If there was a glass ceiling in Bridgeport, it would be shattered as history was made on the mat.
East Hardy Wrestling sophomore SierraMarie Miller became the first state bound grappler in program history with a fourth place medal at the Class AA-A Region II Wrestling Tournament last weekend and the Yellow Jackets join Miller with three wrestlers heading to the state tournament in Huntington.
Miller is the only female wrestler to qualify for the state tournament this season and her goal is to bring attention to the sport in hopes of growing the program at East Hardy and beyond.
Moorefield Wrestling will be sending senior captain Matthew Wright (bronze medal), sophomore captain Isaac Van Meter (silver medal) and sophomore Kevin Wetzel (bronze medal) to the state tournament along with Miller.
“We had a good tournament this weekend and plan to have another good tournament in two weeks. Monday we get back to work in practice, because we have unfinished business. I am pretty proud of them. Kevin went last year and Matt is a four-year wrestler, who has put in the work to get there. In the back of my mind, that is what I was hoping would happen this weekend since he is a senior captain and he did. We have to go back to practice. We have two weeks to prepare for the state tournament, because we have unfinished business,” Moorefield Wrestling assistant coach Larry Schoonover commented.
The experience for the Yellow Jackets will be familiar as Van Meter went last year as the region champion and finished with a bronze medal, Wetzel was a state representative with a regional fourth place medal and Wright was there as an alternate with a fifth place regional medal.
Miller has developed into a tremendous wrestler using a jiu-jitsu style attack latching on the back of opponents and using a combination of techniques to gain an advantage and her freshman season showed the potential with a fifth place medal at the regional tournament leaving the motivation to take the next step this year and Miller made it happen.
“I’m really excited and I can’t take all the credit. I had supporters along the way and our teammates were very supportive. The third and fourth match was interesting, but I gave it all I could,” East Hardy sophomore SierraMarie Miller noted.
“I hope people see our success and want to pursue wrestling. It’s kind of an intimidating sport, so I hope we get more involvement from people in the school and in the community.”
It has been a monumental season for both Moorefield and East Hardy Wrestling programs setting records for team victories and the Yellow Jackets had two grapplers in Wright and Van Meter surpass the 100-win career total.
Hardy County sent 15 wrestlers to the Region II tournament and seven returned home with medals.
East Hardy Wrestling selected eight grapplers to compete in Bridgeport: Emili Flynn (138-lb., senior), Patrick Helsley (170-lb., junior), SierraMarie Miller (113-lb., sophomore), Dayton Miller (182-lb., sophomore), Hunter Ames (220-lb., sophomore), Sky Spell (145-lb., sophomore), Conner White (152-lb., sophomore) and Damian Iman (132-lb., freshman).
SierraMarie Miller reached the championship semifinals to begin Saturday morning’s session, while brother Dayton Miller, Spell and Ames were in the consolation round with a chance to medal and reach the state tournament still alive.
Ames and Dayton Miller finished as sixth place medalists in the regional tournament.
“I am proud of all of them. Sierra worked her butt off and they all did. We are progressively getting better every year,” East Hardy Wrestling coach Stevie Miller remarked.
“We are upping the numbers in medalists and upping the numbers in state qualifiers in the future to keep getting better. I can’t say enough about the team across the board, they have worked really hard to get where they are right now. It is really special, we are growing our program and starting to get noticed. The kids are doing well and we look forward to coming back next year and doing better.”
Moorefield started Friday’s competition with seven wrestlers and four of them had an opportunity to medal and reach the state tournament on Saturday with Van Meter, Wetzel and Wright in the championship semifinals and Delawder in the consolation bracket.
The Yellow Jackets’ seven wrestlers competing in Bridgeport were: Matthew Wright (152-lb., senior), Joe Palm (285-lb., senior), Jake Frederick (182-lb., sophomore), Isaac Van Meter (170-lb., sophomore), Kevin Wetzel (145-lb., sophomore), Dominick Davis (138-lb., freshman), and Matthew Delawder (195-lb., freshman)
Van Meter was the Region II runner-up, Wetzel and Wright took third place medals and Delawder rounded out the medal count with a sixth place finish.
