Wrestling Preview

The Sherando wrestling team had one of the best seasons in program history in 2021-22, and the Warriors have the potential to have another spectacular season in 2022-23.

Some of the average-sized and larger-sized wrestlers will have to get used to competing in different weight classes this year, the first time weight classes have changed since the 2011-12 season (see related story).

One thing that shouldn’t change is Sherando’s status as a contender in the Class 4 Northwestern District, Region 4C and Class 4. The Warriors won their first district/conference and region titles since 2014 last year, and they placed second in Class 4 for their highest finish in program history.

Sherando lost only four wrestlers who competed in last year’s district tournament, and the people the Warriors have back pack plenty of punch.

The Warriors will feature two people who have never lost a state tournament match in senior Keagan Judd (Winchester Star Wrestler of the Year in 2020) and sophomore Anthony Lucchiani (Star Wrestler of the Year in 2022).

Judd is a two-time state champion who went 45-4 with 20 pins at 145 pounds last year and won the National High School Coaches Association title for juniors after the Virginia High School League season. He will compete at 150 or 157 pounds this year. Lucchiani went 44-6 with 26 pins at 120 pounds last year and will move up to 126 this season.

Other returners who earned All-State medals for Sherando last year are senior Tyler Koerner (fourth, 28-10, 15 pins at 126; moving up to 132); and senior Brogan Teter (fifth, 41-9, 20 pins at 152; 144 or 150 this year). The Warriors have six wrestlers total back who participated in last year’s state tournament.

Nine of James Wood’s 11 competitors at the district tournament last year were sophomores or freshmen, and James Wood coach Cory Crenshaw expects the sophomore class to be the leaders of this year’s team.

The Colonels (third in the district last year) have three returning state qualifiers, including sophomore Colton Bendure (second at 113, 29-4, 17 pins, moving up to 126 this year) and sophomore Blake Messick (33-14 at 126, moving up to 132).

Handley (fifth in the district last year) brings back two All-State wrestlers from last year, and adds another one following a one-year absence.

Junior Nick Baker (42-5, 18 pins) was the state runner-up to Lucchiani at 120 last year and will wrestle at 126 or 132 this year. Senior Simon Bishop was 16 seconds away from beating the eventual Class 4 champion in the semifinals of the state tournament at 160 pounds and wound up finishing third. He will wrestle at 157 or 165 this year.

Senior Rodd’ney Davenport did not wrestle last year but is back after placing sixth at 285 pounds in Class 4 as a sophomore. The Judges also bring back sophomore Hayden Thompson (44-8, 18 pins), a state qualifier at 106 pounds last year who will wrestle at 113 or 120 this year.

Millbrook (seventh in the district last year) will once again be led by senior Jett Helmut. He was 30-6 with 19 pins and placed fourth at 285 last year.

Clarke County placed second in both the Bull Run and Region 2B and fifth in Class 2 last year. The Eagles lost several of their top wrestlers, but they’ll still feature some of the top wrestlers in Class 2 and welcome back a star from their 2021 team.

Sophomore Blake Jacobson (42-5, 23 pins, 138 last year, 144 or 150 this year) and senior Cannon Long (47-7, 35 pins, 145 last year, 150 or 157 this year) each placed third in Class 2 in their respective weight classes last year. Kolton Vincent (31-11 at 113) is a returning state qualifier and will wrestle at 113 or 120 this year. Junior Wyatt Stemberger will compete at 126 or 132 pounds this season. He did not compete as a sophomore but placed second in Class 2 at 120 pounds as a freshman, when he went 12-6.

The following is a glance at each area team:

Sherando

Coach: Brian Kibler, fifth season.

Last year: Class 4 Northwestern and Region 4C champions; second in Class 4 state tournament.

Key losses: Tyler McDonald, Michael Gause, Brandon Blair, Aydan Willis.

Key returnees: Isaac Cram, So., 120; Anthony Lucchiani, So., 126; Tyler Koerner, Sr., 132; Richard Reyes-Guevara, Sr., 132; Zachary Hayes, Jr., 138 (24-17, state qualifier, district champ at 138); Jayden Patten, Sr., 144/150; Brogan Teter, Sr., 144/150; Keagan Judd, Sr., 150/157; Peter Richardson, Sr., 157/165; Zane Jenkins, Jr., 165/175; Ethan Gonzalez, Jr., 285 (24-16 at 285).

Key newcomers: Damien Costello, So., 106; Kaden Frock, Fr., 106; Seth Rudolph, Fr., 120; Ean Hess, So., 126/132; Braeden Estep, So., 138; Liam Welsh, So., 144; Ben Taylor, So., 157/165; Jake Dann, Jr., 165/175; Matthias Rivera, Sr., 190; Storm Miller, Sr., 190; Kaden Hurst, So., 215; Judson Dean, So., 215; Jarrett See, Fr., 285.

Kibler’s outlook: “On paper, we return many experienced wrestlers to our lineup from last year. We have the potential to have another successful season. My expectation as always is that we continue to get better as a team and as individuals throughout the year through practice and competition. One thing that has been a pleasant surprise is that we have had a group of sophomores that look to have made significant improvement in body awareness and just understanding what we are trying to accomplish with them on the mat. With as many seniors as we have on our team, that is refreshing to see. [In the Class 4 Northwestern District], we should have tightly contested duals throughout the season between teams with full lineups, and a district tournament that will see some upsets and a nip-and-tuck team race all the way through. There’s no other district throughout this state that has that at any level from [Class 1 to Class 6). It typically happens year in and year out that way. I would expect nothing different this year.”

First competition: Saturday at Loudoun County Tournament

James Wood

Coach: Cory Crenshaw, seventh season.

