St. Christopher's School Wrestling

Where does the time go? It seems as if yesterday was February and we were all preparing for States and Nationals, and here it is- almost August and time to head back to school. I trust that everyone has enjoyed their time away from wrestling, but before you know it, we will begin the quest for our 10th striaght VISAA State title. A lot has happened over the past few months that will change the dynamics of St. Christopher's wrestling. And, some of our kids have done some pretty good things too.

I want to personally welcome our new Athletic Director and Head Wrestling Coach, Mr. John Gordon, to St. Christopher's. Coach Gordon comes to Richmond from Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, PA where he led Sem to a 2nd place finish at National Preps and a top ten ranking nationally. He brings an incredible amount of knowledge and passion for wrestling which will open a new chapter in St. Christopher's wrestling.  I am excited for the opportunity to work with Coach Gordon and our Saints wrestlers.

I want to thank our retiring Head Coach, Frank Kiefer, for brining me on board back in 2009 to work with the St. Christopher's wrestling proram. I knew when I was going to move to Richmond that the only team I wanted to work with was St. Christopher's. I have learned a lot of great things from Coach K and hope that he will continue helping the program in his own, funky way. Not only do I consider you a colleague Frank, but as a close friend whom I care deeply about. Thanks for everything you have done for me over the past two years. I hope I can be as good of a coach and person as you!

The summer has been busy for a few of our STC and 3Style wrestlers. Robert Janis and Marcus Beckwith made the long trip to Fargo, ND with me to compete in the annual USA Wrestling Cadet Nationals. David Wesley and Tyler Cornett were scheduled to join us, but other extenuating circumstances caused them to miss the tournament. A number of our other wrestlers, namely Josh Setliff, Ben Thompson, and Andy Pitts continued wrestling by attending camps at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. This will only help to improve their wrestling as they take the mats this winter.

Robert competed in Greco and posted a 1-2 record, but could have easily been 3-0 and still in the hunt for a place. He wrestled really well and is on the cusp of really breaking through at the National level! Robert worked hard all spring and summer on positioning and Greco technique and will only continue to improve. He even scored his first ever "five" in his first match!

Marucs Beckwith, a 3Style member who wrestles during the year for Meadowbrook HS (where I teach) had an outstanding freestyle tournament and with some good luck on the second day, ended up finishing in 6th place to earn All-American status in Fargo!

As if this was not special enough, I found out as we met in Charlottesville to travel to Fargo that his father had passed away a week earlier, making his success bittersweet. I know his father was looking down on him while he was wrestling and smiling knowing his son became an All-American. Marcus' mother was able to watch a few of his matches on line and got to see him march across Mat One to receive his All-American plaque. Former St. Christopher's wrestler Brandon Jeske also had an outstanding week in Fargo, placing second in Greco and winning the 130 lb. freestyle championship. He will be wrestling at Frank Cox HS in the fall.

I hope that everybody associated with St. Christopher's wrestling is ready to continue the journey to the top this season. There are a lot of high expectations but I think we are ready for the challenge. I for one, can't wait to get back into the room with the team and get things moving for number ten! See you soon!