East Hardy Wrestling program’s female-only senior class of Emili Flynn, Marina Stotlemyer, Jasmine Abrell, Emma Lutz and Jessica Smith were each offered an invitation and scholarship to join the new all-female collegiate wrestling program starting next season at Alderson Broaddus University.
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East Hardy Wrestling coach Stevie Miller was thrilled to be informed of this offer and plans to take his student-athletes to the campus soon to discuss the opportunity to wrestle for the Battlers.
SierraMarie Miller (19-14) started the Region II Tournament with a bye, then pinned Doddridge County’s Caleb Lloyd in the second period at the 3:17 mark to reach the semifinals.
Lewis County’s sixth-ranked Joseph Blake pinned Miller at the 4:36 mark of the third period to advance to the championship sending Miller into the consolation semifinals.
Miller defeated Roane County’s Sam Richards by an 8-3 decision to seal a trip to the state tournament with a huge smile after earning points on a takedown and near fall points locking on his back and twisting his neck to nearly notch a pin. There was a timeout called by the referee at one point, because the neck hold was too tight and after he caught his breath it was Miller going back to her technique using jiu-jitsu to lock again.
Richards was on top in the second period with a half-nelson creating back points before Miller was able to maneuver to her stomach and maintained a 6-3 lead.
Miller locked on with a half-nelson in the third period and wrapped her legs around the Richards in the third period.
Richards needed a timeout as the neck hold was too tight, then Miller flipped on top for more back points earning the decision victory for the state tournament berth.
Philip Barbour’s Justice Arbogast pinned Miller in the third period at the 4:03 mark as Miller settled for the fourth place medal.
Grafton’s third-ranked Noah Hodges repeated as the region champion in Bridgeport with a 12-3 major decision over Blake.
East Hardy’s Damian Iman (13-17) lost by pin during the opening round to Braxton County’s Josh Perry at the 5:48 mark of the third period, then lost to Elkins’ Alex Burge in the second period at the 4:09 mark after a bye.
East Hardy’s Emili Flynn (6-12) was pinned by Clay County’s Bo Roat in the opening round during the first period at the 0:24 mark, then had a bye in the consolation round before losing to Doddridge County’s Jared Jones at the 1:47 mark of the first period by a fall.
Moorefield’s Dominick Davis (24-28) was in the same division as Flynn and lost in the first period by pin against Philip Barbour’s Bailey Wilt at the 0:37 mark, then withdrew from the next match with an injury giving Braxton County’s Bryson Spell the default win.
Moorefield’s Kevin Wetzel (44-21) had a bye in the first round, then edged Braxton County’s Ethan Cunningham in a 9-8 decision to reach the championship semifinals.
Liberty Harrison fifth-ranked Russell Murphy pinned Wetzel in the second period of the championship semifinals at 2:41 to send Wetzel to the consolation semifinals.
Wetzel regained his composure earning an 11-2 major decision victory over South Harrison’s Anthony Colombo to punch a ticket to the state tournament.
Wetzel pinned Cunningham with two seconds remaining in the first period to earn a third place medal and jumped up enthusiastically flexing after the win.
“It is amazing and I am just happy to be going back to Huntington again, especially one place higher than before. Working my moves were key in the matches, getting in gear and just going. I just thought about what was ahead of me and how I needed to work to get there,” Moorefield sophomore Kevin Wetzel stated.
East Hardy’s Sky Spell (14-15) was in the same bracket as Wetzel with the success in the opening round pinning Doddridge County’s Caleb Cochran at the 3:16 mark.
Murphy pinned Spell in the first period of the championship quarterfinal at the 0:49 mark sending Spell to the consolation bracket.
After a bye, Spell pinned Lincoln’s Mortiz Thiel with two seconds left in the first period, but Cunningham stood in the way with a pin in the second period at 3:27 which knocked Spell out of medal contention.
