by TVHS wrestling coach Jon Hardman
Photo by Gregg Meadows
The 2020-2021 wrestling season has been an odd one so far for Tri-Valley, but a successful one. It has been a season full of partial teams, last-minute cancellations, early morning bus rides, limited attendance, but most importantly for the Dawgs – winning. Most of the tournaments were cancelled this year due to COVID restrictions. We have been to the two that were on our schedule and actually held, Barnesville and Austintown, but only brought a small number of kids to both because of quarantines. We started off the season going 1-3 at the Uniontown Lake Duals. The competition was very good and we were a few wrestlers from a full lineup. Tri-Valley competed and lost some close duals. Since then however, the Scottie wrestlers have went 18-2 overall. By defeating Maysville Wednesday night, Jan. 27 on our home mat, the Scotties improved to 19-5 on the season and won the Muskingum Valley League Big School championship! Starting with the 2020-21 season, every sport in the Muskingum Valley League switched to having a Big School champion and a Small School champion with the new 12 team conference. (Coshocton, Meadowbrook, and River View joined the MVL this season). Wrestling now determines those through dual meets. Tri-Valley went 5-0 this season in big school competition (Sheridan, Philo, John Glenn, River View, and Mayville). The wrestlers also got a big win over perennial MVL wrestling powerhouse, the New Lexington Panthers, who earned the MVL Small School championship. Here’s a look at our varsity wrestlers and their accomplishments so far in the 2020-21 season:
106 — Wyatt Dennison (15-4) has had a great year at 106 so far. Wyatt started wrestling as a freshman and learned on varsity for that year. He spent a lot of time lifting and coming to off season workouts. That hard work is starting to pay off.
113 – Andrew Tackett (9-4) missed the early part of the season and has been slowly finding his feet. He was a junior high state qualifier as an 8th grader and shows a lot of promise if he continues to work hard. Caleb Coleman (3-10) has filled in when called upon. Coleman enjoys getting the chance to help the team win.
120 – Rylan Snedeker (3-11) has dealt with injuries throughout the season. He fell victim to a tough early schedule where he seemed to draw a lot of very good kids. Look for him to improve drastically as the season goes on and he gets heathy. He has a lot of potential and works to get better.
126 – Joseph Eckelberry (17-2) has continued to improve and has had a lot of early season success against good competition. Losing his chance to compete at the state tournament was tough on Joseph last year. As a consolation, Eckelberry did get the chance to wrestle his first round opponent when Tri-Valley travelled to Woodridge for the Stammen Duals. Eckelberry defeated Nathan Demangeont 8-6. Eckelberry also celebrated his 100th pin this season. He currently sits 1 win shy of 150. Filling in for Eckelberry at time is first year wrestler Slade Huston (5-9). Slade took a lot of early losses as he was learning about the sport. Since then, he has had several wins in a row and continued to improve daily.
132 – Garrett Folden (21-5) has enjoyed an extremely successful first half of the season. The senior captain has done a great job of leading team and should do well in the post season. Filling in for Folden at times has been Josey Boyd (4-9) and Jaleel Brown (2-7). Senior Boyd has filled in some big matches and had some close losses to good wrestlers. He has come a long way in the three years he’s wrestled. Freshman Jaleel Brown has shown flashes of great ability. It will take time and effort, but look for him to continue to improve into a very good wrestler.
138 – Cullen van Rooyen (20-6) also lost his chance to compete at the state tournament last year when COVID struck. He has been one of the more fortunate wrestlers this season, in that he’s competed at both of the tournaments we’ve attended. Cullen placed 3rd at Barnesville and 2nd at Austintown. Cullen had beat some very good wrestlers so far and looks to wrestle deep into the post season. Filling in for Van Rooyen at times is Trent McCoun (3-1). Trent is one of our hardest workers and one that will achieve his share of success after this large class of seniors graduates. He has wrestled well in his limited opportunities so far this year.
