PRINCETON — Vaughn Thacker had big plans on his mind for this week. They’ve suddenly gotten a lot bigger.
The senior at Princeton Senior High School was thinking about participating in this weekend’s state high school wrestling tournament in Huntington when he got a call on Wednesday.
It was U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), informing him personally that he had been accepted into the Class of 2022 at the United States Military Academy.
“This has been a whirlwind of a week,” Thacker said, “being told that I’m going to go to West Point, and now, understanding the fact that this is my last high school tournament.”
Thacker is one of three students from Princeton Senior High to qualify for the state wrestling tournament, and another is standing by as an alternate. Thacker earned the state bid by finishing in third place in the 195-pound category of the Class AAA regional tournament held on Feb. 10 in Beckley.
Princeton head wrestling coach Jeff Bowman said about Thacker, “The boy is incredibly intelligent. He really is. His work ethic, he works just as hard as he can work, for as long as he can work.”
“I think he’ll do real well there (at West Point), and I’m really proud to see that he’s going.”
Thacker is captain of the wrestling team, and also was a captain of the Tigers football team last fall. He serves as battalion commander of the Princeton unit of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), and he is a member of the Madrigals Show Choir, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the school’s prayer club.
Manchin and U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.) made the official nomination of Thacker to West Point. The recommendation of a congressional representative is a requirement for admission into one of the nation’s service academies.
Jenkins congratulated Thacker in a press release, stating that he is “confident that (Thacker) embodies the best that West Virginia has to offer.”
“He is a driven, determined young man with an exemplary character and work ethic. His admission to this prestigious academy is a testament to his hard work, and I know he will represent our state well. I am grateful for his willingness to serve and wish him all the best,” Jenkins said.
Manchin, in a separate press release, said he applauded Thacker’s “desire to serve our great country.”
Vaughn Thacker believes he still has time on the wrestling mat ahead of him after this weekend, and it would be at a much higher level.
He said, “I have every intention of, one day, once I get into West Point and get myself established there, of wrestling for them. But this is my last high school tournament.”
This will be his third straight year of competing at the state tournament, to be held at the Huntington Civic Center. Hundreds of high school wrestlers participate in the annual tournament, which started Thursday evening and concludes Saturday night. The event typically draws thousands of fans.
Thacker said, “There’s going to be a lot of eyes there, and there’s going to a lot of emotions. And, honestly, I’m just ready to go out there and wrestle the best that I can, just leave it all on the mat.”
Thacker’s guardians are Bill and Bonnie Campbell of Princeton, according to Jenkins’ press release. Thacker is a cousin of the late Juston T. Thacker, a 2001 Princeton Senior High graduate. Juston Thacker joined the U.S. Marine Corps, attained the rank of lance corporal, and died in June 2004 in action in Afghanistan during his second tour of duty there.
— Contact Tom Bone at tbone@bdtonline.com
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