BY MARK MORING, Eastern Shore Post, Jan. 16, 2026
Jerry Sturgis is expected to make Northampton High School sports history this weekend for the second time in two months.
In November, Sturgis, a senior running back and linebacker, helped the Yellow Jackets win a game in the state football playoffs for the first time in 30 years.
Now Sturgis looks to make school history again by notching his 100th career wrestling victory. The Jackets are competing in the 35-team Lafayette Ram Rumble Friday and Saturday in Williamsburg.
Fellow senior Andrew Daggins already joined the Northampton history books on Jan. 7, when he posted his 100th victory. Sturgis and Daggins are the first Jacket grapplers to hit the century mark since 2019.
“It’s pretty cool,” says Sturgis, who wrestles at 190 pounds.
“It doesn’t feel real,” adds Daggins, who usually competes at 144 pounds, but intends to drop to 138 for the regional and state tournaments. “It’s been a minute since the last time a Northampton wrestler hit 100 wins.”
Both young men brought stellar pedigrees into their senior seasons. Daggins is a two-time regional champion who has finished third and sixth in the state. Sturgis is a regional champion who has placed fifth and sixth in the state.
Both believe they have a good chance to stand atop the podium at this year’s state championships, to be held Feb. 20 and 21 in Salem.
“I should win states this year,” says Daggins, without a hint of braggadocio. “I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself to win it.”
Sturgis says winning the state title is also his goal — not bad considering he was ready to quit the sport after his 8th-grade season. A good friend had quit, and Sturgis planned to follow suit.
Before Sturgis’ freshman year, Ray Wells was named the new coach, and he went into recruiting mode.
“He asked me to come back,” Sturgis remembers. “At first I said no, but then I ended up doing it.”
Wells is pretty happy about that. He has high praise for both of his star grapplers.
“Jerry’s a strong leader and has an infectious personality,” Wells says. “And he’s loud! You can hear his loud and distinct voice in any room.”
“Yeah,” says Sturgis, “I’m a little loud. Whenever I get energetic, my voice just gets louder.”
Of Daggins, Wells says, “He is a phenomenal athlete and an even better person. His teammates love him, he works hard, and he embodies the grind mindset of wrestling. He’s a goofball off the mat but hits a switch when he wrestles.”
“I like to have fun,” Daggins says, embracing the “goofball” charge. “You can’t always be serious because if you are, you’ll tense up. So loosen up.”
Daggins is the son of Lewis and Rochelle Daggins, of Nassawadox. His father is a plumber, and his mother is a caregiver for Andrew’s disabled older brother, Lewis.
Sturgis, who was raised by his father and grandmother, Jerry and Elsie Sturgis, respectively, lives in Cape Charles. He has two older siblings, Jikera and Jahiem, both Northampton grads.
After graduation, Sturgis plans to join the U.S. Air Force and become an aviation mechanic. He wants to retire after 20 years in his late 30s and come back to the community to run a wrestling program for youth — much like the G.O.A.T. House in Onancock, run by former Northampton star Casey Paglia.
Daggins is heading to Old Dominion University to major in civil engineering and is considering a career in construction management.
But first things first: They’re going to keep adding to 100 wins and set their eyes on a couple of state titles.
