By Rob Frank
The Opening Shot
Week one of the 2025 – 2026 Greenbrier East Wrestling season is in the books. The team was scheduled to compete in the Mercer County Girl’s Kickoff and the Cabell Midland quad tournament. Unfortunately, both tournaments were cancelled due to inclement weather. As a winter sport, sometimes the team’s most difficult opponent is Old Man Winter. While the team usually beats Old Man Winter, he is an aggressive and relentless opponent and every now and then he gets the win.
Upcoming Events and Sponsor Highlight
The cancelation of the Mercer County Girl’s Kickoff and the Cabell Midland quad give our team even more time to prepare for the upcoming Morse Reese Memorial Tournament to be held at Greenbrier East High School on Saturday, Dec. 13. Wrestling starts at 10 a.m. and should last through most of the day. This is a major tournament consisting of nine teams, including some of the best teams in West Virginia and Virginia. The teams which have confirmed participation in the tournament include Greenbrier East High School; Greenbrier West High School; Lord Botetourt High School, Daleville, Virginia; Alleghany High School, Covington, Virginia; Capital High School; Woodrow Wilson High School; St. Albans High School; Elkins High School; and Bath County High School, Hot Springs, Virginia.
While the competition will be intense, the wrestlers of GEHS are prepared and excited to wrestle the best West Virginia and Virginia have to offer.
A tournament of this size relies primarily on volunteers. We still need volunteers to help with the tournament, including volunteers to help with registration, time keeping and scoring, mat attendants, and concessions. As always, help with tear down and storage of mats and equipment after the tournament is appreciated.
The sponsor of the Morse Reese Memorial Tournament is Kevin Baker, KB3 Towing. Kevin and KB3 Towing have sponsored multiple tournaments, and we cannot thank Kevin enough. If you get stuck in a battle with Old Man Winter, call KB3 for a tow. 304-658-0738. We have additional tournaments which need sponsors. If you would like to sponsor a tournament, feel free to reach out to me at 719-322-3985.
At the Morse Reese Memorial Tournament, we will also recognize our “Elite Sponsors” for the 2025-2026 season. These individuals and business have made significant gifts to our program. They are Dr. David Shaffer; Paul Grist, Grist Real Estate Associates, Inc.; Tony and Brian Hill, Cherry Lane Auto Sales; Spartan Athletic Foundation, Inc.; Solak Builders; Robert and Aby Frank; Law Firm of Robert J. Frank & Assoc., PLLC; and Chris and Rachel Vass, Vass Engineering and Mineral Appraisals.
On Friday, Dec. 12, the women will be wrestling in the Shady Spring Scuffle, taking place at Shady Spring High School, 300 Hinton Rd., Shady Spring, WV. Wrestling is set to start at 4 p.m. This is the first major women’s tournament of the year. Schools who have confirmed for the tournament include Shady Spring High School; Princeton High School; Morgantown High School; St Albans High School; Pike View High School; Riverside High School; Greenbrier East High School; Liberty Raleigh High School; Logan, High School; Oak Hill High School; Tyler Consolidated High School, Buckhannon-Upshur High School, South Charleston High School; George Washington High School; University High School; Nitro High School; Nicholas County High School; Hurricane High School; and Ripley High School. The GEHS sponsors for this tournament are Chris and Rachel Vass, Vass Engineering and Mineral Appraisals.
Little Known Fact of Wrestling
One of the unique aspects of wrestling is the process of cutting weight. There is a perception within the wrestling community that wrestling at the lowest possible weight is more likely to result in wins. While wrestling in a competitive weight class is valuable to a wrestler, no wrestler should sacrifice his or her health to wrestle at too low a weight or to cut weight in an unhealthy manner. Often, the energy and strength which comes from proper nutrition and a healthy weight will outweigh the advantages of wrestling at too low a weight.
West Virginia has adopted rules that determine at the beginning of the season the safe weight class in which a wrestler may participate and the maximum amount of weight they may safely lose in a given week. At the beginning of the season each wrestler is subject to weight, hydration, and body fat testing by a certified health care professional and is given a minimum safe weight class and specific schedule they can follow to safely reach that weight. Regular weigh-ins by the coaching staff and at tournaments ensures a wrestler sticks to the mandatory program. The health of the young men and women in our program is of paramount importance and GEHS strictly adheres to the state guidelines.
Next Week
Next week’s article will give results of the Morse Reese Memorial Tournament and the Shady Spring Scuffle, information on upcoming tournaments, and wrestler and donor spotlights.
