COMING NEXT WEEK!!
See it first in the Virginian Pilot and Daily Press
December 27, 2024
2024-2025 Hampton Roads High School Wrestling Preview
As seen in the Daily Press and Virginian-Pilot, and at 757Teamz.com. Feature several teams from the Bay Rivers, Peninsula Districts, as well as the TCIS (Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools)
Storylines
Cox chasing another ring
The Falcons, under the whistle of coach Dalton Head, won their first Class 5 title ever and gained the top spot for the first time since capturing the AAA crown in 2010. By outpointing Independence 171-142 for the championship, Cox leaves little room for error to reclaim the throne, but bringing back three state gold medalists, along with a state runner-up (Karl Ludwig at 144) and third place finisher (Ethan Merullo – 175) should give the Beach District grapplers a leg up on their opponents. The Falcons had been the last Beach team to win the state tournament, can they be the next in a repeat performance?
Great Bridge Bouncing Back
Not if the Wildcats have anything to say about it. Coach Steve Martin’s team won the Class 4 championship in 2022 and 2023 but were moved up to Class 5 last season and ended up placing third behind the aforementioned squads. At 128 points, Great Bridge was in the mix of team contenders.
And like the Cox Falcons, the Wildcats will also be returning three state champions to their lineup this winter. While we won’t get to see Cox and Great Bridge square off in a district meet, the Region 5A and Class 5 state tournament should be barnburners. Last year, Cox also won the region with 93 points, and Great Bridge placed third with 67.5.
Poquoson is loaded with juniors at Class 2
The Islanders placed in the runner-up position at the state tournament for the second time in three years, this after running off four consecutive wins from 2019 to 2022. For now, Strasburg has taken over as the team to beat in Class 2.
But Eric Decker’s bunch has gained another year of experience, and five super sophs, three of whom won their division brackets at state last year, will return. With all five coming from weight classes of 144 and under, the Bull Islanders may be clinching victorious matches before getting to the back half of their lineup. They will return a senior, Christian Leonard, who placed third in the 150-lb. class at States and boasted an individual record of 28-10 last season.
Private Eyes Are Watching
The bulk of strong private school teams will come from the Tidewater Conference, as Peninsula Catholic and Norfolk Academy report a strong group of returnees, while Catholic and Cape Henry usually maintain a group worthy of contending for the TCIS title on an annual basis.
Luke Murray of Peninsula Catholic is a senior at 165-lb. who could be the best of the bunch. Murray was 58-2 last season, while winning his weight class at the Virginia Independent (VISAA) championships and also earning Prep All-American status. He joins three teammates who placed in the top six at VISAA to fuel the Knights, who were 16-5 with a fourth place showing at states.
Norfolk Academy brings back five state place winners, with senior Kaleb Gibson (285) and freshman Matteo DeFilippo (126) showing the most potential to win gold at the conference and state tourneys.
Cullen Norton of Catholic (113) is a returning TCIS champ, the first Crusader to win gold as a frosh. He joins a young team with 15 sophomores, including the Cochran brothers, Niko (132) and Penn (165) who finished in the round of 12 at VISAA last year.
New Generation of Female Wrestlers
Four state finalists, including champion Jordyn Anderson of Woodside graduated in June, leaving a chasm in the local rankings that is ready to be filled by newer grapplers, as girls wrestling continues to grow in numbers and ability throughout Hampton Roads, mirroring a nationwide trend.
Five wrestlers are ready to make the top step of the state podium at the VHSL girls’ tournament, which will be held on February 26-27 at the Henrico Sports and Events Center. Included are sophomores Jayden Crotty of Tabb, who sported a 34-8 record while placing fourth at States and Great Bridge’s Gwendolyn Hall (152) who went 20-8 and placed second as a freshman. Crotty placed sixth in the boys state Class 3 at 106 pounds.
Junior Tatiana Denig of Tallwood was also a state runner-up at 138 and went 12-3. There are two seniors – Ariyanah Brown of Kings Fork (second at State 132 with a 24-12 record) and Jamestown’s Riley Lynch, who took sixth in the 138-lb. class.
