By JAY W. BENNETT

The Parkersburg News and Sentinel

 

For the eighth time in school history the Parkersburg South wrestling program captured the Robert Dutton Award as senior 175-pounder Gage Wright was honored as the Mountain State’s best wrestler by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.

 

The Virginia Tech signee capped his senior campaign for head coach Shaun Smith by becoming the state’s 25th four-time champion. He finished 49-1 and had a career record of 149-8, which included 105 pins.

 

“It means a lot to me,” said Wright, who won his first title as a 145-pound freshman via a state record 10-second mat slapper.

 

“I’m glad that everyone finally voted for me and they actually think I’m the top wrestler in the state. That’s what I’ve been busting my butt to kind of work on and get my name out there.”

 

Coach Smith has known about Wright, who has a school record 18 quick pins (10 seconds or less), since he was little.

 

“It’s been a fast four or five years,” admitted coach Smith. “I watched him grow up and I saw him when he was a young kid. It’s crazy to think that. His dad is a few years older than me and his mom is the same age as me so it’s even crazier still, but just watching him grow up throughout the years, I remember him when he was in elementary school. Just watching him wrestle and I’m like this kid is pretty phenomenal.

 

“One of my earlier encounters with him we were at a freestyle state tournament at PHS and he wrestled Nate Shelek from Wheeling Park. He was losing to him and he kept wrestling and kept wrestling and he just kept narrowing the score and eventually he actually ended up pinning him right at the end.

 

“It was crazy. He was down a lot and he just kept coming back. If he wouldn’t have pinned him he actually would’ve lost by I think one. I just remember at that moment, and that was before he’d actually entered high school he was still an eighth-grader, and I just remember watching that match and how it ended and I was just like this kid, and you have incredible kids who come up and you know they are going to be good, but that was pretty phenomenal because that kid was a state champ that year. It was pretty incredible really and I just knew, for sure, then that he was going to be a tremendous wrestler. Not just for us, but past us.”

 

Wright won his second title at 170 pounds before defending his 175-pound title this winter.

When he competed at 170 as a sophomore, the Patriot set the national record in his weight class for the quickest mat slapper at three seconds.

 

He now puts his name beside 2021 Dutton Award winner Gavin Quiocho along with Braxton Amos (2019-2020), Josh Humphreys (2018), Chad Porter (2006), Jason Johnson (1998) and Dave Miller (1985).

 

“It wasn’t really too hard to maintain the weight once I got there,” Wright said of having to lose about 20 pounds following football season. “The hard part was getting there the first time, but after that it was pretty easy. It (carrying the Patriot torch) was a big role and a big task with him (Quiocho) passing the torch to me, but I think I did a pretty good job handling it really well.

 

“Big shoutout to Gavin and all the other high school kids, now college kids, who worked with me here and there. That really helped out a lot and big shoutout to Luke Martin. He really helped my game practicing with me a lot and now Josh Humphreys is also helping me, so that’s a big shoutout to both of them.”

 

The Patriot, who finished the season ranked No. 1 in his weight class by FloWrestling and will compete at the end of the month in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, won the Ironman this season. 

 

Wright, whose only loss came against New Jersey’s Ryan Burton at the Beast of the East by one point, though he avenged that title loss by topping Burton at the Powerade finals, is only the fourth West Virginian to accomplish that feat as the other three Ironman champs also were from Parkersburg South - Casey Daggett (2000), Ryan Metz (2001) and Amos (2017-19).

 

“It is special,” coach Smith added of having another Dutton Award winner. “When you get into coaching or just anything in general you don’t expect to have, I guess, the pleasure to be able to coach such great athletes all the time, but I’ve been very lucky with all those individuals we’ve got to work with and got to coach and help build up along the way. Just being part of their success is pretty special.

 

“His freshman year the way he wrestled and it was kind of that funky COVID year where we started in March and had a weird schedule, but he beat (Point Pleasant’s) Derek Raike twice during that season in two really phenomenal matches, with two great kids, but coming out on top beating a kid like that was incredible. The accomplishments he’s made from year to year and the growth he’s continued to show out is nothing short of amazing.”

 

Coach Smith continued “it’s like when Braxton left. It’s kind of bittersweet. You hate losing a kid like that, but you are so anxious to see how they do and continue to do after high school and college and in Braxton’s case the world level. Very thankful to coach him.”

 

A two-time Ohio Valley Athletic Conference champion, Wright was honored with the Bierkortte Award this winter at the OVAC for being the Most Outstanding Wrestler. He also claimed the OVAC Wrestler of the Year award for West Virginia.

 

“He’s just a super good coach,” Wright said of Smith. “A really good wrestler, too, and he knows what he’s talking about. He really helped me with my mental state at points where during practices sometimes I felt like I was going to break and he kind of pushed me to the next step.

 

“I really think that helped me for like when I do go compete at the big tournaments. If I feel like breaking during a match it kind of just pushes me to the next state where I’m not breaking and the other kid is, and I’m still coming at him.”

 

Although Amos had graduated before Wright started competing for South, there’s little question as to the amount of influence his success had on Wright’s future.

 

“Really, I’d probably say it was really Braxton who really set a high, high bar to try and catch up to him and everything like that,” Wright admitted. “We don’t really talk a whole lot, but I think he should know that he was the one that kind of pushed me throughout the way, too.

 

“I always wanted to be at his level. I think seeing how well he did and how well he performed kind of pushed me into trying to be better and better. I really still don’t think I’ve caught him really, but it’ll happen eventually, hopefully. Just got to keep working and keep building.”

 

Smith understands there’s no replacing a wrestler like Wright, who set a national record this season for the quickest consecutive pins at five seconds apiece.

 

“He has everything you would want in a college wrestler and more,” said the coach. “He’s pretty incredible and I think no matter what he does or decides to do he’s going to excel at it.”

 

Wright, who is the 40th annual Robert Dutton Award winner, will head to Blacksburg on July 1.

 

“It feels good to win four for Parkersburg South,” added the Patriot. “That school really helped me out a lot throughout my four years and just really a big thank you to everyone in the community that’s really helped me out a lot.

“When I was younger Bobby Morris helped me out a lot and I go to the Patriot Center still to this day. It’s where I practice a lot. That’s Ayden Morris’ dad and he really helped me out a lot. He pushed me to the max every single day. He broke me a lot, but it toughened me up a lot, too.”

 

The Dutton Award, named in honor of Parkersburg High School legendary coach Robert Dutton, is sponsored by Par Mar Stores.

 

Wright, who will be honored on May 5 at the 77th annual Victory Awards Dinner in Wheeling, finished ahead of runner-up Brock Kehler of University as well as Point Pleasant's Gunner Andrick, Oak Glen's Logan Davis and Braxton County's Blayne Jarvis.

 

Editor's Note: Photo of Wright by Jay W. Bennett