Entering this past season, the last time James Wood High School won a regional wrestling title occurred before most of the wrestlers on this year’s roster were born. Thanks in large part to Cory Crenshaw, that changed in February.
Crenshaw is this year’s Winchester Star Wrestling Coach of the Year for the third time in his career after leading the Colonels to their first region title since 2007 and the highest state tournament placement of any area team. Crenshaw previously won the award in 2018 and 2019.
Wood placed sixth at the Class 4 state tournament, scoring 85.5 points to finish one spot ahead of Sherando (82 points) and lead area teams at the state level. Crenshaw also put 10 wrestlers in the state tournament, breaking the previous school record of eight.
Wood finished with an 18-6 dual record. Along with the region tournament, the Colonels won the Willie Walters/Jaye Copp Invitational and the Freedom Duals. They also placed second at the Judges Invitational and third at both the Northwestern District tournament and the Loudoun County Duals.
Two of Crenshaw’s wrestlers, Hayden Black and Orion Cox, were regional champions. Black (106 pounds) also led the area in wins and was one of two area wrestlers, alongside Sherando’s Anthony Lucchiani, to win a state title.
Q. How did this season go based on your preseason expectations?
Crenshaw: Expectations, they really did change as the year progressed. Once we had established the lineup to something that we were comfortable with — we always knew that something was going to be changing — but once we were able to get through December and get that lineup set to what we felt was going to give us the best options throughout the remainder of the year, things really started to click. The boys really started to see the outcomes that they were looking for, as well. Once we started finding that groove and that success that we needed, January really made a good impact on what was going to come in February.
Q. What qualities stood out about your team this season?
Crenshaw: I think one of the qualities that we had was just a lot of young guys that really wanted to make a mark. We were primarily a team of sophomores, and we had like four seniors and three juniors who really made up the lineup. We only had two freshmen; we have a lot of youth. A couple of kids [made] the decision to really focus on wrestling rather than other sports, and that kind of changes their mentality a little bit, too, and what they’re wanting to get out of themselves.
Q. Any matches or tournaments that you thought were significantly important in the team’s development?
Crenshaw: We had a couple of instances [that were important] this year, especially when we were trying to get our lineup set. When we wrestled Sherando [on Jan. 14], we ended up tying them in a dual, but we shouldn’t have even been really in that match as long as we were, except for a couple of kids stepping up into some key places. We lost Max [Mooney] there for a month when he got injured. We were just trying to fill the voids.
Q. What were your most memorable moments?
Crenshaw: Of course, the region is always going to be the highlight for us; it being my first regional championship, but also the team’s first as a school since ‘07. But there are other events as you go through the year tournament-wise. Even if you don’t win them, how many kids are we putting into positions for podiums? We did a little bit of a different schedule this year than what we’re used to. It’s hard to say exactly any specific key moments because they all had their own role in the success that we had throughout the year.
Q. What are your expectations for next season?
Crenshaw: As of right now, it’s always too early to tell. We’re going to have to wait and see where these kids come in on weight at the beginning of next season to see how the lineup is going to develop. Hopefully, we have a very similar lineup to where we were at the end of the season. We’re going to graduate four kids from the lineup. We’re going to have to replace those four kids, but out of all 10 state qualifiers that we had this year, we’re bringing back seven, I believe, and they all have an opportunity to make it back next year.
— Compiled by Justin Robertson