Massanutten Invitational
The Woodberry Forest wrestling team traveled to the Massanutten Military Academy, close to Harrisonburg, to compete in the annual Massanutten Invitational wrestling tournament this past Saturday.There were 7 other teams at the tournament on Saturday and the Tigers, although only taking competitors in in 7 out of the 14 weight classes, finished up placing second overall as a team! There were many highlights over the course of the day, and the wrestlers' records from this weekend are as follows:
Will Harris started the Tigers off at 138 lbs and wrestled one of his best tournaments ever. Will had a final record of 3-2 and took 2nd place overall in his weight class. He continues to work hard in the room and this commitment to improve daily is paying huge dividends for him. He has started off his senior season with the best efforts I have seen from him.
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| Will Harris '17 and Captain Will Medick '17 |
Captain Will Medick took 1st place and went 5-0 at 145 lbs. Will has now improved his season record to 8-0 and has quickly resumed the success of last season's state tournament. Will is competing at one of the highest levels of anyone on the team and is certainly making a strong name for himself within the state of Virginia in both public and private schools.
Will Thomas has earned the starting spot for the Tigers at the 152 lbs weight class. He had a solid day on the mat and finished up with an overall record of 1-3. Will has begun to develop his wrestling package from all 3 positions while continuing to make consistent improvement every time he steps on the mat, whether at practice or in a match.
The Tigers started Junior Ward Bissell at 160 lbs, one of the toughest weight classes in the tournament. Ward earned a record of 3-2, and made it to the consolation finals of the invitational before falling to an opponent he had met on the mat earlier in the day. Ward's dedication to improving each repetition during practices continues to be evident in his overall growth and development as a wrestler.
Davis Smith, last year's 3rd place state finisher, continues to pick up well where he left off last year. Davis had an unblemished record of 5-0 by the end of the tournament, placing first in the 170 lbs weight class. Davis holds a current (and identical to Will Medick) record of 8-0, looking to be one of the top contenders in his weight class in the state.
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| Davis Smith '19 and Captain Will Medick '17 |
One of the truly impressive competitors of the day was senior Connor Koch, a first year wrestler at the 220 lbs weight class. Connor, although having never stepped foot on the mat before this season, pinned 3 of his opponents and finished up the tournament with a 3-2 record, earning him a 2nd place finish overall. Connor has really taken to the sport of wrestling and he is going to be one of the top contenders in his weight class.
Bill Clark is the anchor for the Tigers in the heavyweight division. Bill wrestled good competition, and lost twice to one of the top wrestlers among the private schools (last year's 5th place finisher) but still fought his way to an overall record of 3-2, earning the second place medal. The score was very close in both of Bill's losses and he will continue to challenge the top wrestlers in the state.
I would also like to thank Philip Williams for taking the videos of all of the matches throughout the day. Although currently injured, he continues to be an integral part of the wrestling program. We look forward to his return to the lineup in a few weeks.
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| The team after the tournament |
I am very proud of the efforts of each and every one of the wrestlers who competed this past weekend and thank everyone who came out to support the Tigers!
Coach Budlong
