Wrestling: Golden moment for Ocean Lakes' Skidmore

VIRGINIA BEACH

Alex Skidmore had never won anything.

On Saturday, the Ocean Lakes junior won all there was.

The heavyweight captured his first district title and clinched the team championship for the Dolphins, all while the Ocean Lakes section of the crowd at Green Run chanted his name over and over.

His coaches swarmed over the mat as his match ended. Seconds later, his teammates came down from the bleachers, enlarging the jumping crowd around him, celebrating the first district wrestling championship in school history.

Skidmore, meanwhile, calmly walked off the mat, his only nod to the moment a broad grin that never left his face and expanded once he reached the top step of the podium.

“My first gold medal ever,” Skidmore said, pinching the champions medal between two fingers.

Skidmore’s 2-1 win over top-seeded Marcus Valdez of Tallwood, in the final match of the Beach District tournament, provided Ocean Lakes (221) the four points it needed to jump over Cox (217.5). Kellam, which lost top-seeded Turner Bishop to injury on Friday, still managed to finish a close third with 210 points. All three teams crowned three individual champions.

Cox was nearly Ocean Lakes’ equal. With two weight classes empty, the Falcons still rattled off enough wins to hold the lead heading into Skidmore’s match. With three champions of its own and a tournament-best seven wrestlers in finals, Cox will enter next weekend’s Eastern Region tournament as the favorite.

That made it all the more important for Skidmore to take advantage of this opportunity.

“I know this was our chance,” said Ocean Lakes coach Chris Barnhart, whose team qualified 10 wrestlers for the region event. “It’s the closest it’s ever been. With three teams, it was just tremendous.”

The other winners for Ocean Lakes were Eddie Bracy (120 pounds) and Jack Ogburn (182). Cox’s champions included Cody Stageberg (113), Brandon Jeske (120) and Gunter Dickson (170).

Most Outstanding Wrestler Christian Olanowski (132) paced Kellam, along with Sean Button (106) and Ross Benzel (138).