WHEELING – The 63rd annual Ron Mauck OVAC Wrestling Tournament is now in the history books after spawning many more memorable mat moments.

Parkersburg South has made its presence felt in the conference in many ways since it joined in 2008, no more than wrestling, however. The Patriots have now taken the team title trophy back to Wood County on six occasions.

South’s dominance is not a bad thing for other conference mat programs. The Patriots’ presence in the OVAC helps to raise the bar for local wrestling.

It is similar to when Florida State joined the ACC. No one could beat the Seminoles in football. Now you had conference member Clemson playing for the national grid championship.

Steubenville is one school that competes quite well against Parkersburg South, finishing runnerup this year, producing four individual champions while South had two. Steubenville owns the one overall OVAC team title that has escaped the Patriots’ grasp.

What proved refreshing was seeing Shadyside and Weirton Madonna show that small schools could go toe-to-toe with the big boys. The Tigers finished third overall while the Blue Dons were fourth out of 40 plus teams. Caldwell, meanwhile, finished tied for seventh.

“As always, the tournament lived up to its hype. To witness a four-time champion (Steubenville’s Tariq Wilson) is truly something, considering what one has to do to get there. It was also amazing to watch the returning four-time champions return. To watch them walk down the mat was like watching history unfold right before your eyes,” said OVAC Executive Secretary Tom Rataiczak. “As I told the coaches prior to the championship, the tournament isn’t about Ron Mauck or Dan Doyle or the committee. It’s about the hundreds of coaches and thousands of athletes who have worked and sacrificed to get to that match Saturday. Few conferences anywhere can lay claim to the prestige and history of that tournament.

“It was truly a humbling experience to see Jim Crosier receive the Mr. Mat Award. Watching his emotions as he vaulted over the dasher boards and walked out on the mat made you realize how much this award really means,” he added. “It was amazing that everything went as smoothly as it did, with all the construction going on and the changes that occurred within the arena. It was a true testimony to the WesBanco staff and the committee for making so many adjustments on the fly.”

Tournament director Dr. Dan Doyle was also pleased with how the three-day extravaganza played out.

“It was another great tournament, the result of the efforts of many people giving unselfishly of their time and talents,” Doyle said. “The behavior of our student-athletes was fantastic. Kudos to the coaches, parents and the significant others that are influencing these your people.

“Congratulations to Tariq Wilson of Steubenville High on becoming the eighth OVAC four-time champion and to Caleb Nice of Magnolia on becoming a first-time champion,” he added. “Anthony Winters also became Fort Frye’s first place winner.”

OVAC MAT NOTEBOOK

Kudos to tournament officials for moving the Wilson-Jackson Henson of University 126-pound title bout to the night’s finale. It was the showcase match, deserving of being the curtain-closer.

Crosier was an excellent choice as the Mr. Mat recipient. Jim comes from a wrestling family and did wonders with guiding the Union Local mat program for many years, all the while doing it with class.

Martins Ferry sophomore Dalton Hoover is developing into a force at 195 pounds. After finishing fourth in the OVAC event as a frosh, Hoover posted an impressive win over highly touted Justin Allman of Parkersburg South in the championship bout.

THE OVAC mat tournament is traditionally a lightning rod for horrendous winter weather. This year, such was not the case. I heard no complaints about the lack of winter’s wrath.

It’s been said many times, but needs repeating. There is no better fraternity in local sports than the one that exists in the OVAC wrestling community. Those seeds of dedication were planted decades ago by legendary George Kovalick.

BUBBA’S BITS

WVU dropped a hoop heartbreaker at Oklahoma Saturday, but in the process the Mountaineers served notice that they will be major players come March Madness time. WVU downed then-No. 1 Kansas earlier in the week before taking this week’s No. 1 down to the wire on the road. Such performances will pay dividends come tournament time.

The Cleveland Browns made a good choice by making Hue Jackson their new head coach. Jackson’s first order of business should be to trade Johnny Manziel to the Dallas Cowboys.

Nike has reportedly agreed to a $252 million deal with Ohio State. The new accord extends its sponsorship for 15 years. The deal calls for $112 million in apparel and $103 million in cash. The Nike-Ohio State deal is the richest in college sports.