Last year: Third in Class 4 Northwestern District; fourth in Region 4C; 16th in Class 4.

Key losses: Braden Sitton, Caleb Keefer.

Key returnees: Colton Bendure, So., 126; Blake Messick, So., 132; James Battulga, So., 144 (13-5 at 120); Jack Thompson, 285, Sr. (18-16 at 285, state qualifier at 285).

Key newcomers: Max Mooney, Fr., 106.

Crenshaw’s outlook: “Our biggest goal for this year is to gain experience each time we are on the mat. We are a very young team, and that allows for us to continue to develop the lineup throughout the year. There are going to be some big changes with the way our weights have moved since last year, so our guys are going to have to learn how to compete at their new weight classes. The schedule for this season is quite a bit different to what we are normally accustomed to, which is going to allow us to see a few teams that we have not seen in the past. As we get into the district calendar in January and make the push towards the postseason, the experiences we are going to get early in the season are going to be critical in the way those matches play out. Sherando showed last year that they were the team to beat, and we hope to be able to close the gap to them. We will need to create our own fortunes though by taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. There are always individuals throughout the district that stand out, and we hope that we have a few that are in that picture, mixing it up for both district and region honors to make it to states.”

First competition: Saturday at Loudoun County Tournament

Handley

Coach: Troy Mezzatesta, sixth season.

Last year: Fifth in Class 4 Northwestern District; seventh in Region 4C; 14th in Class 4.

Key loss: Quinton Mudd.

Key returnees: Simon Bishop, Sr., 157/165; Nick Baker, Jr., 126/132; Hayden Thompson, So.; 113/120, Logan Westfall, Sr. 120/126 (30-19 at 126); Rodd’ney Davenport Sr., 285, Eddie Sanchez-Lopez, Sr., 144/150; Charlie Milam, Jr., 150/157; Raimel Almanzar, Jr., 175/190 (23-18 at 182).

Key newcomers: Alex Sardelis, Fr., 106; Max Kenney, Fr. 113/120; Trent Gomez, Fr., 132; Thomas Thorpe, Fr., 150/157; Edward Browning, So., 126/132; Alex Abac, Fr., 144/150; Joel Monfort, So., 150/157; Khemar Pollard, Fr., 285; Jordy Mondragon, Jr., 190; David Norton, Fr., 215.

Mezzatesta’s outlook: “We should be very competitive with our district and we have some solid kids that could make nice runs in the postseason. Our kids are seasoned and have worked hard all offseason. We hope to compete at every match and tournament as well as at the postseason level. We will have some young kids in the lineups at certain weight classes, but with the quality of schedule we hope to see some quick improvements as we near the postseason. All of our state place winners and many of the older kids have done a great job of staying active and getting stronger this offseason, so I am excited about their prospects as we move forward this season. It’s way early to predict what some of the youngsters will do, so we hope some of these newcomers can emerge and begin to make an impact as we move forward. Our district is always tough, so we just hope to get better each week, stay healthy and be there competing and giving ourselves a shot to come out on top or close to it at the end of the season.”

First competition: Friday and Saturday at Hedgesville (W.Va.) Tournament

Millbrook

Coach: Jeff Holmes, 11th season.

Last year: Seventh in Class 4 Northwestern District; 11th in Region 4C; 28th in Class 4.

Key losses: Elliot Rivera, Matthew Topham, Seth Caballero.

Key returnees: Isaac Churchill, Sr., 138 (22-14 at 120); Dev Patel, Jr., 150/157; Adrian Garcia De Leon, Sr., 138 (14-10 at 126); Wyatt Forrest, Sr., 175; Julian Cusick, Jr., 150 (18-9 at 138); Jason Coleman, Sr., 175 (21-20 at 170); Fernando Martinez, Jr., 138; Ezra Doyle-Naegeli, So., 215 (14-9 at 220); Jett Helmut, Sr., 285.

Key newcomers: Caden Cruz, So., 113; Emiliano Dominguez-Reyes, So., 150; Allen Swain, Sr., 285; Jordan Garvey, Fr., 113; Tyler Kinsey, Fr., 157; Alex Stubblefield, Fr., 126; Seven Dove, Fr., 150; Brian Hershberger, Fr., 157.

Holmes’ outlook: “I’m excited about the upcoming season. I think we put together a quality coaching staff and with the return of some key veterans and some young talent we should be competitive. As long as we keep the course and continue to progress throughout the season and stay healthy I think we can be very successful from both an individual and team perspective. I think the guys to watch this year will be Jett Helmut, Ezra Doyle-Naegeli, Isaac Churchill, Dev Patel, Jason Coleman, Fernando Martinez and Julian Cusick. Those guys are key returners and most of them put in significant work in the offseason. They will be the keys to our success. I think for now we are somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of district competition but I can see us gaining some traction and moving up in the near future.”

First competition: Saturday at Loudoun County Tournament

Clarke County

Coach: Jon VanSice, 23rd season.

Last year: Second in Bull Run District and Region 2B; fifth in Class 2 state tournament.

Key losses: Trace Mansfield, Michael Perozich, Titus Hensler, Colin Moran, Kaylee Anderson (now at Shenandoah University).

Key returnees: Kolton Vincent, So., 113/120; Blake Jacobson, Jr., 144/150; Cannon Long, Sr., 150/157; Wyatt Stemberger, Jr., 126/132.

Key newcomer: Camden McCarty, Fr., 165.

VanSice’s outlook: “We had many losses from last year’s fifth-place state finish squad. With many new faces in the lineup we will be in rebuilding mode. Hopefully, by season’s end, we will be ready for district and region competition.”

First competition: Friday and Saturday at Hedgesville (W.Va.) Tournament

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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