LOST CREEK -- Hundred brought five wrestlers to the Mason-Dixon tournament Saturday at South Harrison High School. All five won their individual weight classes and propelled the Hornets to the conference championship.
Hundred defeated Clay-Battelle and Bishop Donahue handily, then snuck by South Harrison, 45-39, in the third round of the match. Daniel Whiteman (119 pounds), Joey McGlumphy (135), Jeremiah Anderson (140), Bill Dent (145) and Brendan Hunt (215) were all the Hornets needed.
"They have some real good kids right in the middle of the bracket," South Harrison coach Paul Byrd said. "They don't have many, but Whiteman's real tough -- all five of them, really."
Mike Byrd (152) and Joe Moore (189) claimed individual conference titles for the Hawks. It was Byrd's first day back on the mat after anterior cruciate ligament surgery, and it was another successful run for Moore (36-4), who earlier this year defeated Grafton's Trampas Efaw. Efaw is ranked No. 1 in the state by WV-Mat in the 189-pound weight class.
Mickey Davis (160) and Eric Langer (171) also fared well for South Harrison with second-place finishes. Justin Rollins (119) finished third.
But the theme of the tournament were the matches not wrestled. Cameron and Weirton-Madonna were scheduled to participate but didn't show up, and there were 30 total forfeits.
There were no wrestlers at all in the 103, 112, 125 and unlimited weight classes. Hundred's Hunt, ranked No. 2 in the 215-pound class, won his conference title by default. He didn't need a single takedown.
Paul Byrd said there are so many incomplete teams and forfeits because of a lack of a proper feeding system to the high school level.
"When kids wrestle, they have from elementary age to when they get to middle school," he said. "Then there's a three- or four-year hiatus from wrestling. If we were to get middle school wrestling, then the impetus would be there for us to have full teams."
Sports writer Rob Peirce can be reached at 626-1444 or by e-mail at rpeirce@exponent-telegram.com.