Upsets and momentum swings – the story of the first day of the Beach District wrestling tournament – were still in full effect on Day 2. Only the mojo switched sides.
Kellam staked a first-day lead with some big wins and help from the rest of the district, but Cox followed the same formula to come from behind and win in its home gym Saturday night.
Trailing by 10 points entering the second day, the Falcons were back on top before the finals, building a 20-point lead over Kellam and 24.5-point edge over third-place Kempsville.
And they didn’t relent in the finals, where four of Cox’s six finalists won to seal the team title.
Ben Dorsay (135), Tejovan Edwards (140) and Jack Burbank (285) all became two-time district champs, and the Falcons also got a title from Shelby Sizemore (103).
Five more Cox wrestlers battled back in the consolation rounds to finish top-four, giving the Falcons 11 Eastern Region qualifiers.
“Coach told us to come back and fight,” Edwards said. “Everybody in the consos went hard and the guys in the finals took it home.”
But they also had help.
Kellam went 2-3 in the consolation semifinals, where only the winner qualifies for the region. The Knights did qualify nine for the region tournament, though, and crowned four champions.
Mike Holcomb (125) won his third district title, while teammates Cameron Vaughne (152), Sean Abrams (160) and Dalton Parker (171) each tasted titles for the first time.
“I thought we could pull it out,” Vaughne said. “All year, we’ve been about beating Cox and couldn’t do it. This time, looks like they beat us in the consos.”
Kempsville, despite qualifying 11 wrestlers for the region, was left wondering what might have been after a pair of No. 2 seeds – Jeremy Mosley (135) and Matt Brown (140) – lost to fifth seeds in the consolation semis.
Like Cox and Kellam, though, the Chiefs also had four individual champions: Sterling Briscoe (112), Mike Mosley (130), Pierce Embry (189) and Daniel Brian (215).
Even as the top seed, Briscoe scored something of an upset in his overtime win against second-seed Randy Chapman of Princess Anne, last year’s Beach champ and state runner-up.
But Ocean Lakes sophomore Allen Harcourt’s upset was bigger. After beating the top seed Friday, he knocked off second-seeded Frank Hruska of Kempsville in the finals Saturday.
Harcourt won the 119-pound title with an overtime takedown, after which he leapt into the arms of his coach (and father), Jack Harcourt. Both cried.
“It was the greatest feeling I’ve ever had,” said the son.
Harcourt and First Colonial’s Cory Bartolo – who became a two-time champ by winning at 145 – were the only titlists not from Cox, Kellam or Kempsville.
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