Tri-Valley Wrestling Prepares for MVL Competition

by Jon Hardman

After graduating 10 seniors from last year’s squad, Tri-Valley wrestling appeared to be in for a “rebuilding year.” High school wrestling has only 14 weights, so Tri-Valley had quite a bit of talent to replace from the 2021 MVL Champion team. While not every weight class has been replaced (TV forfeits the 106 and 285 lb weight classes), quite a few wrestlers have stepped up to the challenge and worked hard to achieve success. Wednesday night, the Dawgs faced off against perennial conference power New Lexington. The Panthers also have lost a few talented wrestlers to graduation, but they have been the team to beat in the MVL for the past couple of decades. Our wrestlers showed up to prove something that night though, and despite giving up 12 points to the Panthers in forfeits, ended up winning the dual in dominant fashion. The final score: Tri-Valley 56 New Lexington 23. The Scottie wrestlers won 10 of the 12 contested weight classes, scoring pins in 8.

Here is a rundown of how the boys have been performing this year:

113 – Rylan Snedeker (sophomore, 6-1 on the season): Rylan put in a great deal of work in the offseason and has been off to a hot start so far. He finished 2^nd at the Coshocton Classic, but has dealt with injury and illness for part of the season. His recent defeat of New Lexington’s Tyler Ratliff (currently ranked #23 in division 2 at 120 on Borofan.com) shows that he is ready to take another step towards becoming a strong contender this post season. Junior Wyatt Dennison (23-11 last season), should return to action in January and push Snedeker for mat time as the season rolls on.

120 – Andrew Tackett (sophomore, 5-2 on the season: Like Snedeker, Tackett put in a lot of mat time in the offseason and looks to improve on an impressive 20-13 freshman campaign. Tackett finished 7^th at a loaded North Coast Classic tournament to start the season. Providing depth at 120 are freshman Bode McCullough and sophomore Logan Gray. Both boys have seen some varsity action already this year (McCullough placed 5^th at Coshocton Classic and Gray placed 3^rd at West Muskingum’s Tornado Invitational).

126 – Slade Armstrong (freshman, 10-5 on the season): Armstrong has been a strong competitor so far this season, placing 3^rd at Coshocton. He’s coming off of a very successful middle school career and looks to be a very solid wrestler for the next 4 years. Providing depth at 126 are freshman Landen Schuhart and junior Caleb Coleman. Schuhart has seen quite a bit of varsity action so far, accumulating a 7-6 record so far. He is a fantastic natural athlete and will improve very quickly in the sport. Coleman is the journeyman at the weight class. He has dealt with some illness so far, but is ready to take the mat this month and prove his mettle.

132 – Jaleel Brown (sophomore, 5-8 on the season): Jaleel “Jello” Brown has had flashes of greatness this season. He finished 7^th in a strong Coshocton field and has improved each time he’s stepped on the mat. With some hard work, he can become one of the best wrestlers on the team for years to come.

138 – Slade Huston (junior, 3-4 on the season): Huston is in his 2^nd year in the sport, but has a great deal of natural ability. While mistakes occur at times, Slade works hard to improve daily. He finished 5^th at Coshocton and will only improve as the season progresses. Sophomore Alex Hill looks to return to action in January and push Huston for a varsity spot.

144 – Isaiah Armstrong (senior, 18-3 on the season): Armstrong is one of the mainstays on varsity from the past 3 years. He has been a state alternate for the past two years, finishing one place shy of the state tournament. He came into the room motivated to make his mark on Columbus this year. Armstrong finished 2^nd at the North Coast Classic, 1^st at Coshocton, and 4^th at the GMVWA tournament @ Vandalia Butler (where he defeated 3 state qualifiers). Armstrong is approaching his 100^th high school win (he’s at 98) and has taken on a leadership role for the young team. Also wrestling at 144 are sophomores Troy McCoun and Gage Smith. Smith is in his 2^nd year wrestling and has shown steady improvement. He’s dealt with some nagging injuries in the early season, but looks to get back into action in January. McCoun returns after a shoulder injury kept him out of his freshman year. He has hit the ground running, placing 3^rd at West Muskingum and scoring a pin against New Lexington. He is still catching up, but is an aggressive wrestler that will improve quickly.

150 – Jakob McIntire (junior, 13-2 on the season): McIntire has started the season red hot, finishing 5^th at North Coast and 1^st at Coshocton. Mcintire has an exciting style of wrestling that has proven fun to watch. He has seen quite a bit of varsity action in the past two years, but is showing that he is ready for a full season at the helm. Also competing at 150 is junior Owen Pettit. Pettit is in his 2^nd year in the sport and is an aggressive, athletic wrestler. He should work into some varsity lineups this year and have success as he improves daily.

157 – Jason Patterson (junior, 8-5 on the season): The MVL runner-up from last year has already stepped it up this season by defeating the MVL champ. Patterson scored a 1^st period pin against New Lexington’s Hunter Rose (who pinned Jason last year in the championship). He also finished 4^th at Coshocton.  Also competing at 157 is sophomore Dylan Pierce (3-1 on the season). Pierce, like many of our wrestlers, has dealt with illness for much of the early season. He finished 3^rd at West Muskingum and has started to hit his stride as of late.

165 – Coleson McCullough (senior, 9-7 on the season): McCullough is building off of a strong junior year where he finished 19-6 overall. He placed 4^th at Coshocton and won at New Lexington by pin. McCullough is on the senior leaders of the team and is one of the hardest workers in the room. He’s battled through injuries to be available when the team has needed him and has been a captain since day one this year.

175 – Emre Sparks (junior, 7-8 on the season): Sparks started the year at 215, before shedding some of the football weight to settle in the 175 lb class. He wrestled well at North Coast and GMVWA against some strong competition. He should do well in the smaller weight class as the season progresses. Also competing at 175 is sophomore Jackson Henry. Henry placed 3^rd at West Muskingum and has shown improvement throughout the beginning of the season and looks to continue this as he challenges for a spot in the lineup.

190 – Ethan Paladino (senior, 15-5 on the season): Another senior leader, Paladino placed 7^th at North Coast, 1^st at Coshocton, and 6^th at GMVWA  this season. Ethan is building off of a strong junior season where he finished 18-12 and was recognized in the state rankings. Also competing at 190 are newcomers Sebastian Delgado (junior), Nate Russell (senior), and Gavin Pranoto (sophomore). Delgado placed 4^th at West Muskingum. These wrestlers are learning the sport and preparing for a lot more competition in the upcoming months. All three have worked extremely hard in the room. They are about ready to start competing at a higher level and I am confident in how far they’ve come in a short period of time.    

215 – Ethan Whittaker (sophomore, 0-2 on the season): Whittaker is another new face to the program. Much like the 190 lb wrestlers, Ethan is learning as we go. Being our only 215, he will get into the lineup early and often as duals approach. He has worked hard and is an intelligent young man. He will surprise some people when it’s his time to compete.