Two of Bridgeport’s three wrestlers that qualified for the Class AA-A state wrestling tournament will place, but won’t be able to win a state championship. After the second day of the state tournament, junior Cooper Hineman and freshman Aidan Gibson will compete today in the consolation semifinals.

 

Hineman and Cooper can advance to as high as a third place finish. The action begins today at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington at 10:45 a.m. with weigh-in beginning at 8:45 a.m.

 

After winning his first two matches, including a 10-8 decision Friday over Greenbrier West’s Colton Kessler, Hineman found himself on the wrong end of a decision against Independence’s Nathan Warden in the 160-pound classification. Warden captured a 6-2 win over Hineman. Hineman will compete today against Calhoun County’s Sal Moore in single elimination action.

 

Gibson lost his first match Friday to Ritchie County’s Connor Spaulding by the narrowest of margins. Spaulding won a decision by a 10-9 score. Gibson stayed alive in the consolation bracket by returning the favor to his foe by taking a 3-2 decision over Dalton Pettry of Liberty-Raleigh and then followed that up with a 1-0 win against Point Pleasant’s Justin Cornell to advance to face Ty Logston of Oak Glen today in the 106-pound class.

 

Bridgeport’s other competitor, sophomore Austin Gibson didn’t go down without a fight. In his first match Friday he dropped a fall to Independence’s Hunter Taylor to go into the consolation bracket. In his first match there in the 132-pound weight division, he upended Trevor Edenfield of Greenbrier West by pinfall. Unfortunately, his season came to an end in the next match with a setback to Calhoun County’s Allen Metheney.

 

Check back to Connect-Bridgeport for results from the final day of the state wrestling meet.