Three Magnolia High School wrestlers who qualified in regional competition went on to the state wrestling tournament in Huntington last weekend, with one, Jared Wright, taking third place in the 195 lb. weight class. Other wrestlers who were among the top four regional winners in their weight divisions to compete at state were Gage Deem and Tyler Baker.

Baker (220 lb.) got a bye to open the regional tournament before winning his next bout by a fall over an East Fairmont opponent. He lost his first bout to a boy from Fairmont Senior before beating a Tyler Consolidated wrestler. He then lost to a Ritchie County opponent, thereby pushing him into the fourth place slot to compete in Huntington.

Wright (195 lbs.) started out with a bye then lost his first match to a Cameron opponent. Wright then took out a Weir and a Ritchie opponent by falls before winning a nail-biter against a Cameron opponent by an 8-7 decision to finish third in his weight class and a place in the state tournament.

Deem (160 lbs.) started out in the regional with a bye and won his first contest with a fall over his Clay-Battelle opponent. He then lost a heart-breaker 6-3 to a Fairmont Senior opponent before winning a major decision against a St. Marys wrestler, 12-2. He then lost to an Oak Glen wrestler to place fourth and earn a spot in Huntington.

Other Blue Eagle grapplers competing in the regional were J. T. Stillwagner (132 lbs.); Joey Kelly (170 lbs.); and Harley Price. They each won one match, while Paden McConaughey (145 lbs.), Jacob Rabel (182 lbs.), and Clarence Harlan (285 lbs.) each lost both their matches.

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In the state tournament, Deem was pinned in his first bout by a Greenbrier West opponent and lost a tough decision to Roane County. Meanwhile, Baker was pinned by a Berkley Springs wrestler and then won a 17-10 decision over a Webster County athlete. In the second consolation round, Baker was pinned by a wrestler from Ritchie.

Wright won his first match 15-4 over a Bluefield wrestler and lost his second match 8-2 to an athlete from Keyser. He won his second and third consolation rounds over wrestlers from Cameron and Wahama, respectively, the latter in overtime.

In the consolation semifinal, Wright defeated a wrestler from Berkley Springs by a fall, and in the consolation championship in the 195 lb. division, Wright defeated a Fairmont Senior wrestler.