When the Patrick Henry hits the mats this season the Patriots will be returning 25 wrestlers as they look to knock off Franklin County, which has won 10 straight Western Valley District titles.
“We have a lot of returning starters and district champions,” said third-year head coach Jesse Anderson, who saw his team finish second in the WVD and 28th in the Group AAA state tournament last year.
The Patriots top returnees include Elijah Tackett (Junior, 112 pound class, 39-4 ), John Stiles (Soph., 125, 34-7), Minor Smith (Junior, 135, 30-8), Will Ford (Junior, 140, 25-10), Herman Pfaeffle (Junior, 145, 27-11) and Keenan Hughes (Soph., Hwt, 21-12).
The team’s other top wrestlers include Brandon Terry (Senior, 160, 23-7), Josh Friday (Senior, 171, 39-11) and Chad Migkins (Senior, 215, 31-9).
Anderson sees his up and comers as being Chris Wilson, Jimmy Smith, Logan Comer, Steven Washington, Anthony Robinson, Sydney Dobbins and Tyler Brown.
“We have a lot of experience in our middle weights and heavy weight,” said Anderson. “We will get some new studs at the higher weight classes, so we will have to teach them quickly.”
Patrick Henry, which won the Titan Toughman, Alleghany Duals, Patriot Revolution and Amherst Duals last season, has a very tough road ahead. “We have a very difficult schedule this year, which includes four Top 10 teams in the state and five top teams from other states,” Anderson noted. “We look forward to the challenge and will get our wrestlers in top physical shape.”
The Patriots listed their top matches for the upcoming season as being the Battlefield Duals in Colonial Forge on Jan 6-7 and the district tournament on Feb. 4.
“I’m going into my third year here at PH. My staff and I have never been more excited about the team,” added Anderson. “We have a lot of dedicated kids that will make this year very fun to watch.” Patrick Henry opens its season on Friday, Dec. 2 and Saturday, Dec. 3 at Staunton River High School.
-By David Grimes • [email protected]
