Page County medals nine wrestlers at Alleghany

January 7, 2025 PVNPublisher 0

Page County High School wrestling had its best team performance in program history on Jan. 4 when nine Panthers reached the podium and medaled at the Alleghany Duals. Page was one of the smallest schools at the 12-team event, but the Panthers finished runner-up and only lost one head-to-head by three points.

Panthers finish runner-up among 12 teams; Shifflet ranked No. 1 in Virginia

~ PVN staff report

COVINGTON, Jan. 4 — The Page County High School wrestling team continues to raise the bar this season, as the Panthers now stand at 5-1 as a team and have a wrestler ranked No. 1 in the state. On Saturday, Page finished runner-up among 12 teams at the Alleghany Duals and had nine wrestlers reach the podium — the most in school history.

The Panthers posted their best-ever team finish during the Jan. 4 duals match, going 5-1. The only loss coming to host Alleghany by a narrow, three-point margin. All of the competition that Page County faced over the weekend hailed from larger schools:

Page 54 vs E.C. Glass 30
Page 39 vs Hidden Valley 35
Page 59 vs Roanoke Catholic 10
Page 48 vs Fort Defiance 36
Page 42 vs Pulaski County 39
Alleghany 41 vs Page 38

“I’m so proud of this team, so much heart and character, to go into the Alleghany Duals, and come away with a runner-up team trophy is amazing,” PCHS wrestling coach Greg Martin said. “The Panthers made program history with the team finishing runner-up and with nine medal winners.”

A big part of the Panthers’ success this season can be credited to Michael Shifflett. The junior is now 16-1 on the season and is ranked No. 1 in the VHSL Class 2 at 144 pounds. Shifflett went 6-0 on Saturday and took another gold medal.

“His team is 5-1, and he’s a big reason for it,” Coach Martin added.

Among Page County’s other medal winners on Saturday at Alleghany High School were:

Kaylee Campbell, 5-1 — 2nd place finish
Cameron Deneal, 5-1 — 2nd place
Jonny Mora-Ceron, 5-1 — 2nd place
Mason Bennett, 5-1 — 2nd place
Logan Richards, 5-1 — 2nd place
Jordan Hedrick, 5-1 — 2nd place
Christian Bowman, 4-2 — 3rd place finish
Kayla Pence, 4-2 — 3rd place

The Panthers were scheduled to wrestle next at Stonewall Jackson on Wednesday, Jan 8. Due to inclement weather, that match has been pushed back one day to Thursday, Jan. 9. Weigh-in at 5 p.m., with matches beginning at 6 p.m. The Generals will celebrate their Senior Night between matches.

For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.

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