Welcome to the 2010 VISAA State Wrestling Tourney!
Saints Win Number Nine in Dominating Fashion
After winning ten out of eleven semi-finals matches, the St. Christopher's coaches knew that the Saints held an almost insurmountable lead in the team standings at the 2010 VISAA State Tournament and never looked back as the second day of wrestling continued. St. Christopher's broke Woodberry Forest's record of most consecutive VISAA team titles with a 112 point differencial between first and second places, racking up 332 points to runner-up Episcopal's 220 points. It was a banner day for St. Christopher's wrestling, with five wrestling bringing home individual State championships and qualifying twelve to next week's National Preps tournament at Lehigh University.
Freshman Brandon Jeske (38-2) brought home the first individual title for the Saints with a commanding 16-1 tech fall over Episcopal's Quinn Caslow at 119 lbs. He was named one of three Outstanding Wrestlers of the tournament for his efforts. Senior Loren Phillips (27-9) defeated LCA's Marcus Miller 1-0 in the 145 lb. final to win his first State title after two previous trips to the finals. In one of the most exciting bouts of the evening that featured plenty of flurries and action, junior David Wesley (35-3) defeated returning State champion and National Preps All-American Sam Law from Cape Henry 6-3. Wesley was named one of three Outstanding Wrestlers of the tournament for his tournament run. Senior Ted Gottwald (31-4) won his third straight VISAA title with a a solid 3-1 decsion over VES's Win Higgenbotham in the finals at 171. At 215 lbs senior Chris Gill (33-7) avenged a 2009 State tournament loss to Paul VI's Sammy Ojjeh by defeating the Panther 3-2 to win his first State championship.
Five St. Christopher's wrestlers dropped their matches in the finals, but still qualified for Nationals. Sophomore Andy Pitts (21-7) lost to O'Connell's Jacob Ramos by fall at 112 lbs., while sophomore Tyler Cornett (28-7) lost to Norfolk Collegiate's David Kirkland 9-3. Junior Trey Tarr reached the finals with a dramatic first period fall over LCA's #2 seed Bobby Leffew, but lost to Woodberry Forest's Duke Pickett in the finals at 140. Senior Rennie Merhige (31-10) dropped his finals match at 152 to Paul VI's Damien Ashley, and senior Mark Burlee (21-11) lost to Episcopal's Henry Eshleman 11-4 in the finals at 189.
Freshman Robert Janis (125) improved his record to 18-15 by placing third, defeating Fork Union's David Barker in the Consolation finals and junior Ben Thompson brought home third place at 285 when he defeated Blue Ridge's Cameron Njomo 5-1 in their third place match.
States Day 1 Recap: Saints Comfortably In Lead
The St. Christopher's wrestling team came into the 2010 VISAA State tournament with something to prove to the other private schools in Virginia- the level of competition and schedule the Saints wrestle is the reason why they have won the last eight straight VISAA team titles. And the first day of the 2010 was no exception; St. Christopher's dropped just three matches on the entire day, moving eleven wrestlers into the semi-finals. The Saints hold a commanding lead in the team standings at the end of day one of wrestling, amassing 166 points- 45 ahead of second place Episcopal. Paul VI sits in third place with 111.5 points, while Liberty Christian has a slim three point lead over Woodberry Forest for fourth place with 101 points.
Andy Pitts started things off well for St. Christopher's, picking up two wins at 112 to reach the semis. He was followed by freshmen Brandon Jeske and Robert Janis who combined for two pins and two tech falls at 119 and 125 lbs. respectively. Jeske is seeded first at 119, while Janis is third at 125. Tyler Cornett (135) and Trey Tarr (140) made it five semi-finalists for St. Christopher's with their dominating wins in each of their first two matches.
The ball kept rolling as the tournement entered St. Christopher's infamous "Murders Row" of senior grapplers, plus junior David Wesley from 145-215 lbs. combining for a total of thirteen wins- eight by pin. Returning National Prep All-Americans Loren Phillips (145), David Wesley (160), Ted Gottwald (171), and Chris Gill (215) and defending State champion Mark Burlee (189) each won solid quarter-finals matches to set up Saturday morning's semi-finals. After winning a pair of matches, junior Ben Thompson (285) dropped a 3-2 decision in the quarters to Woodberry Forest's Chad Kolunber, but is still alive in the wrestlebacks. A much improved freshman, Josh Setliff lost both of his matches at 135 but wrestled well. Saturday morning's semi-finals begin at 10 AM, with the championship finals estimated to begin at 4 PM in St. Christopher's Field House.