145 – Isaiah Armstrong (12-6) was a state alternate last season. This year, Isaiah has had some big wins and tough losses to quality opponents. He has battled illness and injury for much of the season. If he is able to return to form by the end of the season, look for Armstrong to battle at the state tournament. Junior Coleson McCullough (10-2) has done a great job of manning the weight class several times this season. He has shown tremendous growth since last year and is putting together a nice season. Also wrestling at 145 are sophomores Jake McIntire (6-2) and Owen Pettit (3-6). McIntire had a pretty solid varsity season as a freshman, but has battled illness much of the early season. Look for McIntire to continue to improve as he works to return to wrestling shape. Owen Pettit has shown a lot of promise in his first season. He is aggressive and coachable.
152 – Jason Patterson (13-8) has made strides in his sophomore season. The middle weights are tough on underclassmen, but Patterson has wrestled with a great deal of toughness for a 10th grader. He put a lot of time into the sport during the off-season and that is evident in his recent success. Filling in for Patterson at times has been freshmen Dylan Pierce (0-7), Gage Smith (0-2), Jackson Henry (2-0), and Aidan Harrold (1-0). Having 4 freshman at 152 bodes well for the program’s future in the upper weights. As mentioned above, 152-170 are usually weight classes where seniors and juniors dominate. Harrold is coming back from a foot injury and will not compete this season. He was a Jr. High state qualifier last year and has a great deal of talent. He will be one to watch next season. Dylan and Jackson both wrestled in middle school. They are working hard and adjusting to the stronger opponents. Gage is a first year wrestler. He has improved a great deal since the first day and will get more opportunities over the next two weeks.
160 – David Coleman (9-10) has also had his season interrupted a couple times. He has shown flashes of his potential this season and is looking to put it all together come post season. Emre Sparks (0-4) also competes at 160. Sparks was thrust into quite a bit of varsity action as a freshman due to injuries, but has slowed down this year to focus on improvement. Look for Emre to string together several wins in the upcoming weeks.
170 – Ethan Paladino (10-4) is putting together a nice junior season. Ethan has also dealt with his share of missed time due to COVID protocols, but he is a tireless worker. Paladino has competed well against some quality competition. Also competing at 170 is Kaleb Hindel (3-5). Hindel is in his first year of the sport, but Kaleb is an extremely intelligent kid. He absorbs what he’s taught and applies it in matches. Hindel will only improve as the year progresses.
182 – Karter Jones (16-5) was out last season with knee surgery. When he returned this year, he was 50lbs bigger. Karter had to learn how to wrestle with the larger opponents, but once he figured it out, he has won a lot of matches. Look for the 2019 district qualifier to have a strong finish. Also competing at 182 (and 195) is senior Ethan Jenkins (5-5). Jenkins has a great attitude and is always positive. He understands that he can learn from his matches and has continued to improve. He was out for much of the early season with knee surgery, but is back to 100% now.
195 – Zach Baker (10-13) has done a great job at 195. His record is misleading because he injury defaulted out of a tournament and took several losses, but Zach has shown an impressive ability to pick the sport up in his first year. His solid football skills have transferred well and he has been a big part of many of our wins.
220 – Andy Hill (20-4) is on a mission to win his 2nd MVL title. Andy was one match away from placing at districts last year. He knows he can achieve those goals this season. Look for Hill to battle for a state berth this season. Also filling in at 220 is Mason Prouty (8-4). Prouty has filled in at some key matches and done a great job. He wrestles with urgency and is always looking to score. Mason has a bright future in the sport.
285 – Seth Schneider (14-9) has probably wrestled the toughest competition this year. He has seen some of the best wrestlers in the state and competed with every one of them. Seth also won his 100th match this season as a TVHS wrestler. To have 100 wins as a 4-yr starter at heavyweight is an extremely impressive fete. Seth always gives his all when it’s his turn to step on the mat.
