Judd, Nuss advance to Class 4 Semifinals

LEESBURG — Class 4 Northwestern District and Region 4C 113-pound champion Keagan Judd still has a shot at becoming the first Sherando freshman to win a state title as he advanced to the semifinals of the VHSL Class 4 Wrestling Tournament on Friday.

Judd will be joined by James Wood’s Chris Nuss (138) in today’s semifinals at 10 a.m. at Tuscarora High School. Both wrestlers are guaranteed to finish no worse than sixth. Five local Class 4 wrestlers will earn state medals for placing in the top six today, as three others made their way through consolations.

Judd (now 31-2 on the season) received a forfeit in the opening round. In the quarterfinals, he scored a 12-7 decision over Salem’s Jeremy Muncy. He will face Smithfield’s Nik Voros in today’s semifinals. Voros, the Region 4A champ, pinned both of his opponents on Friday.

Nuss, a Region 4C runner-up, pulled off a bit of an upset to advance to the semifinals. He opened with a 14-4 major decision over Amherst’s Kylee Martin and followed that up with a 7-6 decision against Great Bridge’s Ty Chittum, the Region 4A champion and a state runner-up last season.

Nuss (31-4) will face Liberty’s William Winegardner, the third-place finisher in Region 4C, in the semifinals. Winegardner pinned a pair of opponents (both inside the final 20 seconds) to advance. Nuss defeated Winegardner 5-3 in the regular season, the last time they’ve met.

Several area wrestlers had shots, but failed to advance to the semifinals. Three bounced back to advance to today's action and guarantee top six state finishes.

Handley’s Cam Gordon (106) won a 5-0 decision against Smithfield’s Evan Christoffer in his opener, but fell 5-0 in sudden victory against Jefferson Forest’s Patrick Burdsall in the quarterfinals. Gordon survived a tough 10-9 decision against King George’s Jayden Richardson in the second round of consolations, then beat Salem's Walker Chambers 3-0 in the third round of consolations to advance to today's consolation semis.

Handley’s Mac Gordon (132) had a 17-1 tech fall against E.C. Glass’ William Olichney in the first round, but dropped a 5-0 decision against Eastern View’s Johnny Laird in the quarterfinals. Gordon rolled to a 14-3 major decision over Grafton’s Alex Sorensen in the second round of consolations, then beat Sherando's Brogan Teter 2-1 in the third round of consolations to advance to today's consolation semis.

Sherando’s Heath Rudolph (145) pinned Salem’s Riley Rutledge in just 34 seconds before suffering a an 11-1 loss against Great Bridge’s Jesse Alvarado. Rudolph rebounded for a 4-2 win over Warhill’s Dylan Howard and then beat Jefferson Forest's Floyd Wells 6-0 in the third round on consolations.