
This page composed March 15, 1996Lists such as this are often subjective and a source of contention. I have taken the easy way out. This page reviews the 1995-96 West Virginia State High School Wrestling Tournament, and simply lists those 1995-96 seniors who were state champs, juniors who placed in the top three, sophomores who placed in the top five, and freshmen who placed in the top six. A few additional stats and comments are added to allow you to draw your own conclusions.
Attention wrestlers and coaches: If you have other "credentials" to add to your listing here (a good finish in other major tournaments, etc) let us know and we can update your stats!
Top seniors - AAA This year there were five seniors who claimed AAA championships:
- Robert Davidson, Wheeling Park, 189 lbs, ( 42-2): Champ at 189 as a junior ( 37-3).
- Steve Rader, Parkersburg, 152 lbs, (38-1): Third place at 140 as a junior (22-10).
- Steve Humphreys, Nitro, 130 lbs, (37-2): Fourth place at 125 as a junior (34-7).
- Jason Parker, Fairmont Senior, 215 lbs, (37-3).
- B.J. Jones, North Marion, 275 lbs, (31-4).
Top seniors - AA/A This year there were ten seniors who claimed AA/A championships:
- Jeremy Hart, Independence, 135 lbs, (40-0): Champ at 125 as a Junior (39-2).
- Josh Giovengo, Bishop Donahue, 145 lbs, (36-0): Runner up at 135 as a junior (40-3).
- Nick Lahman, Petersburg, 189 lbs, (30-0): Fourth as a junior at 189 (39-3).
- Mike Dotson, Williamstown, 152 lbs, (32-3): Third at 145 as a junior (29-9).
- Judd Lilly, Shady Spring, 130 lbs, (30-6): Fourth at 130 as a junior (36-7).
- Laramie Richmond, Meadow Bridge, 215 lbs, (40-0).
- Eddie Powell, Wirt, 140 lbs, (34-1).
- Dennie Uhl, Williamstown, 160 lbs, (36-5).
- Shane Meadows, Shady Spring, 171, (32-3).
- Steve Root, South Harrison, 275, (34-2).
Top juniors - AAA This year, 15 juniors placed in the AAA top three:
- John Jackson, Jefferson, 145 lbs, (32-2), champ: Third at 130 as a soph (39-1).
- Jay Golden, Parkersburg, 112 lbs, (30-7), champ: Fourth at 103 as a soph, (18-12).
- Andy Wilfong, Fairmont Senior, 160 lbs, (44-2), champ.
- Dewitt Stanley, Brooke, 103 lbs, (38-0), champ.
- Jesse Crouch, Hurricane, 119 lbs, (29-2), champ.
- Ryan Muldrew, John Marshall, 125 lbs, (32-3), champ.
- Ryan Courtney, Fairmont Senior, 171 lbs, (44-6), champ
- Zach Hasse, Parkersburg South, 125 lbs, (29-10), runner-up: Champ at 119 as a soph (20-0).
- Patrick Morrison, Cabell Midland, 130 lbs, (21-12), runner-up:
- Zac Litton, Parkersburg, 145 lbs, (31-7), runner-up.
- Ben Kulpa, Wheeling Park, 275 lbs, (35-7), runner-up.
- Mychal Wright, Huntington, 125 lbs, (38-3), third: Third at 119 as a soph (32-9).
- Chris Ward, John Marshall, 140 lbs, (30-2), third: Champ at 135 as a soph (27-4).
- Chad Walters, Parkersburg South, 145 lbs, (34-9), third: Runner-up at 130 as a soph (23-11).
- Chris Neptune, Fairmont Senior, 152 lbs, (42-6), third: Fourth at 145 as a soph (30-13).
- Mike Sharpe, Parkersburg South, 215 lbs, (23-13), third.
Top juniors - AA/A This year, ten juniors placed in the AA/A top three:
- Bryan Jones, Williamstown, 125 lbs, (26-4), champ: Champ at 112 as a soph (40-4).
- Buddy McKeen, Grafton, 119 lbs, (37-1), champ.
- Jason Allard, Independence, 103 lbs, (29-11), runner-up.
- Randy Bragg, Independence, 130 lbs, (36-2), runner-up
- Ryan Painter, Greenbrier West, 171 lbs, (28-6), runner-up: Sixth at 160 as a soph (22-11).
- Josh Waugh, Berkeley Springs, 275 lbs, (37-5), runner-up: Runner-up at 275 as a soph ( 34-10).
- Kenneth Maxwell, Iager, 103 lbs, (23-3), third.
- Bob Strother, Magnolia, 130 lbs, (25-8), third: Sixth at 125 as a soph (24-7).
- Blair Miller, Berkeley Springs, 140 lbs, (40-6), third: Fourth at 135 as a soph (29-13).
- Justin Hovermale, Berkeley Springs, 145 lbs, (37-5), third: Champ at 140 as a soph (33-12).
- Benji Parsons, Sissonville, 215 lbs, (32-4), third.
Top sophomores - AAA This year, ten sophomores placed in the top five at the AAA state tournament:
- Jason Johnson, Parkersburg South, 140 lbs, (21-13), champ.
- Joe Thorpe, Huntington, 112 lbs, (28-7), runner-up
- Adam Shank, Parkersburg South, 103 lbs, (32-12), third.
- Adam Gorby, North Marion, 112 lbs, (38-1), third: Fifth at 112 as a freshman, (25-10).
- Beau Hill, Point Pleasant, 103 lbs, (25-3), fourth: Fifth at 103 as a freshman, (39-9).
- Chris Wilson, Preston, 125 lbs, (39-8), fourth.
- Ryan Besedich, North Marion, 145 lbs, (35-7), fifth: Fifth at 140 as a freshman (32-7).
- Daniel Bonasso, Fairmont Senior, 103 lbs, (38-7), fifth.
- Zach Kerns, Elkins, 275 lbs, (25-7), fifth.
Top sophomores - AA/A This year, six sophomores placed in the top five at the AA/A state tournament:
- David Drennen, Wirt, 112 lbs, (35-0), champ: third at 103 as a freshman (33-8).
- Adam Blevins, Iaeger, 160 lbs, (22-6), fourth.
- Justin Riser, St. Marys, 103 lbs, (18-14), fifth.
- Jason Miller, Wirt, 119 lbs, (29-8), fifth.
- Mark Petty, East Bank, 125 lbs, (18-13), fifth
- Josh Kuykendall, Petersburg, 152 lbs, (22-7), fifth
Top freshmen - AAA This year four freshmen placed in the top six at the AAA state tournament:
- Jason Ward, Cabell Midland, 135 lbs, (30-4), champ.
- Jimmy Moles, Herbert Hoover, 135 lbs, (34-7), runner-up; ranked #6 top freshmen in USA by USA Wrestling Magazine.
- Brian Flanigan, Wheeling Park, 112 lbs, (23-8), fifth.
- Nick Hedrick, Fairmont Senior, 119 lbs, (34-14), fifth
Top freshmen - AA/A This year four freshmen placed in the top six at the AA/A state tournament:
- Mike Miller, Wirt, 103 lbs, (34-1), champ.
- Andrew Richards, South Harrison, 112 lbs, (31-7), runner-up.
- Scott Bush, Ravenswood, 103 lbs, (21-12), fourth.
- Justin Wince, Ritchie County, (31-14), fifth.
Return to the WV-Mat front page
Return to the Top Wrestlers Index Page
Updated March 4, 1997