Five Wrestlers to Watch
1) Caleb Neal (Great Bridge) - The Wildcat senior is a three-time state champion, and will mobilize Martin’s team from the 175-lb. slot. Neal is ranked #11 nationally and went 29-7 last season. He will continue his grappling career at Southern Illinois University.
2) Beau Lewis (Great Bridge) - Lewis, a VMI commit, won the 144-lb. state championship and will ply his trade at 150 this season. He had the best individual mark for the Wildcats last season at 40-3.
3) Brandon Cynar (Western Branch) - Cynar, a junior, is one of the area’s top lightweights, along with Cox’s Seth Pringle (106), Xavier Kovacs (106) of Great Bridge and Keith Fernandez (106) of Granby. Posted the highest win percentage of returning area wrestlers last year at 38-2 (.950).
4) Rudy Wagner (Cox) - Cox was one of the three Falcon state champs who will return this season. The 190-pounder went 31-4 last season.
5) Jared Goodson (Poquoson) - If the Islanders are young and hungry, Goodson may be most in need of a meal. Goodson dominated the 126-pound division to claim the Class 2 championship, and he heads a group with six potential state title winners on coach Eric Decker’s team. Goodson was 35-5 as a sophomore.
Top 15 Teams
1) Cox - The defending Class 5 state champions return a veteran lineup.
2) Great Bridge - The Wildcats will be the chief threat to Cox all season long. Along with Neal and Lewis, they sport three state placers with Tre Egley and soph Xavier Kovacs, both at 113, and Jayden Cuevas (285). Martin has won 14 state titles as a high school coach (along with nationally ranked teams at ODU), which is only two less than his total of dual meets lost in 16 years (241-16).
3) Poquoson - With six top-6 state wrestlers back on board, the Islanders should dominate Class 2. Joining Goodsen on the quintet of junior standouts are Kam Harrell (31-5 as a state runner-up at 106), Logan Keesee (runner-up at 113 in 2023-24), Bryan Latta (state champ at 138), and Read Booth (Class 2 winner at 144).
4) Grassfield - Coach Patrick Shuler welcomes back several state placers to a Grizzly team that finished second in Region 6A last season. Leland Mendez (29-8 at 113), Corey Fazekus (52-5 at 138), Nick and Nate Moore (state placers at 157 and 165) and Chris Funches (ranked #1 at 285 for Class 6) will be joined by solid teammates at each weight, including newcomer Denny Bruin, a freshman who was a 2x middle school VAWA state champ.
5) Landstown - According to coach James Sanderlin, “we have a good mix of experienced returners and young freshmen who look to contribute right away.” Jaymar Custodio (sixth in state at 120), Hayden Otero (5th in state for 126), and Mekhi Ferguson (6th in state at 165) will be looked upon to help defending state champ Michael Phoutasen (138/144).
6) Granby - The Comets first dual meet win will be coach Keith Goff’s 300th. They will aim to be undefeated in the Eastern District again, as well as wreaking havoc in Region 5B. Junior Keith Fernandez was a state runner-up at 106 pounds last winter.
7) Ocean Lakes - Dolphins were 18-4 last season and return three state qualifiers, including Maxson DeAngelo, who was fourth at Class 5 for 144 lbs.
8) Nansemond River - Terryl Wright (120) and Matthew Shodunke (138) are returning 5A region champions and lead a group of six Warriors who placed in the top-three.
9) Western Branch - Cynar, the 6A returning state runner-up at 120, joins Kyler Swensen (165) and Cole Butler (150) as the top Bruin wrestlers. Keep an eye on sophomore Ben Viola (106), who was 28-11 last year.
10) Princess Anne - Five starters return from last year, including state qualifiers Dawson Bowden, Ethan Van Nostrand, and Jeremy Feemster.
11) Warwick - Heavyweight Christian Corbin (Class 5B Region Champ at 285) and senior Joshua Barnhart (138) lead the Raiders, who were 14-3 (7-2 in the Peninsula District) in 2023-24.
