Prep wrestling: Independence seniors have come a long way
· Yahoo Sports
Three years ago, as Independence was running toward what would be a state runner-up finish (a distinction shared with Point Pleasant, which was dethroned after four straight state championships), head coach Cliff Warden pointed to a group of freshmen who had helped the Patriots get that far.
Those freshmen are now seniors and will bring four seasons of experience and individual accomplishments to the 78th state tournament starting Thursday at the Marshall Health Network Arena in Huntington.
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Warden has been impressed with how far the senior wrestlers have progressed since entering high school.
“It happens a lot (with) eighth-graders, I call it sort of false how they come into the season, because as an eighth-grader, your size and strength and agility and maturity, that'll get you through in middle school, but then in high school it's a different story when you start wrestling an 11th- and 12th-grader,” he said. “But technically and wrestling wise, those guys all have grown bounds.”
Getting the bulk of the work as freshmen were Tyson McGinnis, Luke Mullins and Hunter Whittaker. The three have combined for a .594 winning percentage, four regional championships and 11 state qualifier runs over their four seasons.
Whittaker has won three Coalfield Invitational and three Region 3 titles. He takes a 39-7 record into the state tournament and is the third seed at 150 pounds.
Whittaker is 139-66 for his career.
“He’s just there every day, working hard, great teammate, practicing with whomever is put in front of him,” Warden said of Whittaker. “And I attribute Hunter a lot to the guys that’s last below him. Hunter and Sawyer (Danley, the 165-pound Region 3 champion) worked a lot together last year. He’s (Whittaker) just a great teammate and a great leader in the mat room.”
McGinnis (37-5 this season, 105-74 for his career) has progressed each year and is a four-time state qualifier, capped by his first Region 3 championship on Feb. 21. He took home hist first Coalfield title the week before.
“I think Tyson is really focused on the things he does well,” Warden said. “Being a senior and having that extra couple years of match experience, he's a legitimate top three guy. We’re hoping he's wrestling Friday night in the semis. He just comes to work every day and works hard. If you're doing that, if you're coming to work every day and you're working hard and got your mind in it, you're going to be good.”
Things didn’t work out this year for Mullins, who was unable to qualify for the state tournament. But he was a three-time state qualifier before that and has racked up several important wins throughout his career.
“Without Luke, we're not as good of a WSAZ (Invitational) finish (top 10), and he played a role in winning (the Big Orange) tournament in Roanoke, as did all the guys,” Warden said. “But, and as much as anything, Luke is that practicing wrestler who’s just got a great motor and works really, really hard with whoever he's going with.”
J.J. Scarafino wrestled as a freshman but started to come into his own as a sophomore. He’s a three-time state qualifier with consecutive Region 3 runner-up finishes, and has two Coalfield Invitational championships. He takes a 22-8 record into the state tournament.
“He missed a little patch, came down pretty sick, but he's the guy, you’ve got a couple versions of him and and we're just hoping the best version shows up this weekend,” Warden said.
Then there’s Landon Burleson (30-6), who settled in at 215 this season and ran with it. He was ranked No. 1 much of the season, won Coalfield and Region 3 championships and owns a victory over No. 1 seed Noah Schmidt of Oak Glen.
In addition to the senior leadership, Warden credits his coaching staff — David Hart, Steve McKinney, Colten Caron (a two-time state champion) and Colton Miller (three-time state qualifier) — for its part in a successful season.
“(Caron and Miller) add some spice in that mat room,” Warden said. “They're able to physically roll with those guys and beat on them a little bit, and that's helped our heavier guys a whole lot, having those guys in there.”