Blues Go 2-0 On Senior Night

Three PM Wrestlers Medal At Highlander Invitational

Parry McCluer High School honored its three senior wrestlers last Wednesday in Buena Vista, and the fourth-year grapplers sent the Fighting Blues out with a bang.

Although only one of the seniors, Cyler Driscoll at 138-pounds, saw action on the mat as Jackson Brockenbrough (150) was a recipient of a pair of forfeits and Junior Convers (175) was nursing a knee injury, the Blues still managed to pick up a pair of victories, holding off George Wythe 36-30 and taking down Stuarts Draft 41-15.

PM traveled to Salem to participate in the Highlander Invitational at Glenvar High School last Friday and Saturday, bringing home three medals from the prestigious tournament.

Praising his seniors, PM head coach Jeremiah Brockebrough said, “What [these] seniors mean to this program is unbelievable. To be able to be a wrestler is one thing, but to be able to be a leader and to go out there day in and day out and produce like those three guys have for the last four years is pretty tough.”

The two team matches last Wednesday, which marked the last home outing of the season for the PM grapplers, were marred by numerous forfeits, but more often than not, the Blues were successful when they stepped on the mat.

The Blues won two of the three contested bouts against GW, with Driscoll earning a pin in 1 minute, 30 seconds and freshman Brody Julian (120) recording a fall in only 39 seconds.

Julian was also victorious in the match against Stuarts Draft, getting the fall in 1:02. Sophomore Jordan Brockenbrough (132) posted a 17-2 technical fall (lead of 15 points or more).

Three Blues Medal At Glenvar

In the Highlander Invitational on Friday and Saturday, three PM wrestlers earned medals by placing in the top six. Jackson Brockenbrough (150) placed third, Julian (120) took fifth, and junior Jacob Shafer (144) finished sixth.

After receiving a first-round bye, Jackson Brockenbrough pinned Dan River’s Jaime Linares in just 35 seconds and reached the championship semifinals with a 21-6 technical fall over Brayden Keen of Lebanon. The PM senior fell to William Byrd’s Myles Preston by pin in that semifinal match but rebounded with a 19-3 technical fall win over Chatham’s Michael Ortiz. He settled for fourth place after suffering a 17-1 setback to Davis Henritze of Cave Spring.

Julian posted a 5-2 record at the tournament. He opened with victories over Central-Woodstock’s Isaiah Smootz and Holston’s Cole Dipietro before losing in the quarterfinal round. In the consolation bracket, Julian battled through two more wins, a major decision (15-2) over Kai Wagner of Cave Spring and a pin in 37 seconds of Holston’s James Dancer. Julian was pinned by William Byrd’s Darin Witcher in the consolation semifinals but took fifth place as a recipient of a medical forfeit from Abingdon’s Max Ferguson.

At 144, Shafer reached the quarterfinals with a 16-3 major decision over Salem’s Nick Baxley. After falling to Brady Hand of Christiansburg, Shafer rallied with pins of Lebanon’s Alec Compton and Grayson County’s Eddie Sherlinki. Shafter then lost a pair of tough decisions to take sixth place, 7-4 to William Byrd’s Zane Taylor and 5-3 to Washington’s Cash Curry.

The Blues tallied 73 points to place 16th of 26 teams. Grundy took the team title with 209 points, followed by Cave Spring (199.5), Christiansburg (188.5), Washington (170) and Rural Retreat (161.5) to round out the top five.

“Glenvar is probably one of the toughest tournaments we’ve been in,” Coach Brockenbrough said. “But that’s what we need to get ready for the region and state tournaments.”

The Region 1C tournament, with a few Region 1B teams mixed in, will be held at Giles High School in Pearisburg on Saturday, Feb. 15. The top three wrestlers in each weight class will advance to the Class 1 state tournament, which will take place the following weekend, Feb. 21-22, at the Salem Civic Center. At last year’s regional tournament, the Blues placed third, behind three-time defending champion Grayson County and runner-up Galax.