Moorefield captain and eighth-ranked Matthew Wright (54-10) had a bye in the first round, then won by an 8-1 decision over Lincoln’s Jacob Parson to reach the championship semifinal.
Braxton County’s seventh-ranked and eventual region champion Gavin Triplett edged Wright by a 6-4 decision sending Wright to the consolation semifinals.
Triplett lifted Wright’s leg as Wright leaned over applying pressure before both hopped out of bounds.
Triplett made a takedown and locked legs around Wright’s waist, who tried to stand before rolling out.
Wright made a reversal in the third period and had a leg hold, but couldn’t sleep the grasp.
Wright made a shot and Triplett spread out to prevent a takedown.
Wright redeemed himself with a 4-1 decision win over host Bridgeport’s J.T. Muller and claimed the bronze medal with a 6-2 decision victory over Notre Dame’s Brent Robinson.
“It’s a pretty exciting experience to finally make it to state after three years of going home after regionals,” Moorefield senior Matthew Wright remarked.
“I’m super pumped to represent Moorefield there. As far as third place goes, I’m not going to complain because I won some matches against guys that have beat me in the past and it feels really good but I definitely think that I could’ve finished higher on the podium.”
East Hardy’s Conner White (6-18) lost to Parson in the opening round by pin in the first period at the 0:41 mark, so it was Parson taking on Wright instead of White for a potential Hardy County clash.
White was eliminated by Philip Barbour’s Joey Marsh in the second period at 2:30 (fall).
Moorefield captain and second-ranked Isaac Van Meter (59-2) had a bye in the opening round, then pinned Elkins’ Nicholas Barrickman in 24 seconds to reach the championship semifinals.
Van Meter pinned Philip Barbour’s Logan Allen in the second period at the 3:12 mark to setup a championship match against top-ranked and undefeated Jordan Williams of Braxton County (50-0).
Against Allen, Van Meter made a double leg takedown and drove Allen out of bounds.
Van Maeter locked on Allen’s head and remained on the top before sliding out o bounds.
In the second period, Van Meter made a reversal before turning across the chest for a pin.
During the championship match, Williams was aggressive early with a takedown, but Van Meter stretched out to avoid being placed in a cradle.
Van Meter kept moving the entire match, proving he was difficult to be corralled.
Working a reversal in the second period helped Van Meter, but Williams didn’t allow that to be a game changer.
They both zeroed in on technical moves to prepare for the state tournament.
“It is really great to represent Moorefield and the Christian community and everything I stand for here. It was a little bit tougher today and I got winded in the championship match a little. I worked on my agility out there. Getting the runner-up medal is special. That’s the best part, watching my teammates improve and working to achieve their goals,” Moorefield sophomore Isaac Van Meter said.
Williams managed to win by a major decision 11-2 to claim the region title, but was impressed with the sound technical skill that Van Meter displayed.
“I have been wrestling really well all season. I have taken key points from each match and incorporated them into the next one and it pays off. When regionals comes around, that’s when your craft should be perfected and I went out there and just wrestled the way I needed to for the win. As a sophomore, I feel he [Isaac] is really, really good. I’ve been in that stage before and never met very many underclassmen that are as technical and talented as he is,” Braxton County senior Jordan Williams commented.
East Hardy’s Patrick Helsley (10-16) would have met Van Meter with a win in the first round, but it wasn’t meant to be as Barrickman notched a second period pin at the 2:26 mark.
Helsley lost to South Harrison’s Gaven Hogsed in the consolation bracket by a second period pin at the 2:32 mark.
East Hardy’s Dayton Miller (21-14) pinned Bridgeport’s Aaron Murphy in 32 seconds to commence the regional tournament, then lost to South Harrison’s Elias Stamm by pin in 40 seconds.
In the consolation bracket, Miller pinned Robert C. Byrd’s Jonah Fowler at the 1:52 mark before winning by a 10-3 decision over Lincoln’s Austin Bradley to reach the semifinals.
Dayton Miller made a single leg takedown, then locked on with a half-nelson, cross-face move for back points.
