Madison Mat Men Finish Eighth At State Tourney

By Katrina Lockwood

Published: March 13, 2008

Madison County’s wrestling squad snared eighth place competing March 8 in a crowded line-up at the A Division State Championship Tournament at the Salem Civic Center. The Mountaineer mat men also produced an individual runner-up at the tourney.

“We finished eighth out of 52; we tied for the best finish in school history!” said an over-joyed Madison Coach Mike Sacra. “I thought our kids wrestled very well and had an outstanding tournament.”

Madison’s Tyler Atwell was the biggest winner of the day, leaving the tournament as the runner-up in the 135-pound weight class with an overall season record of 52-6. Robert Meador (125) came in third place after the weekend, and finished his season 41-10.

Ethan O’Connell (119) came in fourth place and was “the first freshman to place at the state tournament,” said Sacra.

Brent Broyles (160) and Baxter Helmick (140) each nabbed a seventh place win.

Danny Oktayuren (152) did not place in the top eight, but competed in “the toughest weight class in the state,” said Sacra. Oktayuren went 1-2 for the day.

The Bull Run District cranked out the state champions this year as Manassas Park earned first place by a landslide with 182.5 points. Glenvar came in second with 131.5 points, while Strasburg followed behind in third place overall with a score of 121.

Madison had a score of 64.5 at the end of the tournament.