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Eight Parry McCluer High School wrestlers advanced to the Class 1 state tournament by placing in the top four in their weight classes at the Class 1 Super Region B/C tournament held Friday at Giles High School in Pearisburg. The Fighting Blues placed third of 10 teams.
The number of state-qualifying wrestlers for PM is the highest in recent years. The Blues had two individual champions, freshman Brody Julian at 120-pounds and sophomore Jordan Brockenbrough at 132.
Julian pinned Giles grappler Josiah Schlueter in 32 seconds in the semifinals before pinning Grayson County’s JT Porter in 5:34 in the finals. Julian’s record this season is 26-7.
Brockenbrough defeated GC’s Malachi Jones in a 9-8 decision in the semifinals before beating Galax’s Kendal Llamas in a 14-4 major decision in the finals, improving to 22-10 this season.
In the team standings, Grayson County won its fourth consecutive regional title, tallying 231.5 points. Galax (186.5) placed second, and PM (146.5) finished third. Rounding out the top five were Giles (133) and PM’s Pioneer District rival Bath County (125.5).
, page A10 Blues placing second were seniors Cyler Driscoll (138) and Jackson Brockenbourgh (150) and junior Jacob Shafer (144). PM head coach Jeremiah Brockenbrough said the championship matches for his three runners-up “were all winnable matches.”
Driscoll pinned George Wythe’s Seth Ortiz in 3:51 in the semifinals, but he was pinned by Giles wrestler Hayden Collini in 3:41 in the finals. Driscoll is 21-11.
Jackson pinned Galax’s Lance Tate in 3:40 in the semifinals before he was pinned by GC’s Aaron Peterson in 5:53 in the finals. Jackson’s record is 28-5.
Shafer defeated GC’s Eddie Sherlinki in a 22-7 technical fall (lead of 15 points or more) in 5:29 in the semifinals before he was pinned by Galax’s Edwar Morales in 3:28 in the finals. Shafer is 22-13.
Blues advancing by placing fourth were senior Junior Convers (190) and freshmen Tyler Shafer (126) and Timber Thomas (285/heavyweight). Coach Brockenbrough said it’s “pretty big” for Shafer and Thomas to advance to the state tournament as freshmen.
After he was pinned by GW’s Trey Sparks, the 190-pound champion, in 1:44 in the semifinals, Convers pinned Bath County’s Ayden Maxwell in 1:32. In the third-place bout, Convers was pinned by GC’s Tanner Melton to fall to 14-7 overall.
The younger Shafer was pinned by Galax’s Cristhian Zaldivar in the quarterfinals, but he bounced back by pinning BC’s Emily Robertson in 2:06 before he was pinned by Zaldivar again in the third-place bout. Shafer is 7-14.
Thomas was pinned by Fort Chiswell’s Brendon Mabry in the semifinals, but he pinned GC’s Austin Bryant in 2:08 before he was pinned by Buffalo Gap’s Anthony Wilder in 1:58 in the third-place bout. Thomas is 22-11.
Also competing for the Blues were junior Timmy Lesher, placing sixth at 215 to conclude his season at 13-14, and freshman Mike Fleming, who went 0-2 and finished 10-12 for the season.
The Class 1 state tournament is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Salem Civic Center, starting at 10 a.m. on both days. For weather-related schedule changes, visit www. thenews-gazette.com.
Last year, with seven wrestlers competing, the Blues placed fifth in the state.
Coach Brockenbrough said the Blues hope to be in the top five. “We’re always a top 10 program,” he said. “We’ll be OK. We’ve just got to wrestle well.”
