Wrestling: Kempsville 152-pounder thriving

VIRGINIA BEACH

Jeremy Mosley, a 152-pound Kempsville wrestler, kicked off his senior season with some redemption.

Ocean Lakes’ Kyle Robertson, his nemesis the year before with two 3-2 wins in the Beach District and Eastern Region finals, moved up a weight class to face him in the Chiefs’ opening dual.

Mosley scored a 29-second pin.

“He took him down, cradled him – got a little bit of redemption,” Chiefs coach Sean Early said. “That definitely pushed him.”

Added Mosley: “I got some payback and it got me excited for the year.”

That victory ignited a remarkable run for Mosley. He is 31-1 on the season heading into today’s Eastern Region tournament at Oscar Smith.

His lone defeat was in Kempsville’s semifinal match at the Virginia Duals when he bumped up to face Grundy’s 160-pounder Tyler McClanahan and lost 6-4.

Mosley has used a steady head to maintain control all season.

“I’ve been wrestling with my brain more than my emotions,” Mosley said. “I’m figuring out what will work more against my opponents.”

He credits maturity for his new-found relaxed demeanor on the mat.

In the past, “I’d stop thinking about the match and just go in like a caveman and beat the guy up,” Mosley said. “I would just be aggressive and all heavy-footed – I wouldn’t work for a move or try and score more.”

He said his temper was what afforded Robertson the edge in those two finals. When he’s pressed the issue and started to reach, that’s when opponents took advantage.

“When he was younger, he had a temper – he’d be angry at his opponent, at the ref,” said Mosley’s mother Cindy, who has been the Chiefs’ team mother for the past five seasons. “Now, he looks to himself to see what he did wrong.”

He also kept up his mat work in the offseason, practicing in the freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines for variety.

“His work ethic has improved,” Early said. “His feet and his takedowns have always been his best, but now he’s tough everywhere on the mat.”

Those all-around tools, including better ride-out skills and shot set-ups, will be needed to progress far in this weekend’s tournament and onto states, especially in Mosley’s weight class, which Early said is one of the tougher in the Eastern Region.

“There are a lot of tough kids all the way up to the finals,” Mosley said. “There are some kids I’ve never wrestled before. But it’s nice to have people not knowing what I do or how to stop me.”