B-U wrestlers face pair of top teams in debut meet

B-U junior Will Baxa (top) looks to finish off a pin of Ripley’s Alex Espino during their 160-pound match Saturday in a triangular meet at Parkersburg South. Baxa finished off the match with a third-round pin. Photo courtesy of JULIE TENNEY

PARKERSBURG — Two Buckhannon-Upshur Buccaneer wrestlers went unscathed through the opening weekend of regular-season action, as the Bucs competed in a triangular meet against two of the state’s top Class AAA programs.

The Bucs went 0-2 in team scoring, however, falling by a 46-30 score to the Ripley Patriots, the defending regional champions, and 60-18 to the host Parkersburg South Patriots, the defending Class AAA state champions.

Brandon Tenney, a freshman at 106 pounds, and Daniel Nolte, a 220-pound junior, both went 2-0 to lead the Bucs and each wrestler won both his bouts by pin fall. Tenney pinned Ripley’s Shane Johnson at the 2:58 mark and Parkersburg South’s Hunter Cline at the 2:20 point. Nolte needed just 29 seconds to pin Ripley’s Garrett Phillips and he then stopped Parkersburg South’s Stoney Nolan in 2:55.

For the complete article see the 12-05-2012 issue.

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