Team Effort

After a slow, brick-by-brick rebuild of the wrestling program following the Covid shutdown in 2020-2021, the Cougars placed second in the Prep League tournament Feb. 4 in its penultimate competition of the 2025-26 season.

 

Coach Andy Stone’s crew, which finished last a year ago, recorded 154.5 points to outpace Woodberry Forest (125.5), Fork Union (72.5), and Norfolk Academy (64.5). St. Christopher’s, the overwhelming favorite, won its 24th consecutive league title with 321.5 points.

 

The Cougars’ quantum leap in league competition was a possibility, but hardly a sure thing.

 

“I thought we had a decent chance, but everybody had to contribute up and down the lineup,” Stone said. “If anybody had had an off-day or we lost some close matches, we could easily have finished third and maybe fourth.

 

What led to the improvement?

 

“It’s just the progression from where we were,” Stone said. “Every year, we’ve gotten a little bit better. After Covid, we started fresh without any Seniors. Last year, we had just one Senior. The younger guys in the program just needed more time to develop. Our (current) Juniors and Seniors have worked hard and improved every year, so the work has really paid off.”

 

How has that improvement manifested itself?

 

“We’re consistently working on strength every day,” Stone said. “It starts in our Middle School PE program and carries on into our strength and conditioning program. The other thing is that wrestling technique takes a long time to develop. Learning how to compete when your (training) partner is cooperating is one thing. It’s another when you’re going full speed in matches.

 

“Those things have come together. The kids have gotten more comfortable with hard matches, being better competitors, and enjoying the sport. It’s a long-term process, and the kids have bought into that process. When they’re in the room, they just focus on getting better.”

 

Eight Collegiate wrestlers placed second in their weight classes in the Prep League tournament held in the Jacobs Gym: Carter Watt (120), Henry Hofheimer (132), Liam Brotherton (157), Pierson Harris (165), Ferran Salhab (175), Ned Wash (190), Thomas Shaia (215), and Ethan Marr (285). Asher McClung (150) placed third and Jack Hairfield (126) and Brett Fields (144) fourth.

        

Fields, Harris, Marr, Salhab, and Shaia are Seniors. Hofheimer and Wash are Juniors. Brotherton is a Sophomore. Hairfield, McClung, and Watt are Freshmen.

 

“No one was a Prep League champion, but it was a team effort,” Stone said. “That was the difference for us. We’ve always had one or two individuals who have done really well, but we’re at a point now where everybody is doing well. We were patient with the younger kids last year and the year before. We stuck with them, and they showed up day after day and believed in what we were doing.  That’s very satisfying.”

 

That said…

 

“We still have a long way to go,” Stone said. “I came away from the (league) tournament thinking about all the things we didn’t do well. That’s any coach’s mindset. There was also a sense that we’ve making progress. That feels good, and it’s good for the kids.”

 

Weekend tournaments, weekday matches, and championship competitions form the tip of the wrestling iceberg. Strong performances in the arena don’t just happen. They’re the result of hour upon hour of athletes and coaches grinding in the Jamie Robertson ’04 Wrestling Room, far from the cheers and public recognition.

 

“We have a great coaching staff,” said Stone, referencing Mac Friddell, Asher Rolfe, Michael Blair, and James Horst. “They’re in the room every day. It takes a lot of time, and it’s very much a group effort to support these kids. We have that let’s-keep-the-work-going, focus-on-what’s-coming-next mentality. It’s satisfying to feel like the work is paying off. It helps build that motivation that’s already naturally there.”

We’ve been taking baby steps. This (league runner-up) is one more step.”

 

Next up for the Cougars is the VISAA championship tournament Friday and Saturday in the McMurtrie-Reynolds Pavilion at Benedictine.

 

“For us, a Top 10 finish would be reasonable, but I don’t think that’s our ceiling at all,” Stone said. “We haven’t had a state champion or prep All-American in several years. Those are accomplishments these kids aspire to as they try to improve every day. For us, the sport is really enjoyable. It’s also really challenging. That’s what makes it fun.”

~Weldon Bradshaw