Fishburne Military School made its presence known this weekend at the 2016 VISAA state wrestling tournament at Deep Run High School outside of Richmond. In competition with 29 other schools from across the state, most of which are much larger than Fishburne, the Caissons emerged with a ninth-place team finish. Fishburne was the only military school to break the top 10.
A highlight of the tournament for Fishburne was watching Matthew Farrar (Waynesboro, VA), post his 100th win on his way to a fifth-place finish in the 126 lb weight class. Farrar was honored at the end of the day with a special tournament award for Most Falls in the Least Amount of Time. The award recognized Farrar as the wrestler who was able to pin his opponents faster and more frequently than any other wrestler at the tournament.
Competition within the weight classes was fierce, often with 20 or more wrestlers per class. Advancing to the medal rounds meant bringing everything to the mat every time. As the final results show, the Caissons did just that. Six Fishburne wrestlers stood on the podium at the end of the day, including state runner-up Clayton Berry (Wentzeville, MO), who wrestled in the 138 championship round and qualified for the Prep Nationals.
Congratulations to all of our medalists:
- 120 lb weight class: Thomas Fosdick (Staunton, VA), 8th place
- 126: Matthew Farrar, 5th place
- 138: Clayton Berry, 2nd place, State Runner-Up and qualifier for National Prep Championship
- 182: Christopher Ross (Alcoa, TN), 6th place
- 220: Aidan Davis (Pennsboro, WV), 7th place
- 285: Shaheen Alfarhan (Alfaiha, Kuwait), 7th place
Top 10 team scores– 1. Benedictine 347.5; 2. St. Christopher’s 281.5; 3. Paul VI 158.5; 4. Bishop Ireton 136; 5. Norfolk Collegiate 134; 6. Peninsula Catholic 133; 7. Cape Henry Collegiate 121.5; 8. Norfolk Academy 117.5; 9. Fishburne Military 107; 10. Woodberry Forest 105.
For complete results go to www.trackwrestling.com.
This weekend, Fishburne Military School showed that its combination of heart, talent and conditioning make it a force to be reckoned with in state-level competition. With most of the team returning next year, there is no doubt that Fishburne will continue to be a top competitor in Virginia prep wrestling.
“We are a young and upcoming team,” said head coach Terry Waters. “I am very proud of what these wrestlers accomplished this year, and with all but four starters back, things look bright for the future.”