Week 8: Her-Story Maker Women’ Tournament; Red Devil JV Rumble.
The opening Shot.
Week eight of the 2025 – 2026 Greenbrier East Wrestling season is in the books. This week the focus is on the women’s team and the JV team who each traveled to Oak Hill to participate in the Her-Story Maker Women’s Tournament and the Red Devil JV Rumble.
The Week in Review.
On Friday, January 23, 2026 the women wrestled in the Her-Story Maker Women’s Tournament and the JV team wrestled in the Red Devil JV Rumble. Both teams had considerable success.
Greenbrier East High School, despite suffering in-tournament injuries, earned a Second Place Team finish in the tournament. This is the highest our women’s team has ever placed in a tournament, and the win was powered by place winners up and down our roster. As of the last rankings, the GEHS Women’s Team is ranked No. 10 in the state. This is despite only having wrestlers in six of the twelve weight classes. It shows the quality of wrestlers GEHS is developing. As more women fill out our program, we will be a dominant team.
Once again, Izzy Blankenship went undefeated, earning a First Place Finish in the 138 pound weight class. As always, Izzy’s matches were hard=fought, against tough opponents. In the most recent rankings, Izzy is ranked No. 4 in the state at 138 pounds. Maya Frank also went undefeated earning a First Place Finish in the ultra-competitive 120 pound weight class. In the championship match Maya wrestled previously undefeated Faith Morris of Bluefield, pinning her in the first period. Maya is currently ranked No. 6 in the state, but we anticipate her ranking will improve when the new rankings are issued on Jan. 30, 2026. Makaylee Bennett started strong but unfortunately had to withdraw due to injury. As of last ranking Makaylee was ranked third in the state. Freshman Sativa Dunbrack earned a second place finish, and freshman Isabella Jones placed fourth. It was a great tournament. We again thank our tournament sponsor Martha Hilton,
Fathom Realty, 1034 Washington St East, Lewisburg, W. Va., Phone: (304) 645-7700; mhilton@fathomrealty.com; https://marthahilton.com.
The JV men had similar success at the Red Devil JV Rumble. The Red Devil JV Rumble is a forum that allows developing wrestlers an opportunity to compete against other up and coming wrestlers. GEHS sent six JV wrestlers to the tournament. All wrestled well, again showing the development of GEHS younger wrestlers. Elijah Sherman went undefeated at 165 pounds, earning a first place finish in the tournament. Elijah is a polished and aggressive wrestler with a very bright future. Cameron Wiley earned a second place finish at 157, overcoming all barriers and earning his second pin of the season. Gage Webb also earned a second place finish at 120 pounds. No one is ever as happy as Gage is when he wins a match. His attitude and joy are infectious.
Wrestler of the Week – Women’s Division The GEHS Women’s Team.
This is the second week in a row in which the Wrestler of the Week is the team as a whole, rather than any one wrestler. Earning a second place win in a tournament and being the 10th ranked team in the state are huge accomplishments. This is particularly true in that GEHS only has wrestlers in half of the available weight classes. The team relies on each other to work hard and compete in practice, support each other on and off the mat, encourage each other after losses, and celebrate each other in victory. They have truly become a team in every sense of the word and need to be recognized as such.
In the words of a coach.
As this is a team win, I thought I would give some of my thoughts on our team and what women’s wrestling means.
1) Why women’s wrestling?
The answer to this question is as individual as the women who wrestle. The love of competition, the challenge, and the discipline required of the sport are often cited as reasons to wrestle. Even in 2026 women who wrestle are trailblazers making way in a sport that was previously considered a “men’s sport.” The young women wrestling today are the kind of people who will not shrink from competition or challenge. They are leaders.
GEHS has a long history of strong women wrestlers who were great leaders and role models. Maya Frank was significantly impacted and encouraged by past WV Women’s State Champions Micah Fisher and Emma Kesterson. In turn, the current team members will inspire middle school and youth wrestlers to excel and blaze trails of their own.
As the nation’s fastest growing sport, women’s wrestling provides unparalleled college scholarship opportunities, opportunities for national and international travel, and opens doors to colleges, the military, and trades. Academic institutions, the armed services, and the trades all recognize that wrestlers must have will, competitiveness, toughness, and discipline to compete. All of our women show these traits.
2) How does women’s wrestling differ from men’s?
Some of the differences are technique oriented. Women are far more flexible than men. Some of the techniques which work well on men do not work well on women. Pinning combinations that rely heavily on using the shoulders to turn the hips are not as effective on women due to their ability to flex their torsos. Some of the differences are attitudinal. The women, more so than the men, seem to interact and engage in friendships with members of other teams. Izzy Blankenship may be one of the most popular wrestlers in the state. That is not to say things are not competitive. These young women are all business on the mat. Finally, as a growing sport, year to year the competition increases dramatically and every year new and competitive wrestlers come into high school. Maya finished third in the state in her freshman year, due in large part to the coaching she received from Coach Lou Withrow in middle school. This year, Eastern Greenbrier Middle School Coach Carter Shearer sent up a number of freshman wrestlers who were well trained and ready to compete. Each year women’s wrestling will become more competitive.
