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The Rockbridge County High School wrestling team went 1-2 in a Valley District quad meet last Wednesday at Turner Ashby, losing its first two duals so far this season.
The Wildcats, who were missing several wrestlers, defeated Harrisonburg 54-30, but they came up short 39-36 against defending district champion Turner Ashby. RC and Broadway tied 39-39, but Broadway won on tiebreaking rules.
With his team leaving the meet with an 8-2 record in duals this season, RC head coach Mike Wood said he wasn’t concerned about the team’s performance at TA. “We’ve been wrestling on such a high level lately,” he said. “Every year, there’s always a letdown or a lull. Guys are tired, a little beat up. A few of the guys wrestled well.”
RC’s three senior co-captains – Zeke Mohr (150-pounds), Tom Maxwell (157) and Brice Hall (175) – all went 3-0. Also going 3-0 was junior Je’san Henderson (215), a first-year wrestler, while junior John Lindberg (285/heavyweight) went 2-0.
The Wildcats were coming off a strong performance the previous weekend at the Liberty Christian Academy Invitational, where they placed second of 24 teams.
RC’s home meet that was scheduled for last Saturday was canceled, giving the Wildcats more time “to get some rest and heal up,” said Wood.
The Wildcats are scheduled to have seven duals this week. Today, Wednesday, they’ll travel to take on district rival Spotswood at 5:30 p.m. On Friday, they’ll face Greenbrier East, a West Virginia school, at Cormack Hall at Virginia Military Institute, starting at 5 p.m. The dual will precede the VMI wrestling team’s 7 p.m. Southern Conference meet against Appalachian State. RC will then travel for duals at Strasburg on Saturday.
Following the busy week, the Wildcats will play host for the Valley District tournament at RC next Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 5 p.m.
