Pre-Tournament Prep Week: Youth and Middle School State Tournament; Preparation for the High School State Championship Tournament; The Last 24 Minutes.
The opening Shot.
The week before the West Virginia High School Wrestling State Championship is in the books. As the high school men and women prepared for the State Tournament, the youth and middle school wrestlers went to the mat in search of state titles. For all wrestlers this was and is a very big week.
The Week in Review.
Middle School and Youth State Championship. This weekend the WV Youth Wrestling Association State Tournament was held in the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. During the middle school wrestling season, Coach Carter Shearer prepared his wrestlers for the end of year tournaments and transition to high school wrestling. Eastern Greenbrier Wrestling Club Coach Camren Ritchey spent countless hours with the youth of Greenbrier County teaching them the joy and art of wrestling. These efforts paid off in this past weekend’s WV Youth Wrestling Association State Tournament. Sixteen wrestlers entered the tournament, and eight wrestlers placed.
As Stated by Coach Josh Smith: “First and foremost most we want to congratulate rising freshman James Godby on an epic middle school career, 100 career wins, followed by a state championship.” James is our wrestler of the week, and GEHS looks forward to adding his skill to our roster next year. We also recognize rising freshman Anna Pack who placed eighth in the 123 lb. Girls Middle School weight class. Noah Williams, wrestling in the Middle School 155 lb. weight class, made it to the “blood round” (consolation semifinal match). Anna and Noah, as well as James, will be welcome additions to the GEHS team.
The youth wrestlers also did well. The following young wrestlers placed in the tournament: Camden Ogle 6U 40lbs 5th; Cooper Pugh 6u 55lbs 6th; Asher Williams 10U 85lbs 8th; Paisley Smith Girls 9U 63lbs 7th; Ariel Webb Girls 12U 64lbs 6th; and Harper Smith Girls 9U 95lbs 7th. Congratulations to each of these young warriors. Coach Ritchey indicated that the team’s “effort and grit is what separates us from other teams. We won a number of matches on effort alone. Our practices are more difficult than most youth program practices. Even when wrestling far more experienced wrestlers, our determination and effort led to wins.” Congratulations to Coach Ritchey and the Eastern Greenbrier Wrestling Club.
High School Preparation. While the middle school and youth wrestlers competed, the high school wrestlers continued to prepare. This time of year, practices are best spent drilling the basics and honing each wrestler’s best and most favored techniques. Mental preparation, visualizing moves and positions, and visualizing wins against top competition are important components of success.
The last 24 minutes. In the sixteen wrestler brackets used in the WV State Tournament, four wins are required to win a championship. Each of those matches consist of three – two-minute rounds. This effectively means that each of our high school wrestlers have twenty-four minutes left to the 2025 – 2026 season. Twenty-four minutes as a culmination of a season’s worth of hard work, and sacrifice, and the pressure of stepping onto the mat in one-on-one competition. Twenty-four minutes to a Championship or a personal best. Twenty-four minutes to test one’s body, mind, heart and character. There is no wonder there is so much intensity, energy and emotion at the state tournament. Here are the young men and woman of Greenbrier East High School who will be wrestling in the last twenty-four minutes of the 2025-2026 High School Wrestling season:
Hunter Holcomb 106 lb., 3rd place at Region III Qualifying Tournament, Academic All-State Team.
Gage Webb 113 lb., 4th place at Region III Qualifying Tournament.
Sonny Herbert 120 lb., 3rd place at Region III Qualifying Tournament.
Maya Frank 120 lb., 2nd place at Southern Region Qualifying Tournament,
Prior 3rd Place finish at WV State Tournament, Academic All-State Team.
Hannah Gill 132 lb., Alternate, Southern Region Qualifying Tournament, Academic All-State Team.
Ava Taylor 132 lb., Alternate, Southern Region Qualifying Tournament, Academic All-State Team.
Izzy Blankenship 138 lb., 2nd Place Southern Region Qualifying Tournament, WV Mat Academic Honor Role.
Kaden Stone 144, lb., Region III Champion, Prior 5th and 3rd place finishes at the WV State Tournament, GEHS record holder in the number of wins and the number of Pins, Academic All-State Team.
Carter Webb 150 lb., 3rd place Region III Qualifying Tournament.
Kane Frank 157 lb., 3rd place Region III Qualifying Tournament, Academic All-State Team.
Mason Miller 165 lb., Region III Champion, WV Mat Academic Honor Role.
Makaylee Bennett 185 lb. Southern Region Champion, WV Mat Academic Honor Role.
Harrison Smith Heavy Weight, 2nd place Region III Qualifying Tournament.
Good luck in those last twenty-four minutes.
The State Tournament will be held March 5-7 Mountain Health Arena, Huntington, WV. The men start on Thursday, March 5 at 6:30 p.m. Friday wrestling starts at 11:30 a.m. The women’s tournament and men’s final round begins on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. Come out and support our wrestlers.
The SSAC has published a web page with all of the information, details, and schedule of the State Tournament. It can be found at:
https://www.wvssac.org/2026-wrestling-championship-central/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQLHLFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETJ6NldaTkVkaURsa1R
Gc3dSc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHh91BEvvvV4iD1Ujtc11H9m8fdDonJFsEVZMZpS6S50b7m3s9E6omTh1QRx1_aem_qGDWk_szJ6Rs5c2zieM_YQ
Wrestler of the Week – Championship Week – James Godby
The Godby family has been a recurring fixture in Greenbrier East Wrestling. James Godby, the 123 lb. Middle School Champion, is the “next Godby up.” After his championship weekend, we caught up with James to get his impressions as he looks toward his high school future.
In his own words:
How long have you been wrestling?
I have been wrestling since I was three years old. It has always been a part of my life and my family’s life.
Why wrestle?
There is no better sport for life lessons and mental toughness than wrestling. And it’s just fun.
What best prepared you for your state championship and what is your best memory from the tournament? Finding and wrestling the best partner in the room really prepares me for all of my tournaments, and especially states. My best memory of the tournament was getting my 100th win as well as winning the finals.
Are you looking forward to coming to the high school to compete? I can’t wait for what is ahead.
What are your goals as a person, a student, and as a wrestler? As a person, to be the best me and not compare myself to others. As a student, to finish high school with a 4.0 grade point average get into veterinary school. As a wrestler, place at states all four years in high school and win at least one more state title.
What do you think will most help you accomplish these goals? Staying my own course and being humble are two of my most important focuses in accomplishing my goals. Finishing high school and studying hard until I achieve my goals is a key to success. For wrestling, wrestling year-round and seeing my best competition will prepare me for state championships and life beyond the mat.
Next Week.
Next week’s article will report on the team’s success at the West Virginia State Championship Tournament. As always, we welcome sponsors and donors to our program. If you wish to sponsor or donate, please feel free to reach out to me at (719) 322-3985, or email me at rob@rjflaw.com.
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.
