New Kent High wrestlers cruise to third consecutive regional title

Consisting of nine individual champions, New Kent High School's wrestling team celebrates its third consecutive regional title Saturday afternoon.

Robb Johnson photos

New Kent’s Trojans wrestling team had little trouble repeating as the Group 3A Region A champion for the third year in a row.

The hosting Trojans accumulated 307.5 points, easily outdistancing themselves from Bay Rivers District rival York, who finished as runners-up of the event with 249.5 points. Lafayette, another district rival, finished in third with 168 points.

Nine New Kent wrestlers emerged as champions at the regional competition. Winners are Matthew Eberly (106) via pinfall over Jett Tornatore (York), Trace Ragland (120) via decision over Rashaad Harris (Lafayette), Patrick Jordan (138) via pinfall over Brandon Latta (York), Travis Ragland (145) via pinfall over David Reid (York), Nicholas Vafiadis (152) via pinfall over Colton Haden (Hopewell), Brayden Hohman (160) via pinfall over Malik Strong (Lakeland), Gannon Jones (170) via decision over Jacen Fowlkes (Hopewell), Nathaniel Fly (182) via technical fall over Jordin Lennon (York), and Jamar Christian (220) via decision over Michael Green (Lafayette).

New Kent’s Daniel Colgin (113) finished as runner-up to York’s Jacob Seale via decision, while Raymond Goode (132) also finished second via decision to York’s Bradyn Waddell. Trojan Josh Bendle (285) won fifth place via forfeit, Andrew Seale placed sixth in the 126-pound division via forfeit to Lafayette’s Brooks Coleman, and Nick Wiles (195) also accumulated a sixth-place finish, dropping a match to Booker T. Washington’s Jerome Jones via pinfall.

New Kent’s Jamar Christian places his weight on Petersburg’s Jordan Alston on his way to a pinfall victory.