BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Sign-ups are still underway for the Martin County youth wrestling league. So far, 49 have turned out for the league, and six-year coach Sheldon Clark alumni Andrew Chaffin is expecting more. 

The team returns three state champions – Eli Brock, Lyric Howell and Wayland Raines. 

The club is coming off a second-place finish at state. They have won the state championship as a team in three of the last five years.

The season runs approximately from the first weekend of December through February. 

Coach Chaffin plans to keep the team busy.

“We can travel every Friday in our league if we want to,” Chaffin said.

The league consists of 14 teams: Ashland, Boyd County, Fairland, Huntington, Greenup, West Carter and Raceland.

Practice, as of now, is taking place in a garage owned by Coach Chaffin on Old Route 3. Within the next week or so, practice will move to the high school. 

“We have a lot of returning kids, so we don’t have to start from the ground up,” said Chaffin. “The new kids that have shown up are picking up a lot of moves quickly. The vets are showing the younger ones, and it’s really helping introduce them to the sport.”

The team had nine kids in the state finals last year; 20 kids placed in the top 6. 

Kiana Chaffin, Miranda Cline, and Kenleigh Estep are three girls that have signed up. Girls in the area are starting to turn out for wrestling and winning a lot of matches.

“Girls have an advantage. They have a good low center of gravity, they’re strong and they listen really well. It’s incredible what the girls are doing,” added Chaffin.

Any child still interested can sign up through a form on the team’s Facebook group, Martin County Cardinals 22-23 season.

Signups will run through mid-November. The cost is $50 per child and $25 for each additional sibling. The price covers insurance and the Tri-State League fee. Pay at www.paypal.com/paypalme/MCyouthwrestling or bring your money to practice.