Photos by Heather Belcher
Huntington – The Beckley wrestling program had not seen an individual champion prior to last season since 1999.
J.J. Bailes snapped that string by standing on top of the podium in 2022.
This year, the Flying Eagles secured three individual titles, while garnering the Class AAA Most Outstanding Wrestler and Coach of the Year awards.
“Our guys, they were ready tonight. I was excited for them,” Beckley head coach Matt Osborne said. “We felt like we could do what we did right here and a little more. We left a little bit out there to be desired. We will get them coached up right and they will be able to do that.”
Entering the tournament, Osborne was confident in several wrestlers, but made no qualms about sophomore standout Garret Johnson bringing home a title in the 106 pound weight class.
Johnson backed up his coaches words by grinding out a 4-0 decision over Brady Roberts from Parkersburg South, earning his first individual state championship title.
After finishing fourth last year in the state tournament as a freshman, Johnson has been a dominating force this year with a 58-1 record.
“(The state championship) was always the golden arch. No matter what match was going on during the season, this was the big match I was looking forward to.”
Johnson never appeared threatened in the match and controlled the action from start to finish against Roberts.
“I felt like he was stalling a little bit, but I rode tough, so their wasn’t much room for him to improve,” Johnson said. “I was constantly applying pressure. It was not exactly the result I wanted, but I still got the job done.”
The young sophomore was also humbled by the confidence expressed by his coach.
“That is amazing. He has coached me all the way up through youth (wrestling),” Johnson said. “He has always been by my side, even last year and especially this year. It is an amazing feeling.”
The second state champion for Beckley came in the 120 pound weight class when sophomore Tyler Roark (57-5) earned a convincing 9-2 win over Brady Roberts from Parkersburg South.
“I just wanted to go out there, wrestle as hard as I could and leave everything on the mat,” Roark. “I stayed in good position the whole time, but I really didn’t expect this. It feels good.”
Last year Ethan Osborne finished runner-up in a tight championship match. This year, Osborne faced another tough challenge against Dom Parker from University.
Osborne entered with a record of 58-2, while Parker was 46-1. The lone loss for Parker was to Osborne, but the two had split their two regular season clashes.
The son of the head coach was not going to be denied in the rubber match which had the biggest prize on the line.
“It was really competitive match. The difference was not stopping and not giving up on yourself,” Ethan Osborne said. “I just had to keep on wrestling through those tough positions.”
Trailing 4-2 late in the second period, Osborne secured a take-down late in the period to tie the match heading to the final two minutes.
Going to the bottom to start the third period, Parker allowed Osborne to escaped for a one-point advantage.
Osborne then got in deep on a single-leg and made a crucial take-down for a 7-4 lead that he held to the end.
“I got off to a slow start, but I just keyed on the small things that I have worked on in practice. I just had to stay low and stay in good position,” Ethan Osborne said. “It has made a difference practicing those the past couple of weeks.”
After a runner-up finish last year, one step higher on the podium was where Osborne felt like he should end his high school career.
“It feel so much better. I feel like it is overdue and I should have got me one a long time ago,” Ethan Osborne said. “It feels good to bring it back to my hometown. It means a lot.”
Ethan Osborne was also named the Class AAA Most Outstanding Wrestler for 2023.
Bailes had another impressive showing in the state tournament wrestling his way into the championship final at 132 pounds.
In a tough match against Matt McAfee, who had previously topped Bailes twice, including the Region 3 championship, Bailes dropped a 3-0 decision.
After a slightly disappointing finish last year, coach Osborne was proud of his guys.
“It is a lot better this year. Listen, last year was a coaching mistake, I think,” coach Osborne said. “I am still learning how to do this coaching thing. I think we got some things figured out on getting them to peak right. That is a exciting and something to build on.”
Coach Osborne was also recognized Saturday night as the Class AAA Coach of the Year.
“I was going over to get my baby from the stands and I heard Ethan Osborne and I said, he just won the (Most Valuable Wrestler) and then they called my name,” coach Osborne said. “I didn’t expect that. You normally don’t get fourth place and get something like that.”
Beckley did finish in fourth place, but was just three points out of the runner-up spot. All of that was accomplished in the tournament without a wrestler in the 215 and 285 weight class.
“I think we are going in the right direction,” coach Osborne said. “Hopefully we can get some more kids out where we are winning a bit. We have fun with the sport. We could really make some noise if we had full weight classes.”
All six place winners earn All-state honors. The other place winners for Beckley included Troy Harris (138) and Jay Jones (175) in fourth place and Vance Neal (144) in fifth place.
Other local place winners included Greenbrier East junior Calvin Roberts at 285 who finished runner-up to Bridgeport senior Kammar Simmons who sported a 33-0 record prior to the championship match.
Will Godby (106) from Greenbrier East was fourth, while fellow Spartan Thomas Mullins (215) and Colton Naylor (285) from Oak Hill were both fifth. Mason Wills (165) and Gabe Truman (215) from Oak Hill finished sixth.
