By Brennan Waldorf
Last weekend the Fred Diem/Scott Miles Round Robin tournament took place in Eastville at Northampton High School. The two-day tournament hosted 13 teams that traveled from North Carolina, Delaware, and Virginia. Nandua, Arcadia, Broadwater, and Northampton all participated in the event. Norview High won the tournament with 332 points, First Flight (NC) finished in second with 254 points, and Nandua landed in third place with 236 points.
The two-day tournament was filled with action as wrestlers endured the physical and mental strain of wrestling up to nine matches over the course of the weekend. The grueling workload can be taxing, which was evident for the Nandua wrestling team. The Warriors’ squad has already claimed two titles this year and could have possibly finished higher had it not lost four wrestlers on the first day due to injury. The remaining starters fared well, with a couple wrestlers taking first overall along with several unattached wrestlers placing as well. The Warriors’ top wrestlers include Colin Ford (106) third place, Matt Taylor (120) first place, Joe Prendergast (120) third place, Julio Vasquez (126) second place, Carlos Lopez (126) third place, Cameron Mears (152) third place, David Gastelum (160) first place, and Joe Teasley (170) second place. The Warriors will be back in action when they travel to Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School for a dual meet on Jan. 22.
Photo by Brennan Waldorf.
The Yellow Jackets finished in eighth place with 154 points and were led by Devon Johnson (132) second place, Aizmani Joseph (145) second place, Gavin Brittingham (170) third place, and Crescencio Sugia (285) third place. They’ll be back on the mats this weekend, traveling to Lafayette High School to participate in the two-day Ram Rumble.
The Arcadia Firebirds finished in ninth place with 133 points and were led by Ronald Lopez who finished first at 126 pounds and Osberto Perez who finished in third place at 132 pounds. The Firebirds won’t see action again until Jan. 25, when they travel to Onley to participate in the Warrior Duals.
The Most Outstanding Wrestler award was given to First Flights 145-pounder Jack Hawbaker. Best sportsmanship was awarded to Bayside High School, and Nandua’s David Gastelum was awarded the Scott Miles award.
This year’s tournament was open to the public and offered free entry and access to the hospitality room for all Northampton wrestling alumni. Alumni that attended were recognized and honored on the second day in between rounds. This year the Northampton wrestling community had a special recognition for Will Leland. Leland was the Jackets’ first title winner when he won the Division I, 140-pound state title in 1993. The longtime supporter and coach was presented a plaque in his honor for his outstanding work and commitment to the Northampton wrestling team and community.