Bradley was on top in the second period, but Miller made a reversal.
In the third period, Miller notched back points with cross-face move before an illegal hold was called.
Bradley made a reversal, but couldn’t flip Miller over before the horn sounded.
Philip Barbour’s Lincoln Mayle denied Miller a state bid with a 10-3 decision before taking bronze by forfeit, while Miller lost the fifth place match in a first period pin at the 1:18 mark to Grafton’s Dalton Mayle settling for a sixth place medal.
If Miller had won the fifth place match, he would have been the alternate for the injured Stamm.
Moorefield’s Matthew Delawder (40-29) made remarkable strides fighting into overtime in a couple matches to garner the sixth place medal.
SierraMarie Miller was proud of her brother’s performance and knows her father-coach is proud too.
“He wrestled very well today, but it stinks he didn’t make it to Huntington. We are still very proud of him. We live and breath wrestling, so we are going to keep working,” SierraMarie Miller said.
Delawder won the opening round by a 5-2 decision over South Harrison’s Ethan Kelley, then fourth-ranked and eventual region champion Lewis County’s Will Kuhn pinned Delawder in the first period at the 0:54 mark.
Delawder had two byes before beating Liberty Harrison’s Charles Case with a 3-1 overtime decision by a takedown to reach the consolation semifinals with a state tournament berth still alive.
Delawder did well keeping a headlock for most of the first period without allowing any points.
Delawder had a leg held and forced both out of bounds.
A penalty was called on Delawder, then he made an escape to even the score in the third period.
Delawder notched a takedown in the overtime session to win the match.
Braxton County’s fifth-ranked Seth Meador denied a state trip for Delawder with a pin during the second period at the 2:36 mark.
In the fifth place match, Delawder went toe-to-toe with Bridgeport’s Carson Demotto into a fourth overtime deadlocked at one point apiece before grabbing hold of Demotto around the waist and Demotto was able to make an escape for the victory point, 2-1 as Delawder took home the sixth place medal.
East Hardy’s Hunter Ames (14-11) had a bye in the first round, then lost by pin to Liberty Harrison’s Zach Hayes in the second period at the 2:18 mark in the quarterfinals.
Ames took a bye in the consolation round before pinning Philip Barbour’s Mac Collett in the fist period at the 0:39 mark, then won by injury default against Lewis County’s Austin Thomason to reach the consolation semifinals with a state tournament bid at stake.
Both Ames and Dayton Miller were happy to get a sixth place medal for the Cougars at the region tournament.
“It feels great,” East Hardy sophomore Dayton Miller stated.
“It is a family tradition now and we challenge ourselves. We are all learning along the way. We started the program in the youth level ten years ago.
“It is amazing, we worked very hard to get here,” East Hardy sophomore Hunter Ames added.
“It’s great that everybody knows who East Hardy is now.”
Braxton County’s Sturgis May pinned Ames in the first period at the 1:18 mark to deny a trip to Huntington, then Ames ended up with the sixth place medal losing to Hayes again at the 2:46 mark.
Moorefield’s Joe Palm (26-25) lost to South Harrison’s Trey Waller by pin in the first period at the 0:32 mark, then after a bye it was Liberty Harrison’s Bryce Wamlsey pinning Palm at the 1:25 mark.
East Hardy’s SierraMarie Miller’s opening round opponent at the state tournament will be Independence’s Daylen Gilkerson. Petersburg’s Eli Nazelrodt is a potential opponent for the next round.
Moorefield’s Kevin Wetzel will face Oak Glen’s Jonathan Creese in the opening round of the state tournament.
Moorefield’s Matthew Wright wrestles against Independence’s Sam Adams in the first round of the state tournament and Keyser’s Tyler Mason is a potential rematch later in the tournament.
Moorefield’s Isaac Van Meter will have a rematch against Fairmont Senior’s Nick Scott in the first round of the state tournament, Van Meter won their last match.
Moorefield and East Hardy Wrestling keep moving onward and upward each season, so there is potential for more success on the way.
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