Bout by Bout Results of St. Christopher's Wrestlers
| St. Christopher's School 1st Place: 332.00 |
| 112 Andy Pitts #1 Seed Record: 21- 7 2nd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 233 Won Shane McDaniel BSULL Fall 1:24 |
| 565 Won Ryan Gibson #8 Seed BLUE Dec 6-1 |
| 731 Won Josh Trudgeon #4 Seed WOOD Dec 9-3 |
| 820 Lost Jacob Ramos #2 Seed BIOC Fall 4:41 |
| 119 Brandon Jeske #1 Seed Record: 38- 2 1st Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 241 Won Jeff Robertson BSULL Fall 1:14 8.0 |
| 569 Won Zac Hbrosky #9 Seed LCA T-Fall 15-0 6.5 |
| 733 Won John Paul Curtin #5 Seed BEN Fall 1:44 13.0 |
| 824 Won Quinn Caslow #2 Seed EPISCO T-Fall 16-1 5.5 |
| 125 Robert Janis #3 Seed Record: 18-15 3rd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 253 Won Sam Quinan BEN Fall :37 |
| 575 Won Dan Carlton #6 Seed PVI T-Fall 20-5 |
| 736 Lost Scott Cunningham #2 Seed CAPE Dec 3-1 |
| 791 Won Greg Voorhees #5 Seed SSSA M-Dec 15-3 |
| 827 Won David Barker #4 Seed FUMA M-Dec 9-0 |
| 130 Josh Setliff Record: 5- 6 |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 76 Lost Ben Salazar #6 Seed BSULL Fall 4:57 |
| 486 Lost Jackson Reel MILL Dec 11-8 |
| 135 Tyler Cornette #2 Seed Record: 28- 7 2nd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 272 Won Will Choate WOOD Fall :31 |
| 584 Won Kyle Mytelka #7 Seed CAPE M-Dec 14-4 |
| 740 Won Armour Shaw #6 Seed EPISCO M-Dec 11-2 |
| 836 Lost David Kirkland #1 Seed NCS Dec 9-3 |
| 140 Trey Tarr #3 Seed Record: 27-10 2nd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 277 Won Daniel Callahan BIOC Fall 3:20 |
| 587 Won Christian Reeves #6 Seed BSULL Fall 2:26 |
| 742 Won Bobby Leffew #2 Seed LCA Fall 1:04 |
| 840 Lost Duke Pickett #1 Seed WOOD Dec 6-1 |
| 145 Loren Phillips #1 Seed Record: 29- 7 1st Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 281 Won Kyle Soriente BIOC Fall 1:08 |
| 589 Won Shane O' Hara #8 Seed FUMA M-Dec 10-0 |
| 743 Won Ben Pfotenhauer #4 Seed PVI Dec 5-2 |
| 844 Won Marcus Miller #2 Seed LCA Dec 1-0 |
| 152 Rennie Mehrige #1 Seed Record: 31-10 2nd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 129 Won Joe Edwards FUMA Fall 1:50 |
| 289 Won Baron Fortune MILL Fall 1:10 |
| 593 Won Michael Logan #8 Seed BEN Fall 1:48 |
| 745 Won Hunter Fairchild #4 Seed EPISCO Dec 8-3 |
| 848 Lost Damien Ashley #2 Seed PVI Dec 4-3 |
| 160 David Wesley #2 Seed Record: 35- 3 1st Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 304 Won Edwin Nieves PCATH Fall :14 |
| 600 Won Jeff Smith #7 Seed WOOD Fall 1:52 |
| 748 Won Joseph Kurpiel #6 Seed RMA T-Fall 18-1 |
| 852 Won Sam Law #1 Seed CAPE Dec 6-3 |
| 171 Ted Gottwald #1 SeedRecord: 31- 4 1st Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 305 Won Patrick Good LCA M-Dec 10-0 |
| 601 Won Phil Rogers #8 Seed WOOD Fall 2:57 |
| 749 Won Daniel Burke #4 Seed FUMA M-Dec 10-2 |
| 856 Won Win Higginbotham #3 Seed VES Dec 3-1 |
| 189 Mark Burlee #1 Seed Record: 21-11 2nd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 313 Won Alex Motley LCA Fall 1:17 |
| 605 Won Charlie Hilliard #9 Seed WOOD Fall 1:40 |
| 751 Won Jack Nebblet #4 Seed HAR M-Dec 14-4 |
| 860 Lost Henry Eshleman #2 Seed EPISCO Dec 11-4 |
| 215 Chris Gill #2 Seed Record: 33- 7 1st Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 208 Won Robert McKenna BEN Fall :58 |
| 328 Won Tommy Fessahaye BI Fall :26 |
| 612 Won Cody Williams #7 Seed LCA Fall 1:42 |
| 754 Won Will Stokes #3 Seed EPISCO M-Dec 9-0 |
| 864 Won Sammy Ojjeh #1 Seed PVI Dec 3-2 OT |
| 285 Ben Thompson #5 Seed Record: 13- 3 3rd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 213 Won William Day HAR Def |
| 331 Won Mason Little BEN Fall :17 |
| 614 Lost Chad Kolumber #4 Seed WOOD Dec 3-2 |
| 725 Won Michael Conrad BIOC Fall 2:37 |
| 783 Won Jacob Manley #8 Seed BI Dec 9-3 |
| 811 Won Scott Heller #6 Seed NORA Fall :59 |
| 867 Won Cameron Njomo #3 Seed BLUE Dec 5-1 |
States Day 1 Recap: Saints Comfortably In Lead
The St. Christopher's wrestling team came into the 2010 VISAA State tournament with something to prove to the other private schools in Virginia- the level of competition and schedule the Saints wrestle is the reason why they have won the last eight straight VISAA team titles. And the first day of the 2010 was no exception; St. Christopher's dropped just three matches on the entire day, moving eleven wrestlers into the semi-finals. The Saints hold a commanding lead in the team standings at the end of day one of wrestling, amassing 166 points- 45 ahead of second place Episcopal. Paul VI sits in third place with 111.5 points, while Liberty Christian has a slim three point lead over Woodberry Forest for fourth place with 101 points.
