New Lexington claims third straight MVL wrestling title
PHILO - New Lexington has relied on depth to overcome injuries throughout its season.
The Panthers' lineup had another strong showing Saturday, winning four weight classes and placing nine wrestlers in the top three to clinch a third straight Muskingum Valley League title in the league meet at the Power Plant.
New Lex, which has won or shared 13 of the past 14 league crowns, totaled 180 points followed by West Muskingum (114), Tri-Valley (107), Sheridan (97), Morgan (87), Crooksville (78), Maysville (61.5), John Glenn (47.5) and Philo (37.5).
T.J. Newsome pinned Earl Schneider of Tri-Valley at 120 pounds; Austin Ratliff earned a fall against Anthony Eppley of Maysville at 126; Sam Allen posted an 18-1 tech fall against Philo's Kolt Moore at 182; and Matt Adams pinned Winston Spiker at 285.
The Panthers also had three runner-ups. Andrew Spicer lost a 7-4 decision to Tri-Valley's Luke Hernandez in the 132 final; Lane Householder of Sheridan scored late to edge Tyler Hicks 7-6 at 138; and Scott Harry from Morgan pinned Luke Shively at 220, while Landin Price (113) and Corbin West (160) were third.
Hernandez was named the tournament's Most Valuable wrestler in a weight class which featured three state-ranked wrestlers.
"To be banged up like we are and still compete shows the character of our guys," New Lex coach Dave Ratliff said. "We make sure our backups are ready to go, and they had some success. We push our kids in the spring and summer for this, and I was proud of them.
"We have a lot of work to do over the next month, but I hope this sparks us and that our tanks will be full for the postseason."
Adams, who lost to Sheridan's Evan Loughman in last year's title match, controlled Spiker in his match. He credited the coaches for keeping the team focused despite the adversity they've faced.
"Spiker is hard to beat, and he's a quality wrestler," Adams said. "The coaches push us to be as good as we can be. This win is as much for them as it is myself."
Austin Ratliff echoed similar sentiments, noting the entire coaching staff deserves credit for this team's success.
"We've been working hard all year, and the coaches have stayed beside us," he said. "Wrestlers before us expect us to keep (the streak) going. It means a lot to us and our coaches to win again."
Seeing everyone contribute despite some starters missing is what the Panthers have been about, said Newsome.
"We had (junior varsity) guys wrestle the best they could and showed heart," he said. "I've been behind state placers here so I love being able to finally win it. We always work hard and have good coaching. This should help us get our heads right for the postseason."
Jon Junk claimed a 6-2 decision against Tri-Valley's Caden Walcott at 145; Kaden Bugglin rallied to force overtime before beating Maysville's Hayden McGee 16-14 at 152; and Corey Taylor pinned Crooksville's Hunter Foster at 195 to earn titles for the Tornadoes.
William Harris of Tri-Valley edged West Muskingum's Quintin Bishop 9-8 in the 113-pound final.
"This is a big congrats to the kids for working hard," West coach Chris Caldwell said. "We had senior help us come together. We haven't had a lot of success in our program, but this shows that we can be successful despite the pay to play and low numbers. I hope kids see this.
"This is also a confidence builder heading into the Division III tournament, and hopefully, we can keep the momentum going."
Crooksville's Matt Kuhn won a 9-5 decision over Maysville's Hunter Wilson at 106; the Ceramics' Chaz Love pinned Morgan's Wesley Pauley for the 160 title; and Adam Warfield of Maysville posted a 20-11 major decision against Tri-Valley's Ryan Fellows at 170 to round out the winners.
The final league standings were New Lexington 16-0, Tri-Valley 13-3, Sheridan and West Muskingum 11-5, Morgan 9-7, John Glenn, Maysville and Crooksville 4-12 and Philo 0-16.
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