WARRIOR WRESTLERS TAKE DOWN WOOD 47-25

December 21, 2011
By Robert Niedzwiecki
The Winchester Star

STEPHENS CITY- High expectations might not always lead to satisfying results, but in the case of the Sherando wrestling team Tuesday night, it did lead to an impressive achievement.

The Warriors didn't quite satisfy their desire for pins, but Sherando did roll to an impressive 47-25 Northwestern District win over Frederick County rival James Wood.

Both head coaches wouldn't have minded seeing this match competed later in the season, because injuries and weight issues prevented them from fielding their strongest lineups. James Wood (0-6, 0-1 Northwestern) in particular should look different when the calendar turns to January.

But the Warriors (9-1, 1-0) followed up their McGowan Invitational tournament victory at Park View over the weekend by performing well throughout the lineup.

They won seven of the 11 contested matches (Sherando won two and lost one by forfeit) and worked hard to pick up some late pins in the later stages of the match after falls had eluded them earlier.

"I was pleased with the way we wrestled tonight as far as us being on the attack on our feet, setting up our takedowns, getting in deep and finishing," Sherando coach Pepper Martin said. "That's something we've been struggling a little bit to do. We looked better on our feet this weekend, and it carried over a little bit to tonight.

"We would have liked to have seen a few more pins, but you have to give the James Wood wrestlers a lot of credit. They had some guys filling in who gave them a heck of an effort, but we need to get better at finishing off matches. I don't want us to get a reputation as a team that majors and tech falls. We want to be pinners." Through seven matches, the Warriors only pin came from Luis Santos at 138 pounds, though Colton Simmons (15-0 at 126), Jose Maravilla (16-0 at 132) and Dan Mullaney (14-1 at 152) certainly came close.

Gabe Mead (170) and Tyler Hamilton (182) nearly experienced a similar fate, but they showed their determination by getting pins with 14 seconds left and 0.4 seconds left, respectively.

"When we were in the wrestling room [before the match, Martin] gave us our matchups and told us what he expected of us, and he told a lot of us to get pins," Mead said.

Mullaney, a junior, said the Warriors are more than capable of putting the finishing touches on their opponents.

"We need to capitalize [on pin opportunities]," he said. "We do make mistakes, but we have young guys and not as many veterans. We just have to keep working hard at it."

Also winning for the Warriors were Jacob Guthridge (113) and B.J. Askew (285), who won by forfeit, and Hunter Thompson, who trailed 7-6 30 seconds into the final period but got a crucial reversal and three near-fall points when he pushed James Wood's Tanner Rutherford's right shoulder to the mat and cradled it, earning an 11-7 decision.

One of the Warriors' more impressive performances might have come in defeat.

Kyle Vangel, who was named Sherando's Most Outstanding Wrestler at the McGowan Invitational, scored the opening points with a first-period takedown on James Wood's Taylor Swartz and was tied heading into the third period. But Swartz, a 2011 state placewinner, pulled Vangel onto his back with 32 seconds left to win 4-2.

James Wood coach Greg Walker would have preferred a win, but given his team's unsettled situation he's keeping it in perspective.

"We're real young, and we're really not set yet," Walker said. "Once we get to the beginning of January, we'll see what we really have."

The Colonels also got wins from Walton by pin in 4:26 at 145, Mark Bean by pin in 0:26 at 220, Chris Ewing by forfeit at 160, and Jimmy Woznak by a 9-0 score at 106.

And even though the dual was earlier than they would have liked, both coaches do like the fact that there were just two teams involved Tuesday night. In recent years, Northwestern District matches have been conducted with at least three teams involved on a given night.

"A lot of systems have all their duals in one day, and I don't like that," Walker said. "A kid could be hurt or could be sick and miss the whole day. This way, a kid can be sick or hurt and can still have a chance to prove themselves in the other three district matches."

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