New Kent edged by Poquoson in 3A East Conference 25 wrestling

New Kent's Bryce Henley drives Poquoson's Hayden Eastman to the mat just before winning by pin in the 138-pound final. More tournament photos can by viewed by going to "Photo Gallery."

Alan Chamberlain photo

Just before Friday night’s 3A East Conference 25 wrestling tournament got underway, New Kent coach Mike Faus said he anticipated a two-way battle for the championship trophy between his Trojans and Poquoson’s Islanders.

The event, held in New Kent’s gym, lived up to his expectations. Of the 14 weight classes, New Kent prevailed in seven while Poquoson claimed six. But the Islanders managed to score a handful more points, taking the title 249-242.5. Warhill finished a distant third with 133 followed by Colonial Height’s 95 and Southampton’s 67.

The outcome came down to the night’s final match pitting New Kent’s Shane Weimer against Poquoson’s Patrick McCormick, the defending state champion at 113 pounds. McCormick won by pin.

“Weimer has had a good year, but it’s tough to go head-to-head against a returning state champ,” Faus said, downplaying the importance of the tourney-ending match.

“[Poquoson] wrestled really well in the semifinals,” the coach said. “I think they won it in the semis.

“We had more champions, and I’m pretty happy about that,” he added.

Bryson Mitchell registered the first of four straight Trojan individual championships, stockpiling points at the expense of Poquoson’s Cole Parks at 126 pounds and holding on for a 10-5 decision. Next, Caden Darber needed just 1:01 to pin Poquoson’s Noah Hunter in the 132-pound final.

Freshman Bryce Henley (138 pounds) pinned Poquoson’s Hayden Eastman in 3:38. Fellow freshman Wyatt Terry then shook off a bloody nose to dominate Warhill’s Malik Barr for a 17-3 major decision.

New Kent’s David Ellis (152 pounds) lost by pin to Poquoson’s Kyle Poultney, but the Trojans’ Cade Sanders, a defending state champion, scored a 15-0 major decision over Poquoson’s Ian Burress at 160 pounds. David Taylor then held off Poquoson’s Colton Hicks 3-2 to capture the 170-pound title and New Kent’s next triumph.

Trojans Trent Ragland (182) and Charles Gray (195) lost by decision and pin, respectively, to Poquoson foes before teammate Michael Dorer pinned Poquoson’s Dalton Jones with only 18 seconds left in the 285-pound match.

Faus praised performances by his two freshmen, Henley and Terry, who defeated upperclassmen.

“Coming in I thought they could win, but with freshmen you never know what they’re going to do at this level,” the coach said.

Faus said the night produced no disappointments, other than falling short in team scoring. “Everything happened like I thought it would,” he added.

Now the Trojans turn attention to the regional tournament scheduled for next Friday and Saturday at Skyline High School.

“I expect it to be a four-team race between us, Poquoson, Brentsville, and Warren County,” Faus said. “Our goal now is to be region champions.”