Bridgeport Wrestlers 'Gaining Momentum' Ahead of State Tournament
By Michael Minnich on March 04, 2026
It should be a busy three days for the Bridgeport Indians wrestling team at the West Virginia Division I state tournament on March 5-7 at Marshall Health Network Arena in Huntington.
Bridgeport has qualified nine wrestlers via top-4 finishes at the regional tournament, where the Tribe claimed first place.
“We’re gaining momentum,” Bridgeport wrestling coach Dr. Christopher Courtney said. “You just keep seeing them jell. You see them bounce back. You’re seeing them change their wrestling techniques.”
Wrestlers must win every match to claim a state championship on Saturday, but can still finish as high as third with a loss at some point in the tournament.
Freshman Evan Root is the Tribe’s lightest qualifier at 106 pounds.
Root (26-5) finished third in the Region I tournament and will face Region III runner-up Mason Lyons (19-5) of St. Albans in his opener.
His second opponent will be either Landon Spickler (57-2) of Hedgesville or Jake Welsh (27-6) of Hurricane.
At 113 pounds, freshman Max Smith (24-10) finished third at regionals and also has a regional runner-up to contend with in Washington’s Wyatt Cooley (24-13).
Next would be either Sawyer Bond (38-5) of Huntington or Gage Webb (2-5) of Greenbrier East.
Another freshman and third-place regional placer, TJ Bearden (19-11), will take the mat at 120 pounds versus Cabell Midland’s Reed Davis (25-14).
The other matchup in their pod is Oak Hill’s Payton Holstein (31-14) and Preston’s Brody Bryner (25-20).
“We started the year with so many freshmen,” Courtney said. “They got over the awkwardness of how we practiced and competed at the high school level.”
Regional champ Tyler Mason (27-6) , another freshman at 138 pounds, opens against the fourth-place finisher from Region III, Riverside’s Tyson Arms (31-19), then matches up with either Huntington’s Shad Henry (29-12) or Musselman’s Logan Henderson (38-14).
“He’s had a great year. He’s been one of those freshmen who I’ve seen change his wrestling style from the onset to now. We’re just seeing him take it to another level,” Courtney said.
Senior Kaleb Ice (27-7) follows up a regional runner-up performance at 150 pounds by taking on Musselman’s Logan Smith (37-11), with Woodrow Wilson’s Ian Webb (46-8) or Huntington’s Judah Moore (19-19) looming next.
“He’s had a phenomenal senior year,” Courtney said. “He’s one of those who had an ‘aha’ moment, like, ‘Yeah, I deserve to be here. I deserve to be mentioned among the top guys in the state.’”
After a third-place regional performance at 157 pounds, senior Maddox Pudder (20-8) drew Capital’s Bradlee Sigmon (42-8), with either Martinsburg’s Devon Bell (44-5) or Hurricane’s Trent Wilkes (9-6) on deck.
John Knight (29-3), trying to make the state podium for the fourth time in his career and earn his first title as a senior, won the 165-pound regional crown and a date with Woodrow Wilson’s JT Bragg (19-30).
Then, it’ll be either Parkersburg’s Parker Woods (34-17) or Washington’s Lee McCoy (18-15).
“John’s been the definition of consistency. He came in winning matches, he’s leaving winning matches,” Courtney said. “It's going to take John taking that final step from a preparation standpoint. I’m pretty sure for two or three years in a row, John’s beaten every person in his weight class. At the state tournament, that’s where he’s fallen short.
“When you’ve got an athlete like that, it’s going to take him saying, ‘You know what? This is my year.’ He’s put in the time for it.”
Gabe Martin (13-5) is in the mix at 190 pounds as a junior, opening with Riverside’s Eli Taft (23-13) before facing off with either Hedgesville’s Trey Hamlin (48-11) or Spring Valley’s Timothy Stevens (17-12).
Junior Eli Knight (32-0) takes his perfect record into the 215-pound field against Blaze Call (21-25) of Nitro and then will wrestle either Cabell Midland’s Stephen Jones (20-12) or Spring Mills’ Devin King (20-14).
“He’s what you want,” Courtney said. “You want every guy to come into the room and model in regards to putting the effort out to be the best wrestler possible.”
The first round gets underway at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
“There’s a whole different mystique to Thursday night. You’re only wrestling once. Win or lose, you know you’re going to wrestle the next day, but the crowd, the atmosphere, your peers, it just seems like the pressure is at its highest point. You get through that, you get through the match, it sets you up for a better outcome,” Courtney said.
The championship quarterfinals and consolation first and second rounds start at 11:30 a.m. on Friday.
“If you want to avoid back-to-back matches, just win. That’s what we’ve been preaching,” Courtney said. “If you take care of business there, you gain momentum.”
On Friday night, semifinal bouts and third-round consolation matches roll at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday’s first session gets ready at 8 a.m. and wraps up all the consolation rounds.
Then, it’s all eyes on the state championship bouts at 6:30 p.m.
“They’re feeding off one another,” Courtney said. “This is the first time for us to have a full team and you’re seeing the benefits of having that many people in the room. They’re making each other better.
“If I was going to bet, I’d bet on us. I like our chances in regards to our determination and effort and grit. If we put all those together, we could see a lot of podium finishes.”
