Big Orange wins the Alleghany Duals
VINTON – The William Byrd wrestlers returned from Low Moor with the first place trophy last week as they won the Alleghany Duals.
After losing their first match to Salem the Big Orange made some adjustments and didn’t lose another match, beating Pulaski County, Alleghany, Heritage and Greenbriar.
William Byrd boys hold up the spoils of their victory in Low Moor.
“We went into Alleghany under the radar, giving up four forfeits, and we didn’t appear to be a serious threat,” said Byrd coach Ryan Broughman. “But with a lot of hard work, determination, an extreme amount of guts, and a little luck we managed to bring home the first place trophy.”
The Byrdmen lost their opener to Salem, 42-30, but Broughman looked back over the results and figured, with a few adjustments, the Terriers could have won that match, as Salem also forfeited four spots.
“It was a big learning experience as a coach,” said Broughman. “After the Salem match I picked Coach (asst. Ron) Wood’s brain and we decided to adjust the lineup for the next match against Pulaski. The boys must have been as fired up as I was after the close loss to Salem, because they each went out on the mat as scrappy as I’ve ever seen them.”
The Pulaski match was 30-30 going into the last individual match with the team win coming down to whether or not Jordon Bennett could win at 120. The match was tight until Jordon thumped his opponent over for a jaw dropping and crowd erupting pin.
“Jordon’s victory set the tone for the rest of the day,” said Broughman. “I’ve been talking day in and day out to the team about the importance of gaining momentum as a team. Byrd has been hungry for a unifying competitive force for a long time and we managed to tap into such a force Saturday. Now the team knows how it feels to get the ball rolling as an underdog. Simply put, it’s fun beating teams ‘better than’ you. Beyond that, it gives us all a deeper understanding of competition and will be a significant step in our climb to rebuilding William Byrd Wrestling.”
Being able to rearrange the lineup was a key.
“Everyone, even those who didn’t compete, had a significant impact on how we wrestled Saturday,” said Broughman. “Having all our guys prepared was important. In order to make a weight shift you have to have a reliable backup for at least one spot.”
Teddy Martin, who is making his way down to 145, was that reliable guy at 152 and he allowed Broughman to bump Zach Gribble to 160 and Jake Bailey to 170.
“Some kids break or get upset when you tell them they have to wrestle up a weight-class, others enjoy the challenge,” said Broughman. “Josh Helm, Garfield Harris, Zach Gribble and Jake Bailey proved to be the latter kind Saturday, and really came through for us when bumped up.
“Helm doing so well at 145 is a big deal. Josh is light, even at 138, and has managed to wear some people out at 145. He’s strong and tough, which makes him competitive no matter where I put him. For the past several weeks the team has needed him at 145 and he has done incredibly well there. This sort of ability to rise to the challenge is what I’m trying to cultivate in our wrestling room. Many of our boys are developing this ability and it’s affecting their mentality in a way that could prove profound and positive for years to come.”
The Terriers were scheduled to wrestle Hidden Valley on Wednesday, but results were too late for publication. Next Wednesday, January 18, Byrd is scheduled to host Staunton River and Alleghany.
Last week Byrd dropped dual matches to Rockbridge County and host Northside. The Terriers battled but were victims of forfeiting too many weight classes to larger teams.
