by Jamie Harris
The Berkeley Springs Indians wrestling team hosted the 40th Max Horz Wrestling Tournament this past week- end, delivering an outstanding performance to secure the team championship with a score of 195.5 points. The two-day event on December 13 and 14 featured teams from West Virginia and Maryland.
Team Standings
Berkeley Springs – 195.5; Martins- burg – 179.0; Preston County – 138.5; Hedgesville – 120.5; Spring Mills – 111.5; Musselman – 89.0; North Mar- ion – 87.5; Jefferson – 82.0; East Hardy – 61.5; Fort Hill – 45.0; Allegany – 42.0; Bridgeport – 39.0; Mountain Ridge – 8.0; Washington – 0.0.
Varsity Wrestlers’ Results
The Indians saw standout performances from several wrestlers, including four individual champions: Eligah
Parsell (113 lbs), Aiden Cain (157 lbs), Kollin Sullivan (165 lbs), and Natalie Kootz in the girls’ division.
113 lbs – Eligah Parsell: Result: Champion. Highlights: Parsell dominated his weight class, winning both his semifinal and final matches by technical fall.
126 lbs – Vaughn Taylor: Highlights: Taylor secured an early win by technical fall but was eliminated in the semifi- nals.
132 lbs – Daniel Clark: Result: Runner-up. Highlights: Clark advanced to the final with two pins before falling to Spring Mills’ Dallas Owens.
138 lbs – Jacob Morgan: Result: Runner-up. Highlights: Morgan earned his spot in the final after a victory by injury default but fell short in the championship match.
144 lbs – Kowen Proctor: Result: 3rd Place. Highlights: Proctor rebounded from a semifinal loss with two pins in the consolation rounds.
150 lbs – Trenton Fox: Result: 3rd Place. Highlights: Fox delivered two pins in the consolation rounds to secure a podium finish.
157 lbs – Aiden Cain: Result: Cham- pion. Highlights: Cain displayed grit with a close quarterfinal win before pinning his semifinal and final opponents.
165 lbs – Kollin Sullivan: Result: Champion. Highlights: Sullivan capped a stellar tournament with a dominant major decision victory in the finals.
175 lbs – Gerrin Place: Highlights: Place secured one victory before falling in the consolation semifinals.
190 lbs – Krystain Norris: Result: Runner-up. Highlights: Norris reached the final with two pins before losing by fall.
285 lbs – Remington Sites: Result: Runner-up. Highlights: Sites earned two pins before falling in the heavy- weight final.
Girls’ Division Results
Berkeley Springs’ girls wrestlers contributed strong performances.
103-112 lbs – Bailee Diehl: Result: Champion. Highlights: Diehl pinned all three of her opponents in impressive fashion.
112-118 lbs – Delilah Rhoten: Result: Runner-up. Highlights: Rhoten bounced back from an early loss with a close decision win and a pin in the final round.
130-137 lbs – Willow Rhoten: Result: 4th Place.
173-182 lbs – Natalie Kootz: Result: Champion. Highlights: Kootz pinned her opponent in the final round to se- cure gold.
Here’s a breakdown of the JV wrestlers’ results for the tournament:
JV 132-138: Mikell Gusciora: Match Results: Round 1: Won by fall over Lonnie Robosson (Fort Hill) (Fall 1:57); Round 2: Won by major decision over William Lilly (Preston County) (Maj 15- 3); Round 3: Received a bye
JV 144: Kaiden Proctor: Match Results: Round 1: Won by fall over Conner Casey (Fort Hill) (Fall 1:13); Round 2: Won by tech fall over Josh Solo (Musselman) (TF 15-0); Round 3: Won by tech fall over Will Pancake (North Mar- ion) (TF 16-0); Round 4: Won by tech fall over Luke Wills (Allegany) (TF 15- 0); Round 5: Won by fall over Landon Deiter (Martinsburg) (Fall 0:58).
JV 150-157: Jordan Unger: Match Results: Round 1: Won by forfeit (Martinsburg); Round 2: Lost by fall to Kaylie Hall (Spring Mills) (Fall 2:21); Round 3: Lost by fall to Nicolas Bascelli (Allegany) (Fall 2:03); Round 4: Won by fall over Blayke Vandergrift (North Mar- ion) (Fall 1:15); Round 5: Won by fall over Drake Parrott (Fort Hill) (Fall 2:55)
JV 285: Chris Stadler: Match Results: Round 1: Lost by decision to Bane Weaver (Fort Hill) (Dec 5-3); Round 2: Won by fall over Eli Martin (Mussel- man) (Fall 0:32); Round 3: Lost by fall to Jared Trainor (Mountain Ridge) (Fall 2:26); Round 4: Won by fall over Jacob McMillian (Fort Hill) (Fall 1:00); Round 5: Lost by fall to Hunter Turner (Preston County) (Fall 4:52).
Next up for Berkeley Springs is the ultra competitive Jefferson Duals on Friday, December 20 and Saturday, December 21. This event will be held at Jefferson High School in Charles Town.
