WINCHESTER — Coming off a second-place finish at the Northwestern District Tournament on Saturday, James Wood wrestling continued building momentum by earning a 51-21 dual meet victory over Millbrook at home on Wednesday. This improved the Colonels to 16-2, while the Pioneers fell to 4-5.
Jumping out to a 40-0 lead after eight matches, James Wood ended the night with two pinfall victories, three technical fall wins, three major decisions and two wins via forfeit.
Colonels’ head coach Cory Crenshaw said his team was motivated to keep adding to its resume against a local rival.
“This was the only event we had this week, so we had talked about it in the room [about] putting out a good effort here. No excuses, just go get the job done,” Crenshaw said. “There was a couple of matchups that we thought could have gone either way, and I think there was opportunities for them to go either way. We were just very fortunate that they were on our side. And we wrestle with Millbrook every year. It’s a nice cross-town rivalry. You’re always happy to get that W.”
Millbrook also found success at the Northwestern District Tournament, placing fourth after Kenny Spaulding (126) and William Potter (190) placed first in their brackets. Spaulding defeated James Wood’s Isaiah Hodel 12-7 in the semifinals of the tournament, but Hodel got some payback during Wednesday’s opening match.
Scoring a takedown in the first period and an escape point in the second period to go up 4-0, Hodel applied pressure and kept Spaulding on the mat for much of the final period. Though he couldn’t score a pinfall, he recorded another takedown before earning near-fall points to walk away with a 12-0 major decision.
Hodel said he worked on being more aggressive and “using his hips more” in the rematch. Crenshaw said he was happy to see Hodel bounce back.
“We talked about it, this is something we need to turn the tables on. And he goes out early, gets early domination, physical on top the whole time,” Crenshaw said. “That’s the Isaiah that we want to see. He’s wrestling hard, he’s wrestling smart. When you get a lead like that, it’s about maintaining the pace, maintaining the pressure, not getting into being content, basically.”
After Hodel’s victory, the Colonels kept surging. Cash Keeler picked up a forfeit win at 132, Max Mooney earned a 17-2 technical fall at 138 and Hayden Franks picked up a 10-2 major decision to extend the lead to 19-0.
Mooney, who secured his win at the very end of the first period, said he opted to use a “cutting” strategy, releasing Millbrook’s David Rackamales from pin holds multiple times, only to reset and score another takedown to run up the score.
He added that he felt he and his teammates’ early victories created momentum and energized the wrestlers whose matches were still to come. He noted Franks’ win over Alex Stubblefield, who entered the match with a 14-6 record, as another pendulum swing.
“I just feel like it gets us on a roll,” Mooney said. “You saw there, we were going to probably have a couple close ones, that first [match] was going to be a close one. But [Hodel] getting that one right off the bat, and maybe me getting that tech fall, just kind of creates an energy where we just are able to rally and score our points.
“That first match is supposed to be just a decision, that third match after my match was just supposed to be a decision. So I think it helps with the energy and gets us on a roll so we can keep scoring points and pull off some upsets.”
After Franks’ win, James Wood picked up a pair of pinfalls, as Austin Noble won at 150 1:46 into his match, while William Riley won at 157 with 35 seconds left in the second period.
Down 3-0 to Millbrook’s Finn Hepner eight seconds in, Riley trailed 6-2 heading into the middle period. He scored a takedown to tie the match 6-6 before pinning Hepner.
“The first shot he got off on me was a bit unexpected,” Riley said. “I didn’t expect him to [attack my body] that low at the start. His second takedown, I went for a shot, and my knee got stuck on the mat. These are newer mats, so they have stick spots. Once I realized I was down, I knew I had to focus in and try my hardest.”
Crenshaw called the sophomore “a grinder” who practices no matter if he’s hurt, sick or healthy. He said his goal for Riley’s season is for him to reach the regional tournament in his first year on the varsity roster.
After Riley, two varsity veterans, Sean Hodel at 165 and Jesse Woodson at 175, picked up wins. Hodel bested Lane Williams via tech fall (17-0) in the second period, while Woodson defeated fellow state medalist Tyler Kinsey 15-3. Woodson entered with a 24-1 record and tied for second in the area with 16 pins.
Crenshaw said Woodson should be proud of his win, even if he didn’t end things as quickly as usual.
“Jesse, he’s that kid who wants to rack up the pin, and if he doesn’t get to his offense, he’s mad about it,” Crenshaw said. “Tonight, he got to his offense … but he didn’t get to the pin. And he’s kind of maybe disappointed about it, but when you wrestle kids of [Kinsey’s] caliber … it’s just very good for us to get a win like that tonight.”
Trailing 40-0, Millbrook rattled off three wins, including a victory for Woodson’s pinfall peer, William Potter. At 190, Potter pinned Isaac Bond in 51 seconds to pick up his 16th two-count of the season, putting the Pioneers on the board.
Millbrook head coach Jeff Holmes said Potter’s physical attributes and championship jiu-jitsu background make him a formidable competitor.
“He’s very athletic,” Holmes said. “He’s a bigger guy, but he can move like a little guy. He’s got that jiu-jitsu style that he’s really done a nice job converting into the folk style. His leverage, his body control, it’s better than the average person’s.”
Millbrook also received a pinfall win from William Aird at 285, but between these two pinfalls was a hard-fought victory for Asa Doyle against the Colonels’ Cade Bailey.
Doyle, who’s moved up from 175 to 215 this season, emerged with a 6-5 decision win after pulling off a crucial leg drop takedown to go ahead 5-3 in the middle of the second period.
The two wrestlers were at a stalemate for the majority of the match, with Bailey securing his first takedown right before the first period ended. Though Bailey tallied two more escape points after Doyle’s takedown, Doyle managed an escape point of his own late in the match to ensure his win.
Doyle said he’s been wrestling Bailey since he was 5 years old and complimented his opponent, noting that he has “really good hands.” He said his training for these air-tight situations paid off against the Colonels’ freshman.
“We’ve just been trying to focus on trying to work through these gritty situations, trying to get into a hard match,” Doyle said. “We really just need to win these matches that are close. So honestly, trying to find ourselves in those kinds of situations and coming out on top is just a really nice place to be. It’s really a good feeling.”
The rest of the way, James Wood’s Owen Bond picked up a forfeit win at 106, Millbrook’s Kieran McAlvey also earned a forfeit win at 120 and the Colonels’ Camden Shirley won via tech fall (19-3) at the 5:17 mark.
The rivals competed without key performers, as Millbrook’s Bryan Gomez was out due to illness at 132, while James Wood’s Hayden Black remained out due to injury at 120. Holmes called Gomez “a leader” and said he thought his absence may have had a huge effect on his team, while Crenshaw said he’s hopeful to have Black back for regionals.
“If we get him back, I’m not going to let him wrestle until regionals,” Crenshaw said. “There’s no reason to put a kid of that caliber in jeopardy of hurting himself. “As soon as he gets out of that cast, we’re going to start rehabbing him to see if we can get the clearance to be back in time for regionals, and we’ll make the decision from there.”
James Wood will next compete in a quad meet on Tuesday against Sherando, Kettle Run and Liberty in Bealeton, while Millbrook will compete in a tournament at Gainesville High School this Saturday.
— Contact Joe Tuman at jtuman@winchesterstar.com
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