COLONBAKER

Listed Below are the Videos from the Finals at the Colon E. Baker Elite Classic on December 28, 2007

Team Results

GB Wildcats Champs...4 champs, 2 runners-up and 3 other placers in top 6.
Kempsville Runner-up...3 champs, 1 runner-up*, and 8 other placers* in top six (*2 of these were Kempsville B team including Brian (215) the runner up.
Hickory 3rd...2 champs, 1 runner-up, 6 other placers in the top six.
Poquoson 4th...five runners-up and 2 other placers in top 6...good showing for a AA school.

Outstanding Wrestler. Many deserving candidates. Austin Hurst GB was tough at 103, Andrew Williams Tabb at 130 (bumped up from 125) merited consideration, too. Coachers also might have voted for Frank Hruska Kempsville (119) who won the tourney handily as the #4 seed after pinning the #1 seed and major decision of the #2 seed in finals. In the end, however, the award went to Josh Gillis Hickory (125) after two pins, a tech fall and major decision in the finals.

103. Hurst GB #2 seed defeats #1 seed Vernell Woods, Nansemond River. The difference in this match was a reversal and near fall (one move) by Hurst. Although only a frosh, he showed the Senior Woods he's the real deal.

112. Mild upset as the #2 seed, Sterling Briscoe, Kempsville defeats the #1 seed, Matthew Graham, Smithfield by a score of 10-6. Graham, a sophomore AA wrestler was a game competitor, but Briscoe earned a hard fought victory.

119. Upset city as Frank Hruska, Kempsville, major decision over #2 seed, Jonathan Holt, Poquoson 16-4. Heckuva a tourney by the young Chieftain. As I said, he could have also been a contender for OW.

125. Gillis, Hickory, the #1 seed, major decision 16-4 over Colton Crabtree, Poquoson, #2 seed. A battle between two seniors, Gillis AAA all-state in 2006, handily defeated Crabtree, AA state qualifier. Credit to Crabtree who battled for six minutes and didn't throw in the towel.

130. Andrew Williams Tabb defeated Connor Simons, Hickory, 16-9. A scrappy battle whose outcome surprised no one, as the two-time AA state champ proved he's deserving of a national ranking. Simons, a solid wrestler surprised many in the crowd with his "funk and spunk" and hung with Williams. Kudos to young Mr. Simons who upset the #2 seed, Josh Clark, Matoaca, in the semis (avenging his loss to Clark in the finals at Richmond Invite two weeks ago).

135. Blake Roulo, Matoaca, #1 seed narrowly defeated David Kramer, Salem, the #3 seed by a score of 11-10. Roulo ranked 4th in state got all he could handle from Kramer. Fans sitting near me commented that Roulo had run out of gas. This may have been the closest match he wrestled all year. Kramer pinned the #2 seed in the semis, J. Mosley, Kempsville. Mosley battled back to finish 3rd.

140. Louis Johnson, GB, vs Cody Silva, Poquoson, was a thriller. If fans had only seen one match all night, this one was worth the price of admission. Johnson, a funkmeister, proved why he was the talk of the Beast of the East and Ironman in his weight class. At the end of the first period score was 7-6 Johnson. I remarked to a friend, the final would be 16-13 and the over/under for this match was 29. The score at the end of two was 16-13 and the final was Johnson 18-13 over Silva. You had to be there to see it. Silva never quit and this was the most entertaining match of the evening. Johnson fought off his back like "you read about".

145. Joey Grainger, GB, a workman like 8-4 victory over Kayton Marshall, Poquoson, as the seedings held (#1 over #2).

152. Upset as #2 Adrian Taylor, Norview, defeated #1 seed, Chase McAdams, Poquoson by 10-8. Match wasn't as close as score indicated. Congrats to the Pilot Taylor who surprised most in the crowd with his well-deserved victory over the Islander McAdams.

160. This was closer than the end result indicated. Jared King GB battled back from 4-1 deficit to pin Joey Bayer, Matoaca, in 3:20. Bayer took King down twice in the first period, we also had two stoppages for blood (King). In second period, King proved why he is nationally ranked turning and pinning Bayer. The second most entertaining match of the evening--in the finals anyway. At one point, after the fall was called, I looked away and something occurred (which I didn't see) but several fans booed loudly after this match. I didn't see it, so I'm not going to speculate as to what transpired.

171. Chris Collins, Smithfield, the #1 seed, defeated Robbie Mello, GB, the #2 seed by a score of 6-0. Neither wrestler worked up a sweat making the finals, but Collins was the tougher in the end. The lone champion for Smithfield, a AA school.

189. Pierce Embry, Kempsville, defeated Billy Curling, GB, 14-8. Curling was winning 3-1 at one point, then Embry got started and jumped out to an 8-5 lead and never relented. Embry, #4 seed, defeated #2 seed, Curling and also defeated #1 seed in semis (Ennis of Grafton) by decision.

215. Grant Champman, Hickory, toughed out a hard 5-3 victory over Daniel Brian, Kempsville, 5-3. Brian got out to a 2-0 lead in the second period, but ran out of gas early as Chapman, #1 seed, avenged his loss to Brian at 2006 Regional tourney. Brian, #2 seed, was scored as wrestling for Kempsville B team (surprise), while Josh Cole Kempsville, finished 3rd.

275. Seedings held as #1, Keith Person, Grafton, defeated Walter Pavusa, #2, of Menchville in sudden victory 3-1. A typical chess match by heavyweights with lots of hand fighting and tie-ups. Person scored a takedown in less than 30 seconds for the sudden victory.

Other notes and observations...

--Good job of hosting event by GB (even if they did run you out of the gym and charge you another $5 for admission to the finals). Kudos to Coach Smith and Wildcats for being good hosts.
--GB won team title easily without Clamp, Haas, and Snukis in the line up. Commendable jobs by Robbie Mello at 171 (2nd) and Chris Mansfield at 119 (5th) for the wildcats.
--Kempsville gave the hosts a run for their money, but couldn't catch GB, despite having three champs. For what its worth, even if Brian's points at 215 had been credited to Kempsville instead of Kempsville B, the outcome would have been the same--GB team champs. Cole's points as 3rd place finisher would have gone to Kempsville B, had Brian not been on B team. If that makes sense to anyone.
--Hickory Hawks, third place finish was their third finish in the money in as many tournaments (NOVA Classic, Richmond Invitational and Colon Baker Memorial). --I got to meet Uncle Rog and "the one and only" CavFan at this tourney. Try as I might, I didn't get a chance to meet Sterling K. (all three are regular contributors to these forums).
--Most exciting match in consolation finals goes to Nick Squyres, Hickory, vs Nilo Deguiera, Salem. Squyres defeaed Deguiera 6-4 in sudden victory to avenge his loss to Deguiera in the quarters by fall.
--Josh Clark, Matoaca, the #4 or #5 ranked wrestler at 130, battled back to win 3rd with a narrow 3-2 decision over Jefferson, Norview. However, he didn't seem as polished as two weeks ago at Richmond Invite where he was crowned champion. Still a talented freshman with a bright future in Virginia wrestling.

That's it for tonight...Happy New Year to all and Go Hawks, take state.