By Rob Frank
The 2025-2026 Greenbrier East Wrestling season has started, and our wrestlers are working hard as the season’s first tournaments are just days away.
Over the offseason, wrestlers, coaches, parents and volunteers worked hard refreshing the GEHS wrestling facility with new paint, updating of equipment, organizing the space, and giving the facility a deep cleaning. Thanks to all who volunteered their labor and talents, and donated the funds, for this project. The program also engaged in fundraising efforts to obtain the resources necessary to maintain and improve the program. Throughout the season, this article will recognize those donors.
New Head Coach Davis Solak and the assistant coaches are incorporating some new training and teaching ideas to make our already successful program more effective. Coach Solak says: “The conditioning of our wrestlers has always been among the best in the state. This year we are adding elements of strength training to round out our conditioning program. Our teaching element is directed to giving our wrestlers multiple moves to execute in any position in which they may find themselves. We are excited to see the improvements in both new and returning wrestlers.”
This year the program consists of thirty wrestlers; twenty-three men and seven women. There are twenty-three returning wrestlers and seven new wrestlers including incoming freshmen and students transferring from other schools. GEHS multi-sport athlete and elite wrestler Kaden Stone is the lone returning senior. Returning state place winners include Kaden, who has placed fifth and third at state, and Junior Maya Frank, a third place finisher in the State Tournament’s women’s bracket.
The women start out the year wrestling at the Mercer County Girls Kickoff to be held Friday, Dec. 5, at Bluefield High School in Bluefield WV. The tournament is limited to fourteen teams, and the competition should be tough. Wrestling starts at 5:45 p.m. We welcome you to come and support the team.
The team travels to Cabell Midland High School in Ona, WV, on Dec. 9, for a quad tournament against Cabell Midland HS, Riverside HS and Winfield HS. Wrestling is set to start at 6 p.m.
On Dec. 12, the women travel to Shady Spring, WV, for the Shady Spring Scuffle. More details will be forthcoming next week.
The first home tournament of the year will be the Morse Reese Memorial Tournament held at Greenbrier East High School on Dec. 13. Wrestling will start at 10 a.m. Come support our wrestlers during this tournament and show the support our community gives to its student athletes. If you would like to volunteer to assist in this tournament, please reach out to Coach Davis Solak at GEHS.
Finally, our wrestler’s participation in tournaments would not be possible without the support of our donors. This year, the team has a program by which donors sponsor the costs of the team attending the tournaments. Thanks to Solak Builders Inc. for sponsoring the Mercer County Girls Kickoff and to KB3 Towing for sponsoring the Cabel Midland quad tournament. The impact you are making on the young men and woman of our community cannot be praised enough. We encourage our community to thank the individuals and businesses which support our program. We still have sponsorship opportunities available if you wish to sponsor a tournament.
Next week’s article will give results of this week’s tournaments, information on upcoming tournaments, and wrestler and donor spotlights.
