tbgfan 856 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 The second annual Marion McDonald's Brutal Clash team tournament will be held Dec. 19-20 at Marion High School The event will include 25 teams and 50 all-state competitors from seven states, including 14-time West Virginia state champion Parkersburg South. Teams such as Virginia High, Abingdon, Northwood, Marion and Castlewood are involved. Action begins Friday at 3 p.m. with six matches. Life has many choices---eternity has two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbgfan 856 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 Brutal Clash Wrestling Tournament Makes Its Second Appearance in Marion By Allen Gregory Sports Writer / Bristol Herald Courier Published: December 18, 2008 Hunter Trivette has a passion for wrestling. The former state champion not only coaches and promotes the sport at Marion High School, he dreams it. And Trivette dreams big. Last winter, Trivette created the 18-team Brutal Clash team tournament. After plenty of networking by Trivette among the loyal high school wrestling community, the tournament returns Friday and Saturday in a big way. In fact, the second Marion McDonald’s Brutal Clash tournament will feature 25 teams from seven states, including five nationally-ranked squads. “We want this to be wrestling version of the Arby’s Classic in Bristol,†Trivette said, referring to the nationally-known prep basketball tournament at Viking Hall. “We’ve been working hard since last March to put everything together, and we feel like we’ve got a great field.†Serious wrestling fans will recognize programs such as 14-time West Virginia state champion Parkersburg South along with defending New Jersey state runnerup Long Branch, Kissimmee Osceola from Florida and New York based Attica High School. Parkersburg South High School was featured in a segment of “Title Town†on the ESPN cable network last year. The field also includes 11 Virginia schools, including Abingdon, Virginia High, Castlewood and Northwood. “It will be interesting to see the different styles of wrestling from states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina and New Jersey,†Trivette said. “If you like wrestling, Marion will definitely be the place to be this weekend.†The tournament will not follow the traditional team or individual format. Each team will wrestle three matches Friday, with those results being used to place teams into three divisions on Saturday. Teams will then wrestle in their pools Saturday to determine semifinal and final matches. Trivette attempted to lure traditional Virginia state powers Grundy and Christiansburg. “We talked to the folks at Grundy, but they went to a tournament in Reno [Nevada] last year and Christiansburg hosts a Christmas tournament,†Trivette said. According to Trivette, team officials have booked nearly all the hotel rooms in Smyth County this weekend. Many of the athletes will stay in Wythe County. “This is a great opportunity for our community and region,†Trivette said. “When we first started with this idea last year, we went to town officials in Marion and showed them how they would benefit from this tournament. “The town of Marion actually served as our co-sponsor last year, and the mayor [David Helms] wrote the introductory letter we sent out to the high schools.†Tournament organizers sent inquiries to 100 schools last year, then culled the field to 18. “We wanted to keep things small and establish a solid foundation,†Trivette said. “We didn’t have to send nearly as many letters this year.†Trivette credits word of mouth for the favorable response to his ambitious event. He has also spent many hours drumming up support through various wrestling web sites from Virginia to Maine. A state champion wrestler at Chilhowie High School in 1988, Trivette wrestled at Appalachian State for one year. He has led the Marion wrestling program for six years. “I’ve spent many hours lining this tournament up, and I’ve really been encouraged at how well things have gone,†Trivette said. “We were able to pick up a corporate sponsor, and folks throughout the area have rallied behind our youth.†The teams will utilize three gyms, 14 officials and eight mats. Several mats will be borrowed from other Smyth County schools. Various wrestling clubs will also participate. The Marion-based Brutal Wrestling Club was formed five years ago, and has grown to 50 kids in grade two through high school. “Communities such as Rural Retreat, Abingdon and Chilhowie all have wrestling clubs,†Trivette said. “That’s good for the sport.†Trivette hopes to build off that interest this weekend “Even though we have a young team with only one senior, we’ve got some talent. A tournament like this can only help us improve,†Trivette said. Marion travels to Hilton Head, S.C.; Greeneville, Tenn.; Cary, N.C.; and Parkersburg, W.Va. to compete later this season. Action begins Friday with six matches at 3 p.m. The first action for Abingdon and Virginia High will be Friday afternoon at 4:30. agregory@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2544 Life has many choices---eternity has two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c86m 10 Report Share Posted December 25, 2008 What were the results of the tournament? Who placed where in what weight classes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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