The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

High School Sports

March 14, 2010

A few final thoughts to close another season

By Wayne Bennett For The Register-Herald

BECKLEY — The scholastic wrestling season is over and many athletes will now turn their attention to spring sports. Others will seek out a few open tournaments and some will just heal up and rest.

Individual state champions from West Virginia had the opportunity to extend their seasons by participating in the AAA vs. AA-A match at Parkersburg South on Saturday. This idea has been tossed around for years and has finally reached a reality.

If a champion from each division was unable to participate or chooses not to, the position was then offered to the runner-up and on down the line if necessary. Hopefully, this event will become an integral part of our rich wrestling tradition.

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As I clean off my desk, here are a few notes I would like to share:

n I was asked about Nick Rahal, a Woodrow Wilson wrestler who was a member of the Flying Eagles’ first wrestling team. With help from guys like David Friley, Frog Young and Dick Patterson, I learned quite a bit about this exceptional man.

Rahal’s family owned a restaurant in uptown Beckley. Described as a “real tough guy,” Rahal won the state wrestling championship in 1949. He played football at Syracuse and was a member of its team in the 1952 Orange Bowl. He played with Jim Ringo, who later became a Green Bay Packer and Pro Football Hall of Famer. Rahal currently lives in Florida where he has worked as a college instructor and real estate broker.

n In an earlier column I mentioned several local black wrestlers throughout the years. Sophia High School had some good ones I did not mention, like Wayne and Marshall Oglesby, Chip and Andre Hairston, James Guilliam, Nicky Hairston and Howard Cox. Also, Liberty football coach Jeff Alexander wrestled at Sophia, not at Woodrow Wilson as I earlier mentioned. Tom “Choo” Coleman was also a good one who graduated from Beckley in 1968.

n Congratulations to the Oak Hill youth wrestling team for winning the Southern Coalfield Wrestling League. Like everyone else, the league battled the weather all season long, but ended with a strong showing.

n I got a word about a former Beckley athlete, Ryan Morris. Morris graduated from WVU and is currently working for the postal service around the Morgantown area. In 2000, Ryan was a Coalfield Conference champion and finished second in the state tournament at 215 pounds. Ryan did not use a bunch of fancy moves in his career. His bread and butter moves were a double led takedown and inside standup. He almost perfected these moves and was a joy to watch.

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Well, it’s time to put the old water bottle back on the shelf for another offseason. One last squeeze goes to Cody Baker and Ryan Gilkerson, former wrestlers and avid readers of this column.

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