Wednesday wrestling: #1 Cox beats #2 Kellam

VIRGINIA BEACH

Cox’s wrestling team again showed the gap between it and the rest of the region is fairly wide.

Heavyweight Ross Burbank started a string of victories by fall as the top-ranked Falcons rolled to a 46-25 victory at No. 2 Kellam on Wednesday – six days after a 30-point victory over No. 4 Great Bridge.

“It was a good environment for wrestling,” Cox coach Matt Small said. “This was our last dual meet before the Virginia Duals. Wrestling’s pretty much an individual sport, but momentum-wise this was important for the team concept.

“It showed that the guys could get in each other’s corner and they could come together team-wise.”

Cox’s Connor O’Hara picked up a 9-3 decision over Oliver Olivas to start the match. They were ranked Nos. 1 and 3 in South Hampton Roads, respectively, at 215.

Four pins later, the Falcons held a 27-0 lead.

Cody Stageberg (103), Caleb Richardson (112) and Bryan Whitt (119) completed the run of pins started by Burbank.

“Stageberg is focused and he’s starting to believe how good he can be,” Small said. Richardson and Whitt “are veterans and look forward to this every weekend,” he added.

Kellam finally got on the board with a forfeit to Aaron Runzo at 125.

But at 130, Cox’s Michael Chalfant edged Brennan O’Shea 4-2 in another 1 vs. 3 match-up, and Dashon Eure piled up points late in a 14-6 major decision win at 135.

“It was off to a slow start, but he took a bad shot and I capitalized,” Eure said. “I started to get going in the third.”

Tanner Ketcherside inspired the home crowd to chant his name, and a takedown in the final seconds clinched his 5-4 victory at 152.

Turner Bishop kept the Kellam fans cheering with a 16-second pin at 160.

“I’d like to wrestle them again,” Knights coach Mike Benzel said. “I know we’ll get the chance to.”

#1 Cox 46, #2 Kellam 25

103: Stageberg (C) p. Felch, 4;41; 112: Richardson (C) p. Gregory, 2:52; 119: Whitt (C) p. Iwuamandi, 1:04; 125: Runzo (K) by forfeit; 130: Chalfant (C) d. O’Shea, 4-2; 135: Eure (C) md. Williams, 14-6; 140: D’Amico (K) md. Davidson, 12-4; 145: Dorsay (C) p. Csenar, 3:49; 152: Ketcherside (K) d. Boysen, 5-4; 160: Bishop (K) p. Dickson, :16; 171: Rust (C) p. Cannon, 1:11; 189: Walsh (K) p. Brooks, 5:45; 215: O’Hara (C) d. Olivas, 9-3; 285: Burbank (C) p. Lairn, :46.

Darrell Cuenca, (757) 446-2366, darrell.cuenca@pilotonline.com