3) What are the strengths of the GEHS women’s wrestling team?
The team has a strong core of senior wrestlers and a growing core of new wrestlers. Maya Frank, Izzy Blankenship, and Makaylee Bennett are all highly ranked wrestlers who will compete for state championships. They collaborate with the younger wrestlers daily, offer advice and coaching, and are role models for young women growing in the sport. Our newer wrestlers work hard, take
coaching well, and compete, even when they are pitted against wrestlers who are ranked on the state and national level. As an example, Hannah Gill wrestled the nationally ranked reigning state champion in her first match. Despite the differences in experience, Hannah stepped on the mat, followed the coaching, and acquitted herself well.
We ask our wrestlers not to compare themselves to their competition, but rather, compare themselves to who they were the day before, the practice before, the tournament before. Gaining proficiency in wrestling requires one to be ever improving, always getting better.
4) What do you wish for your wrestlers?
Mostly I wish them health. Wrestling is a tough sport and wrestlers, especially in the back end of the season, get a bit beaten up. I wish them joy in the moment. For most, wrestling will not last past high school or college. They need to feel and remember what it feels like to step on the mat, put your toe on the line, and engage at the blow of the whistle. I hope they learn what wrestling has to teach and carry it forward in their relationships; their academic, military, or work success; and in the physical and mental health. We have a great and powerful group of young women. I am committed that they know how powerful and important they are, and that they live into their nearly limitless potential, serving God’s purpose for their lives. Finally, I hope they have fun.
Wrestler of the Week – Men’s Division – Elijah Sherman
Elijah Sherman is the 165-pound champion of the Red Devil JV Rumble. He is one of the GEHS up-and-coming wrestlers with a bright future. Due to the storm and school closures, we were unable to speak with Elijah. We will catch up with him as soon as weather allows and the team is back at practice.
Upcoming Events:
On Friday, January 30, 2026, the women will be wrestling at the Lady Raider Rumble at Liberty-Raleigh High School, 700 Coal River Rd, Glen Daniel, WV 25844. Wrestling starts at 5:00 p.m. This is the third to the last tournament of the year, so make sure you go out to support the team.
The men will be traveling to the 2026 WSAZ High School Invitational: January 30-31, 2026. The tournament will take place in the Huntington, WV – Marshall Health System Arena, located at 1 Civic Center Plaza, Huntington, WV 25701. On Friday wrestling starts at 4:45. On Saturday wrestling starts at 10:00 a.m. Other than State Championship Tournament, this is the largest tournament of the year.
WV Dual Team State Championship.
The WV Dual Team State Championships will be held February 7 and 8, 2026 at the State Fair Grounds in Fairlea, West Virginia. Wrestling will take place in The West Virginia building starting at Noon on both days with the Championship matches at 3:00 p.m. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m. This State Championship event brings together the top sixteen teams from across the state, including eight in Division 2 (Friday) and eight in Division 1 (Saturday). It is endorsed by the WVSSAC, sponsored by the West Virginia Wrestling Coaches Association, and hosted by the Greenbrier East Wrestling programs.
The brackets have been released for the tournament and excitement is building. I am happy to provide printed or digital copies of the brackets on request. Call me at (719) 322-3985.
We continue to accept sponsors for this event. All Sponsors will receive recognition on Banners, Printed Material and Social Media. Tickets for the Wrestling event and the ‘Champions’ Guest Speaker Breakfast will also be provided. Sponsorship is good for both days. We have the following sponsorship levels available:
CORPORATE $1,000 Special Recognition as Corporate Tournament Sponsor; 4 Tickets to the Event and Breakfast.
GOLD $500 3 Tickets to the Event and Breakfast.
SILVER $250 2 Tickets to the Event and Breakfast.
BRONZE $100 1 Ticket to the Event and Breakfast
Thank You to all the local supporters who have helped make this event the premier State Championship in West Virginia. If you would like to sponsor this event, please feel free to reach out to me at 719 322-3985 or email me at rob@rjflaw.com.
Next Week.
Next week’s article will give results of the Lady Raider Rumble, and the 2026 WSAZ High School Invitational; further information on the State Dual Championship Tournament, will give updates on upcoming events, and provide wrestler and donor highlights.
Live Stream. GEHS wrestling matches are now livestreamed and posted on the Greenbrier East Spartan Wrestling Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1400059887620954. If you cannot join us live, please join us online.
