James Wood flexes muscle in wrestling romp against Handley

By JIM LAISE SPECIAL TO THE WINCHESTER STAR

WINCHESTER — James Wood High School’s wrestling team flexed its muscle Thursday night in a dual meet with arch-rival Handley at Donald H. Shirley Gymnasium as the Colonels polished off the Judges 56-10.

Josiah Geaslen (106), Josh Arce (120), Corey Lemons (132), Jack Youngblood (160), Paul Ebersole (170) and Kobey Brooker (220) all picked up falls for James Wood.

Handley forfeited the 113-pound match, while the Colonels’ Aaron Curd (152), Jared King (182), Luke Roy (195) and Brayden Patterson-Campbell (285) posted decisions of varying degree.

For Handley, reliable Web Bentley (138) and John Delaney (145) had decisions over their respective Colonels. Handley’s other bright spot was sophomore Hunter Thompson, who downed senior Jacob Lease in the 126-pound bout 5-1.

“Hunter’s been a tough wrestler. He’s just like everybody else. We’ve faced major competition and tonight Hunter came through,” said Handley coach Troy Mezzatesta.

Otherwise, it was almost all James Wood, now 3-2 in the Northwestern District.

Geaslen powered past Handley freshman Aiden Shea-Roop by fall in 25.6 of the first period to open the match and Vince Caruso received a forfeit at 113 to make it 12-0. Arce tacked on six more points by pinning Dean Holloway at 1:20 of the second period. Lemons earned his fall over Handley sophomore Grayson Haines in 1:24 of the third period.

With his team down 24-3, Bentley got a 16-8 major decision against Wood freshman Joey Vitola to make it 24-7. Delaney followed by topping Wood sophomore Sam Adkins 4-2 to make it 24-10.

But at 152, Colonels senior Aaron Curd got things turned around with a 15-0 technical fall in the second period against Handley sophomore Cesar Abac and the lead zoomed back to 29-10.

Handley junior Landen Kremer and Wood senior Jack Youngblood then had the watershed match of the night.

Kremer led 2-1 after the first period and 7-2 in the second. Aggressively, Youngblood charged out of the third period blocks and won by fall with just 34.1 seconds left in the match.

“I don’t mean to brag, but I’ll tell you I wasn’t about to lose,” Youngblood said. “That first period he got ahead of me, but I had it in my head that he wasn’t going to win. Earlier in my career, I would have lost that match. I know I would have.”

“That was a good match,” said James Wood coach Cory Crenshaw. “The Handley youngster was tough but Jack caught him with a standing Peterson [a rollover].”

“That was a tough one,” Mezzatesta said. “Landen did a good job of competing, he just couldn’t hang on.”

Youngblood suffered an elbow injury playing for the Colonels’ football team as a sophomore. Because of it, his return was delayed and he wrestled poorly.

“It’s as much mental as it is physical,” Youngblood said. “You learn over the years.”

With the pin, Wood led by 35-10.

Ebersole’s fall over Handley senior Tyler Heglas came 32 seconds into the first period and the Colonels kept on rolling. Jared King’s 5-3 win over Handley’s Justin Menjivar made it 44-10.

Luke Roy downed fellow junior Tommy Downey 4-3 for a 47-10 count.

Brooker won by fall at 1:24 of the first over Handley freshman Cameron Milligan and then Patterson-Campbell downed Nate Carter 5-0 at 285 to complete the 46-point romp.

“So far so good,” said Crenshaw of the season.

Handley (2-3 in the district) was without junior Ethan Bishop (152) who broke an index finger prior to the meet.

“We didn’t do well, but I think James Wood’s got a great team,” said Mezzatesta. “At this point the push is all about the post-season and I think we’re starting to show what we can go. As the season goes along, you have young guys who are transitioning and then your veterans are trying to improve.”

Both squads return to district action Wednesday as the Judges travel to Sherando and the Colonels head to Millbrook.

Head-to-head results of district duals will help play a role in the seeding process at the Class 4 Northwestern District tournament on Feb. 3 at Liberty.