12) Grafton - The talent pool will be senior-laden with Greg Campbell (138), Sebastian Campbell (144) and Charles Noble (157) standing as the returning state qualifiers. Sebastian Campbell placed fourth at Class 3.
13) Tabb - Along with Crotty, seniors Will Henderson (120) and Liam Warren (159) are former state qualifiers, while freshmen Blake Hunter (113), Jayden Wright and Zion Atkins won All-American honors as middle schoolers.
14) Peninsula Catholic - Roman Rossi (132) is a sophomore who went 22-7 last year with a third place at VISAA states. Jacob Steward (132), Owen Whitehead (138) and Thomas Montgomery (144) should give coach Marshall Robinson some mix and match options in the lower midweights.
15) Norfolk Academy - Senior Josue Perez-Rosario (144), junior Davis McNulty (132), and sophomore Noah Knittig (120) will keep the Bulldogs bountiful with bout points between DeFilippo and Gibson as NA looks to improve on last season’s 10-6 record.
Others to Watch - Kings Fork, First Colonial, Catholic, Kempsville, Cape Henry
December 15, 2024
Phoebus Rocks Sherando 34-0 to Reach State Final; Win Streak Now at 48
PHOEBUS 34, SHERANDO 0
Phoebus (13-0) 7, 13, 7, 7 -- 34
HAMPTON – Aiming to defend its Class 4 state championship, to go along with a pair of Class 3 titles in 2021 and 2022, the Phoebus Phantoms used the arm of Maurikus Banks and legs of Davion Roberts to whitewash the Warriors of Sherando High 34-0 on Saturday afternoon at Darling Stadium.
The Phantoms, who extended their win streak to a state-leading 48, will face the Varina Blue Devils for the state title next Saturday at Bridgeforth Stadium on the campus of JMU in Harrisonburg.
Sophomore Maurikus Banks was on fire in the game’s first 20 minutes, completing his first twelve passes for 149 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown throw on a textbook post pattern to Noah Jefferson, just one play after a 15-yard gainer from Jefferson was negated by a Phoebus penalty. Banks, who threw four touchdown passes in the first half of last week’s Region 4A win over Hampton, completed 23 of 28 passes for 251 yards and the pair of scoring tosses to Jefferson.
Romeir Smith, who caught four balls for 107 yards, explained the strategy. “We’re opening up the playbook. Today we went pass heavy. We brought them down with hitches and compromised with the deep ball.” Jefferson finished with six receptions for 62 yards and a second touchdown, while Brandon Diggs was a beneficiary of the hitch passes, grabbing five catches for 35 yards, including a pair of receptions on the Phantoms first two plays to earn the game’s initial first down.
Roberts was tough to stop, often requiring three and four Warriors to pull him down. The senior totaled 137 yards on 23 carries with three scores, but it was the ability to avoid losses by keeping himself in motion and driving for extra yardage that was most notable.
The defense pitched its third shutout of the playoffs, and Phoebus has outscored its playoff opponents 114-0. The Phantoms held Sherando (12-2), who hail from the Northwestern District and Stephens City, to 93 yards, 38 of which came on a breakaway pass to Ben Taylor in the game’s last minute. The Warriors entered the contest averaging just over 37 points per game, but coach Jeremy Blunt and staff had their plan ready. On Saturday, Sherando could only muster two first downs.
“They’re a run to pass team, so we had to key on the run, and also to be ready for their false reads,” said Blunt, who is aiming for his fourth state crown as the Phoebus coach. The ground game never surfaced for the Warriors, who rushed for 26 yards on 19 carries, while chasing quarterback Micah Carlson, who spent most of the game running away from defenders, while completing five of 16 passes while being intercepted by Brenden Thompson and Isaac Lipkins. Kaleb Tillery added a fumble recovery.
