Bryan Walters/photo - Members of the Point Pleasant wrestling program pose for a picture after winning the 2010 Class AA-A WVSSAC State Wrestling Tournament on Saturday evening at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in downtown Huntington. The Black Knights captured the school’s first wrestling title as a team and also had three individual champions at the 63rd annual event.
The Black Knights — with a team total of 170.5 points — dethroned the 13-time defending state champion Bears and became the first team since Independence to bring the coveted Class AA-A crown home.
PPHS beat the entire Class AA-A field by an 18-point margin, finishing well ahead of runner-up Calhoun County (152.5) and third place Berkeley Springs (143.5). Oak Glen ended up finishing an uncharacteristic fourth with 142.5 points, with Roane County rounding out the top-five with 102.5 team points.
Point had three individual state champions come away from the three-day event in senior Caleb Duong, junior Rusty Maness and junior Casey Hogg. Duong won the 112-pound championship for his first state title, while Hogg won the 215 championship for his second straight WVSSAC crown.
Maness — who became the first PPHS grappler to go unbeaten (41-0) throughout the course of a season — also became Point Pleasant’s first three-time state champion after winning the 130-pound weight class. It was also the third time in school history that Point had three different state champions come away from one state tournament.
First-year coach John Bonecutter was named the 2010 Class AA-A Coach of the Year. The Black Knights were previously the three-time reigning Class AA-A runners-up headed into this weekend’s competition.
Post a Comment
