~ PVN staff report
WOODSTOCK, Feb. 4 — The Page County Panthers put two on the podium at the Bull Run District Wrestling Tournament held Saturday, Feb. 4 at Central High School. Junior Josh Talley earned a second place medal wrestling at 285 pounds, while sophomore Kaylee Campbell took third place wrestling at 113 pounds.
Campbell also made a little history at Saturday’s district meet.
“The grapplers wrestled tough…first year wrestler Josh Talley making the finals was awesome to see, but the most impressive performance was Kaylee Campbell,” PCHS head wrestling coach Greg Martin said. “I was happy to see her break through at the right time, and get on the podium — and become the first female wrestler for Page to ever medal in this tournament.“
Earning fourth place at the district wrestling tournament was sophomore Mason Bennett (132 lbs), junior Nick Moore (190 lbs), and sophomore Jordan Hedrick (215 lbs).
Freshman Michale Shifflett posted a fifth-place finish at the district tournament, wrestling at 138 pounds.
The Panthers of Page County will travel to Strasburg High School on Saturday, Feb. 11 to participate in the Region B Wrestling Tournament. The top three finishers in each weight class will advance to the VHSL Class 2 Wrestling Tournament at the Salem Civic Center on Feb. 17-18.
On Jan. 14, the Page County wrestlers participated in an 18-team invitational at Buffalo Gap High School. The Panthers finished in 13th place; however, only 2.5 points separated them from 7th place.
“That’s awesome considering we only had eight wrestlers in the lineup, and the rest of the teams had 14 wrestlers,” Coach Martin said. “This was a tough tournament. They put on an amazing performance, and I’m so proud of each and every one of them.”
Shifflett picked up a third-place medal — his first high school wrestling medal — after going 3-1 at the Buffalo Gap meet, as did Moore, who also went 3-1 and earned a 3rd-place medal. Hedrick went 3-1 to earn second-place, while Talley went 2-2.
“It was an awesome day overall, we had three wrestlers that got medals,” Coach Martin said. “I thought Nick Moore’s performance was outstanding. This kid was sick early in the week and wasn’t able to practice a couple days, and came and had his best performance of the year, and picked up a 3rd place medal. It never shocks me with Jordan Hendrick, our returning state qualifier — he put on a great performance once again, gets in the title match, and got beat by a [Class 4] wrestler from Millbrook.”
Coach Martin acknowledges it’s hard to win as a team when the Panthers can’t compete at every weight level, but he feels that some individuals still have what it takes to qualify for the state tournament.
“This team has been fighting hard and continues to improve every day,” Coach Martin said after a tri-meet at Madison on Jan. 11. “I’m so impressed with their toughness and character… if we had more wrestlers to fill the other weight classes that we have to forfeit, this team would be near the top of the district.”
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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