For video from this tournament that includes pins by Orange’s Phillip Coleman and Madison’s Anthony Jewett, click here.
Orange County’s wrestling team got out to an exciting start Saturday, hosting their first tournament of the year that featured seven other teams, with squads getting five dual matches in a piece on four mats worth of action.
The Hornets won all five of their matches, beating Dominion 71-6, Courtland 64-15, Harrisonburg 65-6, King George 71-10 and a depleted Madison squad 70-0.
Madison won one of their five matchups at the tournament without most of their experienced wrestlers in the lineup. The Mountaineers topped King George 52-24, trading forfeits with the Foxes largely as Madison, due to injury and SAT testing, failed to field a wrestler in five classes.
For Orange, a deep, large team took to the mat and several wrestlers got things going. Senior Connor Nave went 5-0 on the day, winning four of his bouts by pin and the other by forfeit in the 171-pounds class. Ryan Almond, a sophomore, also had a big day with four wins including three pins. Zach Ryder bounced between the 145 and 152-pound classes and went 5-0 while Sean Raftery did the same at 152 and 160, going 4-0 in matches and picking up a forfeit.
Four freshmen, Tyler Kontakos, Antonio Murphy, Will Roberts and Isaiah Coleman-Combs also had solid days and picked up pins in their first outings as part of the Orange squad.
Madison’s Anthony Jewett, a state placeholder last season, went 4-1 for the tournament with four pins, dropping only his match against Orange, an 8-2 decision with Nave. Defending Region B champion Lynn Welch only had two actual chances to wrestle at 103-pounds, picking up forfeits in three out matches. He went 1-1 in the matches, falling to Orange’s Coleman and pinning Dominion’s Brandon Thien.
Mountaineers senior Danny Camunas went 3-2 at the tournament. Each of his last four matches lasted the duration and were decided by points. His opener was a pin.
