Despite having illnesses or injuries to deal with, Bridgeport’s wrestling team still managed to turn in a solid showing at this past weekend’s Mountaineer Matchup at the Nathan Goff Armory in Clarksburg.

 

The Indians finished fifth out of 15 teams in the event. The Tribe finished that high without the services of Derek Starkey (145), JT Muller (170) and Mario Galindo (220) for the entire competition. Addison Courtney (138) only competed on Friday of the two-day event.

 

BHS did manage one wrestler with a perfect day. Kemo Summers (152) went 10-0 in the competition.

 

“He looked great. We have been working on a different attack style with him. He really executed it flawlessly,” said Coach Chris Courtney “He is wrestling on a higher level right now. I hope he keeps putting the work in. If so, he is going to make a strong run at the end of the year.”

 

The Tribe also saw Aidan Gibson (160) nearly cap a perfect day. He finished 9-1 with a 3-2 setback to top-ranked Payton Thompson.

 

“Aidan looked better and showed more confidence on his feet.  He beat his opponent from Braxton County who had beat him earlier in the year. His only loss was to Berkeley Springs,” said Courtney. “If it wasn’t for a slow start in the match, I think the outcome would have been different.  Aidan is a senior and three-time place finisher at states. He should know at this point in the season he has to keep pushing the pace and trusting his plan.”

 

Gibson wasn’t the only one at 9-1. Connor Arnett (113) also pulled off the trick.

 

“He is the definition of hustle. He gives it his all every time he steps on the line.  We have been working with him on developing his wrestling to high percentage moves.  He uses a lot of moves that are risky,” said Courtney. “They may have worked well in middle school, but they can put you behind the points in high school.  He has shown much improvement and should continue to fine tune over the rest of the season.  As a team we need to regroup, learn from our mistakes and continue to get better.”

 

The other wrestlers also captured wins. Brody Carnes (120) finished 6-3, Bladen Roush (145) went 5-5, Bryce Carnes (170-182) went 7-3 on the day, and Kamar Summers finished the meet at 8-2.

 

Check out more on wrestling, and a bittersweet story, on Sunday on Connect-Bridgeport. 

 

Bridgeport will be back in action Friday and Saturday. The team will participate in the WSAZ meet in Huntington.

 

Editor's Note: Photos by Jodi Romeo Muller.