Three Rapp wrestlers are States-bound
In the fight of the season, Panther wrestlers proved themselves when they brought home three Region B awards from the 2013 regional wrestling competition in Strasburg last Friday and Saturday (Feb. 8-9) and earned their places in the upcoming state tournament.
While Rappahannock County High School’s varsity team placed 14th overall (out of the 20 teams), junior Dylan Hitt celebrated a hard-earned first place Region B award in the 152-pound class and David Smoot – a freshman – won Region B second-place recognition at 182. Senior Patrick Foley took fifth place in the 195 class and will travel as a state alternate with Hitt and Smoot to the state championships in Salem this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 15-16).
Hitt won an emotional match over 2013 Bull Run District champion Tyler Drummond in the final seconds of the 152 finals match Saturday. “This determination exhibited by Hitt in this match sets the tone for his quest for the state crown,” said coach Alex Coffroth, “and David Smoot looks to cause upsets and make history as a freshman this weekend."
“I came in the true sixth seed because I had second in the district,” Hitt said after the two-day tournament. “I wrestled my first match and pinned the kid from Stuart’s Draft. The second match was Wilson Memorial, and I tech falled him. That ended the day for me.
“On the second day, I went to the semifinal matches in the morning,” Hitt said. “That was a controversy. A woman I’ve never seen in my life walked onto the mat and demanded a concussion test for me. Then, rules were broken and we had to challenge everything that was happening. I didn’t have a concussion. Finally, I was able to wrestle.”
“They were really trying to block him,” Coffroth said.
“Against Riverheads, the score was 6-4 for the semifinal match,” Hitt said. “After that, I faced Bull Run’s No. 1 – Tyler Drummond. I got the first take-down, and it was 2-0. He got a quick reversal to make it 2-2. Then I got a stand-up and it was 3-2. Next, he got a take-down on me. Then we were 4-3 going into the second period.
“In third period, he chose down position,” Hitt said. “I rode him out for the full two minutes. I knew I couldn’t let him score or the match would be out of reach for me. And . . . I didn’t let him move. In the third, I chose bottom. We started with the score still being 4-3. But I got a reversal, and the score went to 54. They called stalling on me, even though I wasn’t moving and the other kid wasn’t. They reset. That’s when he got a stand-up and the score was 5-5. He took a shot, and we went out of bounds. There were 9.7 seconds left. I knew we were going into overtime. He took a shot, and I spun and got my two points. The clock buzzed right when I got my two. I heard
the buzz, looked up, saw the two. I got up off him so fast and just went crazy celebrating.”
Rappahannock wrestlers start their state competition journey when they depart RCHS on Thursday morning ( Feb 14).
JP basketball: VMSC champions
To go along with their undefeated conference record, Rappahannock’s Junior Panther boys’ basketball joined its coaches, Robbie Thornhill and Wayne Sumner, in a history- making season finale celebration last Thursday ( Feb. 7) when they took home the Valley Middle School Conference ( VMSC) championship trophy.
“In addition to being undefeated in VMSC play,” said athletic director Jim Swindler, “this team only had one loss against public schools – beating Madison and William Monroe twice and splitting with Warren County, losing the one by only one point. This is the first boys’ basketball championship Rapp has had in VMSC play.”
Officially, the team completed a 17- 1 season with a 54- 21 victory over Shenandoah Valley Christian Academy in the championship game. The Panthers took home the tournament championship trophy along with the regular season champion trophy.
“Congratulations to the team and to Coaches Thornhill and Sumner for their championship,” said Swindler.
Wakefield college acceptances
Wakefield Country Day School is pleased to announce that the members of its senior class have been accepted at more than 55 colleges and universities and have earned almost $ 2 million in scholarship offers.
The members of the Class of 2013, their acceptances and scholarship offers are as follows:
Grace Albert- Eckerd College ( James Madison University, Christopher Newport University and Virginia Commonwealth University); Katie Brown ( Loyola University, Tulane University and University of North Carolina Chapel Hill); Alexandra Cancio- Bello ( George Mason University, College of Charleston, University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University); Daniel Chadduck ( Xavier University, Roanoke College, Guildford College, Hampden- Sydney College, Lynchburg College and Randolph- Macon College); Marc Cugnon ( Yale University and University of Virginia – Echols Scholar); Rachel DuMez ( Central College, Hope College, Calvin College and Randolph- Macon College); Brittany Kwolek ( James Madison University, Christopher Newport University and Marquette University); Mary Leskovec ( George Mason University, Old Dominion University, University of Maryland, Virginia Commonwealth University and James Madison University); Sam Lilburn ( Xavier University, Randolph- Macon College and Hampden- Sydney College); Carl Liles ( Auburn University, Fordham University and Cornell College); Makenzie Magaro ( University of Virginia and James Madison University); Caroline Murray ( Sweet Briar College, Lynchburg College, Randolph- Macon College, Roanoke College, St. Joseph’s University, Catholic University, Scranton University and College of Charleston); Conor O’Heir ( Hampden- Sydney College and Wabash College); Will Scaring ( Randolph College and Randolph- Macon College); Hannah Tufts ( Randolph- Macon College); and Shannon Weir ( Virginia Wesleyan College, Roanoke College, Randolph- Macon College and Christopher Newport University).
Currently, the merit scholarship offers to Wakefield’s 22 seniors total $ 1,780,200.