Andy Pitts started things off well for St. Christopher's, picking up two wins at 112 to reach the semis. He was followed by freshmen Brandon Jeske and Robert Janis who combined for two pins and two tech falls at 119 and 125 lbs. respectively. Jeske is seeded first at 119, while Janis is third at 125. Tyler Cornett (135) and Trey Tarr (140) made it five semi-finalists for St. Christopher's with their dominating wins in each of their first two matches.
The ball kept rolling as the tournement entered St. Christopher's infamous "Murders Row" of senior grapplers, plus junior David Wesley from 145-215 lbs. combining for a total of thirteen wins- eight by pin. Returning National Prep All-Americans Loren Phillips (145), David Wesley (160), Ted Gottwald (171), and Chris Gill (215) and defending State champion Mark Burlee (189) each won solid quarter-finals matches to set up Saturday morning's semi-finals. After winning a pair of matches, junior Ben Thompson (285) dropped a 3-2 decision in the quarters to Woodberry Forest's Chad Kolunber, but is still alive in the wrestlebacks. A much improved freshman, Josh Setliff lost both of his matches at 135 but wrestled well. Saturday morning's semi-finals begin at 10 AM, with the championship finals estimated to begin at 4 PM in St. Christopher's Field House.
Bout by Bout Results of St. Christopher's Wrestlers
| St. Christopher's School 1st Place: 332.00 |
| 112 Andy Pitts #1 Seed Record: 21- 7 2nd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 233 Won Shane McDaniel BSULL Fall 1:24 |
| 565 Won Ryan Gibson #8 Seed BLUE Dec 6-1 |
| 731 Won Josh Trudgeon #4 Seed WOOD Dec 9-3 |
| 820 Lost Jacob Ramos #2 Seed BIOC Fall 4:41 |
| 119 Brandon Jeske #1 Seed Record: 38- 2 1st Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 241 Won Jeff Robertson BSULL Fall 1:14 8.0 |
| 569 Won Zac Hbrosky #9 Seed LCA T-Fall 15-0 6.5 |
| 733 Won John Paul Curtin #5 Seed BEN Fall 1:44 13.0 |
| 824 Won Quinn Caslow #2 Seed EPISCO T-Fall 16-1 5.5 |
| 125 Robert Janis #3 Seed Record: 18-15 3rd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 253 Won Sam Quinan BEN Fall :37 |
| 575 Won Dan Carlton #6 Seed PVI T-Fall 20-5 |
| 736 Lost Scott Cunningham #2 Seed CAPE Dec 3-1 |
| 791 Won Greg Voorhees #5 Seed SSSA M-Dec 15-3 |
| 827 Won David Barker #4 Seed FUMA M-Dec 9-0 |
| 130 Josh Setliff Record: 5- 6 |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 76 Lost Ben Salazar #6 Seed BSULL Fall 4:57 |
| 486 Lost Jackson Reel MILL Dec 11-8 |
| 135 Tyler Cornette #2 Seed Record: 28- 7 2nd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 272 Won Will Choate WOOD Fall :31 |
| 584 Won Kyle Mytelka #7 Seed CAPE M-Dec 14-4 |
| 740 Won Armour Shaw #6 Seed EPISCO M-Dec 11-2 |
| 836 Lost David Kirkland #1 Seed NCS Dec 9-3 |
| 140 Trey Tarr #3 Seed Record: 27-10 2nd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 277 Won Daniel Callahan BIOC Fall 3:20 |
| 587 Won Christian Reeves #6 Seed BSULL Fall 2:26 |
| 742 Won Bobby Leffew #2 Seed LCA Fall 1:04 |
| 840 Lost Duke Pickett #1 Seed WOOD Dec 6-1 |
| 145 Loren Phillips #1 Seed Record: 29- 7 1st Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 281 Won Kyle Soriente BIOC Fall 1:08 |
