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Parry McCluer High School brothers Jackson and Jordan Brockenbrough both won their weight classes to lead the Fighting Blues’ wrestling team to third place of 10 teams at the Blues Invitational on Friday and Saturday at PMHS.
In the first competition of the season, PM faced mostly larger schools, with only two other Class 1 schools competing. Brookville won the tournament with 225.5 points, Buffalo Gap placed second with 206.5 points, and the Blues finished third with 166 points. Rounding out the top five were Amherst County (157) and James River (151.5). Completing the standings were Bath County (103), Franklin (82), Riverheads (70), Northside (50) and Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy (33).
Pleased by his wrestlers, PM head coach Jeremiah Brockenbrough said, “We’re young. To finish third in a tournament with only three [Class 1] schools in it, I think we did well.”
“I think the real story of the whole tournament is my young kids,” he added.
The wrestlers competed in a round-robin format, in which each grappler faced the competition, and the wrestler with the best records faced off for placement.
Jackson Brockenbrough, a junior, took first place at 150-pounds. He went 5-0 and was named the outstanding middleweight wrestler. In the finals, he pinned Brookville’s Drew Gibbs in 1:45.
Jordan Brockenbrough (126-pounds), a freshman, went 7-0 in his first varsity tournament, pinning all of his opponents. In the finals, he pinned Buffalo Gap’s Devyn Simmons in 3:46.
Blues placing second were sophomore Jacob Shafer (132) and freshman Bobby Crowe (175). Shafer went 4-2, pinning Amherst County’s John Holmes in 50 seconds in the semifinals before falling to Brookville’s Lance Coles in a 13-2 major decision in the finals. Crowe went 3-2, pinning Buffalo Gap’s Berto Lopez in 30 seconds in the semifinals before he was pinned by Amherst County’s Jacob Campbell in 28 seconds in the finals.
Also earning medals for the Blues by placing in the top six were sophomores Timmy Lesher (third, 285/heavyweight) and Clyde Vassar (third, 113) and junior Cyler Driscoll (fifth, 120).
Coach Brockenbrough was especially pleased with Lesher and the progress he’s made. In the third-place bout, Lesher pinned Franklin’s Thomas Hughes in 3:53.
“He never started one time last year,” said Brockenbrough of Lesher. “He’s a heck of a heavyweight. I think the future’s bright for that kid.”
Vassar won his third-place bout by pinning Buffalo Gap’s Brynan Hildebrand in 3:52, while Driscoll won his fifth-place bout by pinning Riverheads wrestler Carson Crank in 1:54.
Other Blues competing were senior Scottie Garrett (eight, 157), junior Junior Convers (seventh, 165) and freshmen Kaedin Conner (seventh, 190) and Brad Spinner (seventh, 215).
The Blues will return to action today, Wednesday, when they compete in duals at Wilson Memorial, starting at 6 p.m. PM will have a home tri-meet against Alleghany and Giles next Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 5 p.m.
