This has been a fantastic year so far and we hope to keep it going.”
There was a parade of champions with Van Meter coming down the aisle prior to winning the Region II title for the Yellow Jackets.
Moorefield and East Hardy Wrestling programs have become formidable competitors and will return with more focus and determination in the regionals next season, but first there is more business to finish at the state tournament in Huntington.
The Moorefield quartet of Van Meter, Clayton, Spitzer and Wetzel along with East Hardy’s Dayton Miller seek to reach the state wrestling place winner’s podium as champions representing Hardy County with good sportsmanship on February 27-29.[/private]
The state tournament pairings for our Hardy County grapplers starting on February 27 will be: 106 – Moorefield’s Layne Spitzer versus Wirt County’s Phillip Balis, 152 – Moorefield’s Ty Clayton vs Ritchie County’s Kayden Procacina, 160 – Moorefield’s Kevin Wetzel vs Herbert Hoover’s Ben Kee, 170 – Moorefield’s Isaac Van Meter vs Lincoln County’s Nathaniel Amburgey, 195 – East Hardy’s Dayton Miller vs Nicholas County’s Jacob Williams.