P – Davion Roberts 3 run (Farriss Knight kick)
P – Roberts 1 run (Knight kick)
P – Noah Jefferson 24 pass from Maurikus Banks (kick failed)
P – Jefferson 12 pass from Banks (Knight kick)
P – Roberts 6 run (Knight kick)
S P
1st Downs 2, 16
Rush-Yards 19-26, 37-140
Pass Yards 67, 251
C – A – I 5-16-2, 23-28-1
Pen-Yards 4-40, 8-64
Punt-Avg. 5-46, 2-32
Fumb-Lost 1-1, 1-0
December 9, 2024
Lafayette Topples Norcom to Win 3A Crown
JAMES CITY --- Lafayette broke open a tight defensive battle in the second half and cruised to a 33-6 win over I.C. Norcom to capture the Region 3A championship on Friday evening at Wanner Stadium.
With the win, the Rams (13-0) will face Kettle Run of Culpeper in a Class 3 state semifinal next weekend.
As Coach Andy Linn explained after his team scored 27 points in the second half to run away with the victory, “This was the best game we have played this year.”
It may have also been one of the riskier ones. Leading 6-0 to open the second half, the Rams marched down the field behind the legs of backup fullback Tyree Wilson, who gained 241 yards on 26 carries in place of Breon Stokes. A 35-yard run by Wilson gave Lafayette a first-and-goal from the Norcom 8. Three rushing attempts pushed the ball to the 1, but also set up a fourth down.
The Rams could have kicked the safe 18-yard field goal to take a nine-point lead and allow a defense which has given up just 5.5 points per game to hold Norcom’s offense at bay. Or they could go for the touchdown.
They went for the touchdown.
Said Linn, “I asked the kids (during a timeout) what they wanted to do. They wanted to go.”
Baum Hogge was stopped at the goal line, but the Rams had been called for an illegal shift anyhow, ending the drive.
However, the risk was minimal as Lafayette tackled the Norcom punter after a muffed snap and regained possession of the ball at the Greyhound 29. Wilson and Brayden Smalls (12 rushes, 95 yards) would alternate carries with Smalls scoring on a six-yard run.
Matthew Outten immediately cut the lead in half to 12-6 with a 58-yard scamper from the Wildcat position, breaking at least four tackles before spinning off the last defender and sprinting the last 30 yards to the end zone.
The Rams would answer again, needing only two plays, as Wilson ran for 21, and then Smalls broke right and back to the middle for a 42-yard score, pushing the margin to 19-6. Wilson would follow up a 42-yard run to the Norcom 2 with a short touchdown, and Daniel Jackson caught a 10-yard pass in the flat to score Lafayette’s last touchdown.
Norcom came out ready for smashmouth football, with senior back Outten (13 carries, 133 yards, TD) leading the charge. The Penn State commit’s first carry went for just two yards and was squashed by a holding penalty on the Greyhounds, but Outten would break off first down runs of 25 and 17 yards, eventually rushing seven times for 57 yards. However, another holding penalty pushed Norcom back to the Ram 29, and was soon followed by a Sebastian Nix interception which gave Lafayette the ball and the momentum. Nix would later recover a fumble in the second quarter to end another Norcom possession.
The Rams would embark on an extended drive, hanging on to the ball for the rest of the opening quarter and then using three minutes of the second quarter to complete their monstrous 18-play, 88-yard drive with a 24-yard field goal by Aidan Gerda.
Norcom (8-5) 0, 0, 0, 6, ---- 6
Lafayette (13-0) 0, 6, 6, 21 ---- 33
L – Aidan Gerda 24 FG
L – Gerda 28 FG
L – Brayden Smalls 6 run (run failed)
N – Matthew Outten 58 run (run failed)
L – Smalls 42 run (Gerda kick)
L – Najee Wilson 2 run (Gerda kick)
L – Daniel Jackson 10 pass from Baum Hogge (Gerda kick)
N L
1st Downs 10, 16
Rush – Yds 29-174, 48-360
Pass Yds. 41, 21
C- A–I 2-10-1, 4-7-0
Punts – Avg. 0-0, 0-0
Pen. Yds. 4-45, 6-60
Fumb – Lost 2-1, 0-0
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