The Tigers opened their 2010-11 season by wrestling five AAA public schools at the Forest Park tournament; Woodberry went 3-2.
Herbert with the take down
WFS 35 Osbourn Park High School 28
Friday night’s first match proved to be the closest and most exciting match of the weekend. It encapsulated the tenor of the meet with Osbourn Park: Both teams fought back and forth, but the Tigers emerged victorious. That first match went to Rogers, who won a close match by decisively pinning his opponent.
Rogers setting the tone
After a strong start, the lower weight classes struggled until Josh and Chan fought hard to win their matches. Nick lost a close match by decision, and the Tigers were tied up with Osbourn Park. With their pin at 135, the Tigers fell behind 12-18 until Will won his bout by injury default and tied the match at 18-18. Osbourn Park responded with a pin at 145 that was then met by Tiger wins by Duke, Taylor, and Jeff to pull ahead.
Taylor, who went undefeated in the tournament
Spencer, who was injured all last year and unable to wrestle, refused to be pinned and fought off of his back to lose only by decision, which was critical. The win over Osbourn Park was punctuated by Pierre’s 5-4 win as the last bout of the match.
WFS 17 Forest Park High School 55
In the second match, the Tigers wrestled tournament host Forest Park, one of the top AAA teams in the state with a solid roster of experienced wrestlers. Highlights of this tough match were wins posted by Jeff, Rogers (3-1 tournament record), and captains Duke and Taylor.
Duke, team captain
WFS 37 Indian River High School 24
The Tigers were strong out of the gate with a solid win by Brandon, who won his first match of the season as a Tiger wrestler.
Brandon’s bout set the tone for Josh and Chan to win their bouts, giving the Tigers a significant lead. Nick also won his bout for his first varsity win of the season. Team captains Duke and Taylor won by pin, while Jeff lost a hard-fought bout by decision (8-3). Pierre also had a tough loss by decision that came down to one point. Maintaining the lead, Cary ended the match with his 8-4 win by decision.
WFS 49 Annandale High School 25
The Tigers had another strong opener with Witt taking a forfeit at 103 and Josh (4-1 tournament record) pinning his opponent for an additional six team points. Raymond won by decision in his high-scoring 15-10 match and first win of the season.
Douglas wins by pin
Douglas won his first varsity match when he pinned his opponent in the second period, while Duke, Taylor, and Jeff continued their strong tournament performance by posting wins for their respective bouts. Cary ended the match with a heavy weight pin.
WFS 26 Manassas Park High School 45
The Tigers ended the tournament with a tough loss in the consolation finals for fourth place out of 12 teams. Highlights include Brandon’s overtime win for a 2-2 tournament record and Spencer’s tough overtime loss that helped him earn the Coach’s Award for the tournament. Josh had a close-scoring win that brought him to a 3-1 record for the tournament, while captains Duke (voted tournament MVP) and Taylor (who went 5-0) by pin and tech fall, respectively.
Taylor is just that fast!
Jeff won his match by pin for a 4-1 tournament record, and Cary won his match by pin for a 3-1 tournament record. While the Tigers certainly held their own, the losses by pin pushed the chance of a win beyond their grasp, but the tournament proved to be a solid baseline for what promises to be an excellent season for Tiger wrestling.
Next week the Tigers will compete in the Harrisonburg Tournament, while captains Duke and Taylor represent Woodberry at the Ironman Tournament at Walsh Jesuit High School.
