By KIM NORTH

Times Leader Sports Writer

MARTINS FERRY — The rebuilding process continues for the Martins Ferry wrestling team. The numbers are slightly up from a year ago, and the quality is even better than last year when a trio of Purple Riders advanced to the Division III state tournament, with two of them earning places.

Head coach Chas Yoder will fill nine of the 14 weight classes as Martins Ferry looks to improve upon its showing from last winter when the 64th annual Ron Mauck Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Tournament begins Thursday inside downtown Wheeling’s refurbished WesBanco Arena. The event runs through Saturday night’s championship finals.

“If our team wrestles to their ability, we have a chance to compete for the 3A team race,” Yoder admitted. “All of our wrestlers will have to win some tough matches to contribute to the team score.”

The aforementioned state tournament qualifiers all return, with junior Dalton Hoover (8-0) leading the way. Although the 195-pounder has only wrestled a handful of matches this season, he will be a force to deal with in defending his championship from a year ago when he, as the second seed, defeated Parkersburg South’s top-seed Justin Allman 3-1 in overtime. Allman, who has also been injured this season, was nationally ranked when Hoover prevailed.

“I look for Dalton to win another title,” Yoder said. “He’s a very tough kid.”

In addition to his Ron Mauck OVAC championship, Hoover was a state runnerup last March in Columbus. He dropped a heartbreaking, 3-2, decision to Will Bolanz of Atwater Waterloo when an apparent third-period takedown was ruled to have occurred just after the final buzzer.

According to www.ovaec.org, Hoover, who was also a two-way standout in football while earning first team all-state honors, is ranked No. 1 at 195, just ahead of Allman, who is a three-time finalist and two-time runnerup.

The other two stalwarts are junior Hunter Bodkin (220) and Dom Wallace (285), both of whom reached the podium at last year’s tournament.

Bodkin, a three-year regular, is already a two-time Ron Mauck OVAC placewinner. He finished fourth as a freshman and fifth last year despite losing his first-round bout as a No. 3 seed. He also placed eighth in the state.

“Hunter is an extremely hard worker who continues to improve,” Yoder said. “If he wrestles like he is capable of, he could win the title.”

Bodkin (20-2) has already won the Doan Ford Barnesville Invitational, while finishing fifth at the prestigious Brecksville Invitational in late December. He is ranked No. 2 behind returning champion Caleb Nice of Magnolia.

His older brother, Jonathan, won a title his junior season as a heavyweight.

Wallace has only been wrestling full-time for two seasons, but Yoder is pleased with what he has seen out of the 285-pounder.

“Dom has probably improved more than anyone on this team over the past two years,” the head coach said. “His only two losses this year came by one point in each match at Brecksville. We are excited to watch him compete this year.”

Wallace (18-2) was seventh at Brecksville and finished in the same spot in last year’s Ron Mauck OVAC tournament.

He is currently ranked fourth by www.ovaec.org. The top three all placed ahead of him a year ago.

He was also a state qualifier and won the Doan Ford Barnesville Invitational.

“All three of those guys beat on each other in practice, especially Hunter and Dom,” Yoder noted. “They make each other better every day in the practice room.”

That trio also won Buckeye 8 titles last weekend

Other returning lettermen are senior Anthony Blankenship (132) and sophomores Drake Dobson (160) and Nate Boxley (182). Three freshmen — Chase Ward (106), Alexander Lude (138) and Richie McFarland (152) — complete the entrants.

“Anthony needs to eliminate the little mistakes in order to win some matches this weekend,” Yoder said of Blankenship. “Dobson is on the bubble. He has the potential to be an OVAC placer. Nate is only in his second year, but he catches on quickly and has the ability to place this weekend.”

Yoder is also high on Ward.

“He is a tough kid and a hard worker with good technique,” he said. “He keeps improving every day. If he wrestles a good tournament, I look for him to place.

“Alexander and Richie are two young kids that are improving. I think they both could win a couple of matches this weekend.”

Yoder is assisted by Greg Ware and Taylor Yoder.