Kellam nets big win in wrestling

VIRGINIA BEACH

The Kellam wrestling team celebrated its past, present and future Saturday.

The No. 3 Knights commemorated the careers of six wrestlers on Senior Day, remained in control of the Beach District race with wins over No. 4 Cox and Tallwood, and welcomed back Turner Bishop.

Bishop, a junior 182-pounder, was a favorite to win a state championship last season until he suffered a torn ACL. He surprised his teammates by showing up at practice Thursday and, two days later, Bishop pinned opponents from Cox and Tallwood.

“That’s why I’m back,” Bishop said. “To win a state championship.”

Bishop committed to play baseball at Old Dominion and it was assumed he wouldn’t risk his health on the mat. A number of Kellam fans in the full bleachers stood and clapped as he took the mat.

“It felt like the right time,” Bishop said. “My knee is 100 percent. It felt fine. I didn’t think about it. I think I’m stronger than I was before, I just need to work on conditioning.”

Not if he continues like he did Saturday. In the 38-24 win over Cox, and the 67-3 win over Tallwood, Bishop pinned his opponents in less than a minute.

“We’ve been trying to get him back out,” said Peter Ulm, who also had two pins. “There was more energy in practice.”

“It’s a big lift,” 106-pounder Sean Button said. “He’s a good wrestler and a great kid.”

His return changed the momentum for Kellam, which struggled through the Virginia Duals last weekend.

Bishop’s return, however, gives the Knights five or six wrestlers with reasonable chances to win a region title.

“Last weekend was important, but winning the district is more important,” Button said. “The district tournament is more important than that, the region tournament more important than that and the state tournament is the most important.”

While the Knights have two Beach District matches remaining, Kellam, which last won a district title in 2009, is alone atop the district and has dispatched all of its primary threats.

Cox was the last of them, and the battle between the defending champs and the almost-certain-to-be champs included a number of marquee matches.

In the first, Button earned a 6-5 win over Gabe Gibson in a match between the area’s two best 106-pounders. Button took a two-point lead into the final period and maintained control for nearly the entire round.

Cox earned wins in the other two closely contested matches, with Brett Sain getting an overtime takedown and C.J. Jablonski’s takedown on Christian Olanowski with four seconds left to decide another 1 vs. 2 battle.

In the other battle of big-names, Ross Benzel beat Dashon Eure comfortably, 8-2, taking the sting out of Olanowski’s loss and putting Kellam in complete control.

Said Ulm: “We’re well on our way.”