Maroon Places Sixth in IAC Wrestling Tournament

The Varsity wrestling team traveled to St. Albans to compete in the IAC Tournament.
The Maroon was be challenged on the team scoring side, knowing that the team had entries in only half the weight classes due to teammates out with illness or injury. The boys focused on individual achievements and continued improvement as competitors. Five out of seven wrestlers ended up earning the top three medals in their respective weight classes.

Placing for the Maroon were: William Smith '19 (2nd at 182), Chineme Agulanna '20 (3rd at 113), Jay Kim '19 (3rd at 120), Alex Brown '18 (3rd at 145) and Peter Mathews '19 (3rd at 170).

Notes from the day
  • Smith reached the finals of a tournament for the fourth time this season. Facing an aggressive St. Albans wrestler in semi-finals, he hit a well-executed “lateral drop” to put his opponent to his back on his way to a major decision. He went on to face a defending IAC champion in the finals. Smith scored the first points off a high crotch to a dump and nearly earned back points. In the second period, he went up 4-1 hitting a switch to a reversal. Late in the third period, up 4-3, Landon scored a takedown and Smith quickly got to his feet, tying the score at 5-5. A takedown by Landon in sudden victory gave the Landon opponent the win.
  • Brown competed in perhaps the most wide-open weight class in the tournament. After a loss in the semi-finals to the eventual champion, he bounced back with two straight wins to place third. In his first bout, he followed teammate Smith's lead with a well-timed and well-executed “lateral drop” to score a five-point move that opened up a close match. In the consolation finals, he dug out a hammer-lock and then threaded the needle to earn a fall.
  • After a loss in the semi-finals, Kim ended his day with a win in the consolation finals. He hit a nice duck-under to score the first points. After a second period in which he struggled on bottom, Kim got out in the third period he fended off several roll attempts and throw attempts to win his match 10-4 as he placed third.
  • Mathews, returning after almost two weeks away from competition, broke open two close bouts with pins. In the first round, he fought off his back after his opponent rolled through a cross-face. Down by three points in the second period, Mathews broke his opponent down, turned with a barb-wire and pinned him. After a loss in the semi-finals, Mathews faced the same Bullis wrestler from round one, wrestling well on his feet but found himself in a close match. With the score tied in third period, Mathews used a whizzer to defend a shot, put his opponent straight to his back and pinned his opponent for the win.
  • Yoyo Lu '21 had a tough draw, as he faced both the eventual first- and third-place wrestlers. After a loss to the first seed, he showed real toughness against Georgetown Prep, defending shots and fighting off his back. Despite numerous attempts by his opponent to pin, Lu refused to surrender the fall in what was a step forward for him.
  • Chad Calderwood '20 also had a tough draw, facing a defending league champion in the semifinals. After the loss in the semis, Calderwood faced an aggressive opponent from St. Albans. He competed well, narrowly missing several scoring chances from a front headlock position.
  • Agulanna lost a tough match in the semifinals. In a bout that featured a great deal of action, he could not seem to finish his moves but nonetheless competed well and kept working to score. Agulanna continues to impress the coaches with his motion, willingness to try moves and toughness in fighting off his back. He ended up placing third with a bye in the consolation finals.
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