PREP WRESTLING comes to the forefront this week in the Ohio Valley.

The 58th Annual Ron Mauck OVAC Wrestling Tournament unfolds at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling. The mat extravaganza begins Thursday evening and continues until Saturday night.

To become one of the 14 individual weight class champions is a most challenging task, as each eventual kingpin will have to win at least five matches against some outstanding opponents.

The OVAC mat tourney is one that continues to grow in both interest and participation. This year, 416 grapplers will be taking to the mats, encompassing 36 conference schools.

Parkersburg South is cast in the role of defending champion.

The Patriots were new to the conference a year ago and made the most of their maiden OVAC mat voyage. South will be one of the favorites again this year while receiving challenges from John Marshall, Wheeling Park, Steubenville and Oak Glen to name just a few.

The tournament continues to enjoy growth as two more schools are entered into this year’s foray with Morgantown and University highs being first-time participants.

The OVAC tourney brings a bright spotlight to a physically- and mentally-challenging sport which often times takes a backseat to basketball this time of year. That is unfortunate as wrestlers must endure training and dieting unlike any other prep athlete. With that said, the OVAC tournament serves as the ideal vehicle to give grapplers their just do.

The event opens with its traditional Olympic-style ceremony and ends with the presenting of class and overall team awards. In between, hundreds of bouts are contested that push young athletes to the limits, with 14 good enough to have their respective arms elevated as champions.

We extend our best of luck to all those wrestlers and coaches taking part in the mat spectacle. We also commend the OVAC for providing such an illustrious forum for these special athletes to display their talents.