MHS Wrestlers defeat Essex and Sussex
by Larry S. Chowning
The Middlesex High School wrestling team placed second in a quad-meet at King William High School on January 19.
The Chargers defeated Essex 48-12 and Sussex Central 45-12. They lost to King William 54-27.
“We had eight forfeits as a team and still did awesome,” said MHS wrestling coach Joel Anderson. The forfeits were caused by not having wrestlers in certain weight classes.
One standout performance came from freshman Ridge Ellis who won all three of his matches. He defeated strong King William and Essex wrestlers in the 126-pound weight division, both of whom are top-seeded wrestlers in Region A.
Middlesex’s Brandon Jessup also was 3-0 and showed strong senior leadership, defeating King William and Sussex wrestlers in 138-pound class.
Devante Robertson was 3-0 on the night in the 132-pound class.
Steve Skelton and Vladimir Rowe went 3-0 in their heavyweight classes.
Blake Damron was 2-1 in the meet in the 145-pound class; Chad Page, 2-1 in the 152-pound class; Alek Fomin, 2-1 in the 170-pound class.
Overall, the team is 6-9 on the season and getting much stronger as the district and regional competition approaches, said Anderson.
“We had two big team wins without two of our top wrestlers, Darrien Fisher and Jacob Goins,” said Anderson. “With those guys back in the lineup we will put together a much stronger showing.
“I am very proud of our guys and our coaching staff as we have all gotten better and have a lot to be excited about,” said Anderson.
At the Northumberland Invitational on Saturday, MHS wrestled against four teams. Robertson won all four of his matches in the 126-pound class; Ellis and Rowe were 3-1 in their weight classes; Skelton was 1-2; and Jessup, Damron and Chad Page were 0-4.
On Saturday, January 28, the Chargers will wrestle in the Mathews Invitational.
