For the past 32 years, wrestlers have come to Fairmont to test themselves at mid season. While the tournament has gone by many names over the years, The Winner's Choice Wrestling Tournament is a classic that came from humble beginnings.
"Oh it's grown. We used to have it in that small junior high gym at East Fairmont where we had maybe 10 or 12 teams. We decided to get a couple more in and we moved it to the armory," Joe Naternicola said.
"Every year we're run this tournament we've tried to bring in some of the best teams in the state and even out of state, we've had teams from New York before, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania and it's a goal to put on a mid season classic," Mark Delligatti added.
Winning at this event doesn't just mean a nice big trophy to put in your room to be proud of. It also sends a message to the rest of the state that come tournament time you'll be a force to be reckoned with.
"That's one of the things that this tournament does, is it give people an opportunity to see how well you do here, that in the future at the state tournament or the regional's, what the expectations would be. The state rankings come out usually the weekend after this so, it'll be a good sign," Delligatti stated.
Champions are crowned on Saturday.
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