First, I’d like to thank all of the Cadets who came for the first couple of rounds of wrestling. It was fun to hear a collective cheer for wins, the pained “ooh” for impressive slams and general support for our team. Many of you were reminded of the level of combat each wrestler prepares for and endures for their chosen sport. Also, many thanks to the staff and other volunteers who provided food and helped make our tournament run smoothly. We received multiple praises from the other coaches and referees for our hospitality and organization.
In spite of the small number of schools in our conference, and several teams not being able to fill their rosters, the level of competition was fierce nonetheless. Our Tigers fought with all the vigor they could muster and in the end, even with missing four weight classes, defeated our rival Fishburne Military Academy to clinch the VIC championship. The individual results are as follows:
Tyler Medlin, despite his calm demeanor at school, attacked his opponents with ferocity and stood the victor at the end, earning a gold medal for his efforts in his weight class.
Sebastian Richardson faced opponents who previously defeated him, but fought with renewed determination. He remained defeated but by a much narrower margin. He showed his opponents that he wants payback, and he may get his chance next week at the State tournament.
Gabriel Medlin’s first match went quickly as he pinned his opponent but fell to the first seed near the end of the third period to earn a silver.
Rashed Khraisat fell early in the first round but still earned a bronze.
Elias Hanson’s first match was against the top seed, but he didn’t let that deter him from winning. Fueled by his hard fought win, his second match ended by pin in the first period, earning him a gold medal.
Deven Wallace dominated his first opponent by pin then directed his sights on the championship match. He did not win, but gave the champ a run for his money, so to speak, and earned a silver.
Tyler Morris is at the light end of the tougher weight classes and has fought tooth and nail the whole season. Tyler brought home third place, winning by two points in a low scoring match after a disappointing loss by the same margin. He plans on getting some payback next week at State.
Quinn Griffith dominated his opponents, pinning each one to wear the coveted gold medal around his neck.
Walter Thompson, a first year wrestler, gave it his all and pinned his first opponent near the end of the match. He only fell to the champion by a few points, earning a silver.
Max Hohimer faced the two biggest guys in our conference, and bigger than most in the local public schools, both multi-year state ranked and one a three-time All-American (nationally ranked) wrestler. He was a David against two Goliaths. He did not win, but he made sure to force his opponents to genuinely earn their wins. With this experience, Max will be better prepared to conquer at the state level next week.
Please make sure to congratulate these young men in their team victory and encourage them to finish strong next weekend.
