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One of the busiest times of the year for me is wrestling season and this past weekend I continued to prove that to myself sitting at the head table of the 55th annual Ron Mauck OVAC Wrestling Tournament, but for one family it was much busier.
Susie Porter, mother of Zack, Aaron and Derek, sat along the railings at the WesBanco Area with her video camera in hand watching and taping her three sons compete in the three-day grind.
“It is really exciting. I always make sure I am off work and ready for the OVAC,” Porter explained. “I try to video tape all their matches, but it can be difficult.”
The proud mother has been watching her children master the sport since second and third grades and has never gotten tired of it yet.
“ They keep me on the edge of my seat, but in a good way,” she explained about the boys.
This year was the first year she was able to say that all three of her boys stood on the podium during the final session and, according to tournament personell, this was the first time three brothers all placed in the OVAC during the same year.
“That is really something neat,” she said in a telephone conversation. “Coach (Shane) Shaffer said he thought it was the first time it ever happened, but wasn’t sure.”
The new OVAC hardware will add the the Porter family’s collections as Zack (112) took third, Aaron (145) took fifth and Derek (160) took sixth.
“Those three are very close with one another. They do argue and fight, but for the most part they pick each other up on the mat,” Shaffer said.
With Aaron in his senior campaign, Susie says she has been very lucky to be able to watch him over the years and admits it will feel very different without having him wrestling for the Big Reds next season.
Zack and Derek, fraternal twins, will have another go around at the conference championship as they look to battle for the impeccable individual OVAC title.
“They’re insprirational with one another,” their mother said. “You always see one or two of them with the other one getting him ready for his next match.”
All three have a proven track record of success on the mat, but its hard to judge which Porter is the more dominant wrestler.
“Over the years they have taken turns with who is the best one,” she said.
“You’ll see they don’t practice with one another because it’s too much like a championship match every time. You want to see your brother beat other people, they don’t want to lose to each other.”
As the prep mat season ticks away, the Porter Brothers will continue to work hard as all three want to make it to the next level of competition — the road the the state tournament.
“I believe all three can be district qualifiers and place high at sectionals,” Shaffer said. “Hopefully everything from the OVAC and Buckeye 8 can roll over into the next level for those guys.”
For those that missed the greatest three-day of wrestling in the valley. Here are a few short notes about Ohio Valley wrestling.
This unique award is presented to a non-coach supporter of OVAC wrestling to say thank you for their support through the years. The award recipient for this year’s award was OVAC Executive Secretary Tom Rataiczak.
Through Rataiczak’s efforts the OVAC was able to replace the old floor clocks with the ones that are used in the OVAC tournament today.
Rataiczak will now have the privilege and distinction of presenting a $1,000 scholarship to an OVAC wrestler at the annual OVAC spring awards banquet.
Sid Stoltz was a devoted fan of the mat sport. Stoltz gave much of his time and efforts over the last two decades in helping to make the OVAC tournament a dynamic competition. Stoltz’ major area of expertise was being a scorekeeper.
Being awarded the Stoltz Memorial Award was Belinda Lough.
Robert “Pear” Sadler was one of wrestling’s biggest supporters throughout the Ohio Valley. Sadler was instrumental in promoting OVAC wrestling in the Wheeling area. As a city councilman, Salder helped to open the doors of the Wheeling Civic Center for the OVAC Wrestlin Tournament in 1980.
The teams that receives this award displays the true spirit of OVAC wrestling sportsmanship. This year’s team recipient was Beallsville.
Some have referred to Bill Hinegardner as West Virginia wrestling’s Man of Character, but to the OVAC wrestling community he has been much more. A friend to many and a dedicated individual to the sport of wrestling, Hinegardner was honored Saturday night at the WesBanco Arena for his years of service to OVAC wrestling.
Ron Mauck has passed the torch as the tournament director of the OVAC and his colleagues honored him Saturday for his years of service. Laying a lot of the ground work for this tournament, his impeccable leadership and passion for the sport will be missed. For this, the members of the OVAC thank him and honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
After wrestling got started this weekend the seeds were all out the door as I saw seeds lose in every weight class. After it was all said and done, there were 21 non-seeded wrestlers on the podium this year.
Over the past 55 years over 20,000 wrestlers have stepped on the mat Ron Mauck OVAC Wrestling Tournament. Many of them were two-matches and out, but there were many others that went the distance.
Saturday the OVAC honored 13 gentleman that were the standouts of their time as past 25 year champions and I was able to catch up with a few of them.
Rich McKinney, 112-pounds – Cadiz: Now a Harrison Central teacher, McKinney won his OVAC title using a different method — injury default. Toeing the line with Brian Bunch of Steubenville, McKinney his a three-quarters nelson on Bunch and separated his shoulder to win his bout.
However, the injury didn’t effect the two as they both went on to wrestle at West Liberty State College and become close friends.
“I enjoy watching the sport and look to possibly get back into coaching again,” McKinney said.
McKinney was mat mentor of Big Creek High School (McDowell County, W.Va.) for 14 years and before heading back to Cadiz to lead the Harrison Central mat program for four seasons.
“This tournament means a lot to people. I look forward to remembering the good times and seeing the rest of the guys,” McKinney said. “It’s going to be exciting to see what they did with their lives.”
Mike Miller, 145-pounds – Shadyside: The Galloway, Ohio resident has been out of the sport for a number of years, but his passion still stays strong for the sport of wrestling.
“I usually follow wrestling in the Columbus area and keep track of my alma mater where a friend of mine in the head coach, Scott Kinemond,” Miller said.
Miller’s championship year came with multiple upsets in the 145-pound weight class. Miller, the No. 5 seed, pinned his way to the finals to meet Bill Thrasher of Wellsville.
“I remember being up by three-points as the time was running out,” Miller said. “All I was thinking was I cannot get turned.”
Miller now works as an account executive for DHS Express in the Columbus area.
Tim Ward, 126-pounds – Beallsville: Out of the competitive side of wrestling for 25 years, Ward entered the coaching ranks at Coshocton and has been involved at the varisty and junior high programs for 19 years.
“It was kind of depressing watching the opening ceremonies because it’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years,” Ward, 42, said. “It made me feel old.”
Ward’s championship came against John Marshall’s Todd Hibbs, but Ward says that match doesn’t stick in his mind as much as the other two OVAC championship matches he lost.
Just think, there’s only 51 weeks until wrestling fans can reunite and do it all over again at WesBanco Arena.
Cook can be reached at bcook@timesleaderonline.com