The William Byrd “Big Orange” wrestlers ran their streak of dual victories to seven with a big week at Patrick Henry and the Brookville Duals last week. In the two combined events the Terriers went unbeaten.
“I have been very proud of our team for buying into the ‘team’ aspect of wrestling,” said Byrd coach Thomas Kessler. “ They have gone out and wrestled for each other and tried to not let the team down. We have bumped people around the lineup and no one has complained, they just go out and perform.”
In their last seven matches Byrd has beaten Patrick Henry, 42-41, Hidden Valley, 52-18, Brookville, 42-36, Halifax County, 60-12, Fort Defiance, 45-29, Brookville again, 39-33 and Bassett, 58-18. Darin Witcher, Dominic Pascoe, Gage Cockran, Bricen Lancaster, Landon Barber, Graylen Castleberry, and Dustin Richards have all gone undefeated over the seven match win streak.
“Graylen is the most impressive as he is filling in for the injured Xavier Preston,” said Kessler, as Byrd’s top wrestler from a year ago continues to sit out with an injury. “Graylen is a second year wrestler who has really started to figure some things out on the mat.”
This weekend the Terriers will go to the mats in Christiansburg for the annual “Big Blue,” which attracts some of the top teams in the greater Roanoke Valley and beyond. The tournament starts Friday at 4 pm and continues through the evening. It picks up with championship semifinals and consolation matches Saturday at 10:30 am and runs through the 6 pm championships on Saturday evening.
Next Wednesday, January 25, the Terriers will host a dual match with Salem.
