Forging to the State Title
Ever re-watched a movie, and then said, "Wow, that was even better the second time around!"?
That's just how Colonial Forge fans like it - for the third year in a row, Eagle fans watched their squad take home the state title Saturday evening at Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake. But it wasn't the night's only replay.
Just as with any decent film, the night began with a preview of coming attractions. In this case, it was Caleb Richardson opening things at 103 with a 6-3 win over Robinson's Jake Smith for the first state title in Grassfield history.
"It's awesome," said the sophomore Grizzly. "All the hard work paid off. I want to get that feeling again next year and the year after."
That's when the re-enactments began. Just as last year, Battlefield's Beau Martino met Fauquier's Ryan Hunsberger for the 112 title. And just like in 2008, Martino came out on top, grabbing a whopping 1-0 victory.
Shane Gentry got Forge its first individual title, beating Deep Run's Peyton Walsh 5-0 for the 119 championship. Gentry's teammate Michael Garofalo followed him with his third state title in the 125 match, roaring past Kellam's Aaron Runzo 12-5.
For the second consecutive year, Forge's Ian Squires took on Kellam's Brian Beatson in the state tourney. However, 2009 marked the first time the two met in the title match.
Early in the 130 championship, the two rushed each other, and their heads collided. Beatson walked away and quickly recovered, while Squires spent some time on the mat in an injury timeout. But he scored a takedown to end the second period ahead 2-1, then notched another in the closing phase to secure his first state title.
"I had way too much adrenaline going to let (the injury) bother me," said Squires, who finished in the top 10 in Virginia three times before finally getting a title. "It's the greatest feeling in the world. I wanted to get back up and have my glory."
After also placing high in state three times without a championship, James River's Jared Anongos battled former state champ Roman Perryman of Robinson at 135. Anongos escaped early to take a 1-0 lead, but Perryman nabbed his own escape in the closing second to send the match to overtime.
Only seconds into the extra period, Anongos suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Perryman's leg. Perryman struggled on his feet, but Anongos pushed forward to grab the takedown and new championship.
"Going into the extra period, I knew that I had to be really explosive and finish it quick," Anongos said. Earlier I'd tried to take my shots, and couldn't finish him. I was shooting for first every single time, and I've had a lot of disappointments. This feels great."
Cox's Ben Dorsay grabbed his second state title at 140, beating Franklin County's Hunter Adams 6-1. After beating Matoaca's Blake Roulo in the Central Region tournament, Hopewell freshman Cody Allala defeated him again for the 145 championship. In 152 action, Langley's David Helmer nabbed his second state title with a 6-5 defeat of Fauquier's Chris Moon, and Moon's teammate Daniel McGillivray got his third state championship with a 1-0 win over Stone Bridge's Daniel Fissmer at 160.
In the 171 semifinal, Mountain View's Conor Black did something that no other wrestler has done all season - he went the distance with Grassfield's Andrew Clement. After settling for a 9-2 victory, Clement quickly wrapped up his third state title, pinning Gloucester's Colin Lenhardt in 84 seconds.
"He was a good wrestler, and he kept the match neutralized," said Clement, who pinned Lenhardt in last week's Eastern Region tournament. "I knew what I needed to do, and I did what it took to win. I wanted to wrestle smart, and I knew he was going to wrestle smart."
Westfield's Austin Fallon won at 189, beating Robinson's Marcus Hathaway 5-2, and Annandale's Victor Njomo denied Chesapeake fans a chance to see another local take a title, holding off Robby Mello of Great Bridge, 8-5.
The last match was another Eastern Region rematch, as Cox heavyweight Jack Burbank went for his second state title against Warwick's Randon Key. But the match was a far cry from last week's second-period pinfall by Burbank.
After a scoreless first period, Burbank escaped midway through the second to go up 1-0. He started the third on top, but Key escaped to tie the score, and the two spend the rest chest-to-chest, heading to overtime.
In the final moments of sudden death, Burbank jumped forward and grabbed Key's leg, but Key toppled out of bounds, restarting things. Time ran out, and Burbank began the next extra period on top.
Key struggled to his feet, but Burbank tackled him down. Key made it back up and turned around, but time ran out before he could break away.
In the third overtime, Key held Burbank down for the entire period. As the fourth extra epoch began, Burbank was back on the bottom. Key forced him to his stomach, but he made it to his knees, then his feet.
With his back to Key's chest, Burbank started churning his legs and charged away with seven seconds left for an escape and a 2-1 victory.
"Key came a long way (since regionals)," Burbank said. "That was my toughest match of the year. I knew he was going to come to wrestle. I tried to get the heck out of their as fast as I could. I had a chance, and I ran with it."
