VIRGINIA DUALS
Wrestling showcase enters 44th year
Tournament to feature 19 high school teams from Hampton Roads
Wrestlers battle during last year’s Virginia Duals at the Hampton Coliseum. Kendall Warner/Staff
By Jim McGrath Correspondent
The Virginia Duals resumes for its 44th edition this weekend at the Hampton Coliseum, featuring 19 high school teams from Hampton Roads competing in three divisions along with college teams in two brackets.
Most local teams will compete in the Black & Blue High School Division. Second-ranked Poquoson won the bracket last year and is primed to defend its title. In the way is top-seeded Landstown, ranked No. 5 in the latest 757Teamz Top 15, one spot behind the Islanders. The Eagles are led by a quartet of wrestlers, including defending state champ Michael Phoutasen (138 and 144 pounds).
Poquoson star grappler Jared Goodson, who already has 87 career wins midway through his junior season, looks at a potential finals matchup against their Virginia Beach counterpart as a strong test.
“That should be a great match,” Goodson said. “We’re very evenly matched.”
If the two teams meet, Goodson could face Landstown’s Hayden Otero in a bout. Otero was fifth at the Class 6 state tournament last season at 126 pounds.
Ocean Lakes (fourth) and Oscar Smith (sixth) are also among the seeds in the 16-team bracket, which begins at 6 p.m. today with all of the teams competing on eight of the 10 mats sprawled across the floor of the Coliseum.
Eight Hampton Roads teams will compete in one of the two American High School divisions, although the draw isn’t set up for the area’s top two teams, Grassfield and Great Bridge, to meet in a final.
Grassfield is the No. 3 seed in the 16-team TowneBank Division, wrestling Patrick Henry of Ashland at 9 a.m. today. Unranked Princess Anne is also in the bracket, but the Grizzlies’ best hope of competing against a local team in the winners’ bracket would require an upset. Nazareth of Pennsylvania is the No. 1 seed, and No. 2 South Carroll of Maryland holds the highest seed in Grassfield’s group of eight.
Grassfield coach Patrick Shuler relishes the challenge. The Grizzlies are the top-ranked team in the 757 after winning two holiday tournaments and sweeping three teams in a Southeastern District meet this week.
“The Virginia Duals is such an awesome event with years of tradition,” Shuler said. “It’s our team’s favorite tournament every year because you get a chance to showcase your program against some of the best teams on the East Coast.”
Last year, the Grizzlies placed fourth in the TowneBank bracket, but Shuler predicted, “It’s going to be a wild weekend. I can’t wait.”
Grassfield could see a Class 6 state foe in a semifinal if Mountain View, the defending state champion, whom the Grizzlies topped in a tournament earlier this season, advances.
Great Bridge is seeded second in the Cliff Keen Division, and the Wildcats’ tournament begins against Battlefield of Fairfax County at 10:30 a.m. today. Other area competitors include Gloucester, Tallwood and fifth-seeded Cox.
The Apprentice School will hope to improve on its 10th-place finish in the American College Division last year and will begin the tournament at 3 p.m. today against Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania.
In other college action, Iowa State, Rider and Bucknell will compete in the National College Duals, a trio of matches beginning at noon Saturday.
Duals schedule
Today
Tickets: Available at the door and ticketmaster.com. Among the ticket options: single-session passes for today are $35 (plus online fees), $70 for a two-session pass Saturday.
Cliff Keen-American High School Division
First round (10:30 a.m. today)
Gloucester vs. #1 Cathedral Prep (Pa.)
Westfield vs. #8 Whitehall (Pa.)
Heritage of Lynchburg vs. #5 Cox
Riverbend vs. #4 Grundy
Tallwood vs. #3 West Deptford (N.J.)
Loudoun County vs. #6 Canon-McMillan (Pa.)
Lake Norman (N. Carolina) vs. #7 Freedom (Pa.)
Battlefield vs. #2 Great Bridge
Quarterfinals
All four at 1:30 p.m.
Consolation matches
All four at 1:30 p.m.
TowneBank-American High School Division
First round (9 a.m. today)
Denbigh vs. #1 Nazareth (Pa.)
Kellam vs. #8 Woodgrove
McGuffey (Pa.) vs. #5 Skyline
McLean vs. #4 St. Augustine (N.J.)
Patrick Henry of Ashland vs. #3 Grassfield
Independence vs. #6 Delaware Mill Academy
Liberty (Pa.) vs. #7 Mountain View
Princess Anne vs. #2 South Carroll (Md.)
Quarterfinals
All four at noon
Consolation matches
All four at noon
Black & Blue High School Division
First round (6 p.m. today, in bracket order)
Smithfield vs. #1 Landstown
Grafton vs. #8 Mills Godwin
King’s Fork vs. #5 Eastern View
Franklin County vs. #4 Ocean Lakes
Tabb vs. #3 Orange County
Mathews vs. #6 Oscar Smith
Richlands vs. #7 Western Branch
Maury vs. #2 Poquoson
Quarterfinals
All four at 7:30 p.m.
Consolation matches
All four at 7:30 p.m.
American College Division
First round (3 p.m. today, in bracket order)
St. Andrews vs. #1 Kutztown
Apprentice vs. #8 Muhlenberg
Johns Hopkins vs. #5 Coker
Davis & Elkins vs. #4 Reinhardt
St. Vincent vs. #3 Elizabethtown
Marymount vs. #6 Ferrum
Frostburg State vs. #7 Liberty
Buena Vista (Iowa) vs. #2 Averett
Quarterfinals
All four at 4:30 p.m.
Consolation matches
All four at 4:30 p.m.
Saturday
Wrestling begins at 9 a.m., and the finals for the American College Division and all high school brackets are at 8 p.m.