NEW FACES – There are nine new head wrestling coaches at OVAC for the 2024-25 season. Six were in attendance at Monday night’s preseason press conference at WesBanco Arena, the site of the 71st annual OVAC Championships Jan. 16-18. Front row, from left, Chad Burge of Cameron; Jesse Crilley of Conotton Valley and David Blawut of Toronto. Back row, from left, are Danny Doyle of Wheeling Park; The Catholic Father of Steubenville. Ryan Liebahaber; and Jordan Ball of Cambridge. The new schools are Columbiana, East Palestine and Leetonia. -Kim North

WHEELING — The 2024-25 OVAC wrestling season officially began Monday evening with the annual press conference inside WesBanco Arena, the site of the three-day 71st annual OVAC Ron Mauck Championship Jan. 16-18.

The number of participants in this mammoth tournament expanded to 58 schools this season, joined by Columbiana, East Palestine and Leetonia. In addition to those three, six other schools have new head coaches: They are Jordan Ball (Cambridge); Chad Burge (Cameron); Jesse Crilley (Conotton Valley); Father Ryan Liebahaber (Steubenville Catholic); David Blawut (Toronto) and Danny Doyle (Wheeling Park).

“I’m looking forward to another great season and another great tournament,” said Shane Shaffer, OVAC Ron Mauck Tournament Director.

OVAC Executive Director Dirk Decoy said: “This is one of the crown jewels that OVAC presents. Things are going very well at the conference at the moment.

Decoy students can also participate in any OVAC championship event for $1, which is something the conference started last year.

“We can’t do this without all of you” he said while speaking to the head coaches of each school. Each of you carries a small piece of the torch that lights the whole flame.

Dr. Dan Doyle, former OVAC tournament director Ron Mauck, announced that fans attending this year’s show will be able to see highlights on the scoreboard from the 1962 final.

“Someone gave us a reel-to-reel of the tournament and we turned it into a CD.” Doyle explained. “This will be shown throughout the tournament.”

Doyle also said two former OVAC products were inducted into the West Virginia chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. They are Cameron product Ron Trowbridge and Brooke graduate and longtime official Chris DiSerio.

For the second straight season, the OVAC will send an All-Star team to Dublin Jerome High School in suburban Columbus on Nov. 23 to take on Central District in an All-Star Classic. Barnesville head coach Jayson Stephen is the person to contact.

The 29th edition of OVAC-MAC “Clash of the Champions” will take place on Wednesday, March 12 at an undetermined MAC school in western Pennsylvania. The banquet will take place the evening before in Weirton at Undo’s restaurant.

The OVAC Bill Hinegardner Dual Meet Championships will once again be hosted by Brooke and John Marshall High Schools. The Class 1A/2A and Class 4A duals will take place at Brooke Wellness Center on Jan. 29, while Class 3A and 5A will take place inside the John Marshall Fieldhouse in Moundsville on Jan. 30. Both events begin at 6 p.m.

Dr. Doyle also announced that the OVAC wrestling family lost a longtime member when Cameron’s former head coach, Jim Potts, recently passed away.

Both local college wrestling coaches – West Liberty’s Danny Irwin and Wheeling University’s Shane Brown took a few minutes to talk about their respective teams.

“We have five former OVAC wrestlers on our roster this season,” Irwin noted. “We will also have our home opener on November 21 when Fairmont State visits the ARC.”

The five OVAC products go to All-American Alec Cook (Madonna); and freshmen Logan Davis (Oak Glen), Shawn Young (Weir), Lucas Zambotti (Magnolia) and Gabe Blissenbach (Southern Local).

Irwin also noted that the Hilltoppers women’s team has 18 members.

Brown is excited about the upcoming season as the Cardinals have a lot of new equipment, including a competition mat, and will receive a new locker room during the 2025-2026 season.

“We have the highest number of squads in the last five seasons” » said Brown. “We are also back in the original wrestling room this season.”

Locals competing in Wheeling are Zach Kuneff (Bridgeport) and Hunter Bittinger (Harrison Central).

The Cardinals will make their home debut Dec. 6 when West Virginia University Institute of Technology visits the McDonough Center.