| 589 Won Shane O' Hara #8 Seed FUMA M-Dec 10-0 |
| 743 Won Ben Pfotenhauer #4 Seed PVI Dec 5-2 |
| 844 Won Marcus Miller #2 Seed LCA Dec 1-0 |
| 152 Rennie Mehrige #1 Seed Record: 31-10 2nd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 129 Won Joe Edwards FUMA Fall 1:50 |
| 289 Won Baron Fortune MILL Fall 1:10 |
| 593 Won Michael Logan #8 Seed BEN Fall 1:48 |
| 745 Won Hunter Fairchild #4 Seed EPISCO Dec 8-3 |
| 848 Lost Damien Ashley #2 Seed PVI Dec 4-3 |
| 160 David Wesley #2 Seed Record: 35- 3 1st Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 304 Won Edwin Nieves PCATH Fall :14 |
| 600 Won Jeff Smith #7 Seed WOOD Fall 1:52 |
| 748 Won Joseph Kurpiel #6 Seed RMA T-Fall 18-1 |
| 852 Won Sam Law #1 Seed CAPE Dec 6-3 |
| 171 Ted Gottwald #1 SeedRecord: 31- 4 1st Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 305 Won Patrick Good LCA M-Dec 10-0 |
| 601 Won Phil Rogers #8 Seed WOOD Fall 2:57 |
| 749 Won Daniel Burke #4 Seed FUMA M-Dec 10-2 |
| 856 Won Win Higginbotham #3 Seed VES Dec 3-1 |
| 189 Mark Burlee #1 Seed Record: 21-11 2nd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 313 Won Alex Motley LCA Fall 1:17 |
| 605 Won Charlie Hilliard #9 Seed WOOD Fall 1:40 |
| 751 Won Jack Nebblet #4 Seed HAR M-Dec 14-4 |
| 860 Lost Henry Eshleman #2 Seed EPISCO Dec 11-4 |
| 215 Chris Gill #2 Seed Record: 33- 7 1st Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 208 Won Robert McKenna BEN Fall :58 |
| 328 Won Tommy Fessahaye BI Fall :26 |
| 612 Won Cody Williams #7 Seed LCA Fall 1:42 |
| 754 Won Will Stokes #3 Seed EPISCO M-Dec 9-0 |
| 864 Won Sammy Ojjeh #1 Seed PVI Dec 3-2 OT |
| 285 Ben Thompson #5 Seed Record: 13- 3 3rd Place |
| Match W/L Opponent How Ended |
| 213 Won William Day HAR Def |
| 331 Won Mason Little BEN Fall :17 |
| 614 Lost Chad Kolumber #4 Seed WOOD Dec 3-2 |
| 725 Won Michael Conrad BIOC Fall 2:37 |
| 783 Won Jacob Manley #8 Seed BI Dec 9-3 |
| 811 Won Scott Heller #6 Seed NORA Fall :59 |
| 867 Won Cameron Njomo #3 Seed BLUE Dec 5-1 |
2010 VISAA State Tournament Schedule
Friday, February 19
3:00 pm Scales will open to check weight in Wrestling Gym
3:30 pm Weigh-ins & Skin Checks
4:00 pm Doors open to public & tickets sold
5:00 pm Wrestling Sessions 1-3:
- Championship Round 1 (Round of 32)
- Consolation Round 1
- Championship Round 2 (Round of 16)
- Consolation Round 2
- Championship Round 3: Quarter Finals
Saturday, Feb 20
8:00 am Scales open to check weight in Wrestling Gym
9:00 am Weigh-ins
9:00 am Doors open for public & ticket sold
10:00 am Wrestling Sessions 4-6:
- Consolation Round 3
- Consolation Round 4 & Championship Semi-Finals
- Consolation Round 5
- Consolation Round 6 (Round of 4)
3:30 pm Set up for medal round (all finals) followed by Parade of Finalists
4:00 pm Finals (Approximate start time): All placers 1st through 6th will wrestle simultaneously
Web Site Hits
Saints Wrestler of the Week 2/15/2010
Senior Edward Custer nearly tech-falled returning VISAA State Runner-Up Daniel Burke from Fork Union before sticking him for the pin, en route to a perfect 3-0 record at the VA Prep League Quad at Woodberry Forest.
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