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Overall doing well...have teams that are a lot tougher this year...Just like every team though...injuries...people sick...quitting...etc. Jake Lilly is now 28-1

 

This was from matches on 1/19/10:

 

http://www.bdtonline.com/localsports/local_story_019235925.html?keyword=topstory

 

Mat meeting

 

Bluefield perfect in 4 matches

 

By JED LOCKETT

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

 

BLUEFIELD — Bluefield wrestling coach Bobby Jenks admittedly could not have imagined that his team would have won two straight matches over Graham and gotten back close to the .500 mark after starting the season 1-9. But that is exactly what happened.

 

Led by a solid core of grapplers, the Beavers swept all four of their matches Tuesday night to take first place in a five-team meet at Bluefield High School.

 

After a 60-18 win over Fort Chiswell and a 71-6 rout over PikeView, the Beavers beat their Bluefield, Va. rivals for the second straight time, winning 42-33. They closed out the evening with a 66-10 win over Princeton.

 

“These guys have worked really hard and they’ve come a long ways,†Jenks said. “They continue to improve. They want to get better. They work really hard in practice and they’re looking at the end of the tunnel.â€

 

Unlike the three Four Seasons Country counterparts they faced Tuesday night, the Beavers have not had to deal with injuries and athletes quitting. The result: a 7-1 record in their last eight matches and an 8-10 record overall.

 

“A lot of starters stuck with it,†Jenks said. “There’s a lot of guys, two people in one spot and they’re fighting back-and-forth every week to get that starting position and you know that’s something to be real excited about ....â€

 

Several Beavers showed what they could do, getting victories and keeping winning streaks alive.

 

“Jake Lilly, he’s up to 15-1 now. It’s nice for his record to be up there,†Jenks said. “Steven Wessels, he is 13-5. Those two in particular have really good records right now and are doing really well.â€

 

Graham finished second with a 3-1 record in their four matches. They gained a 54-24 win over PikeView, a 48-30 win over Princeton and a 48-12 win over Fort Chiswell. Graham head coach Tim Woodward left Bluefield High School with an 11-7 record for the season, but he was pleased with what his team accomplished considering its rattled state.

 

“I think the kids did a great job,†Woodward said. “We came up here and we could only fill 10 weight classes. I’ve had a lot of problems with injury, kids quitting. To come up here and win three out of four, I’m very proud of them.â€

 

Graham travels to Marion today to wrestle Marion, Abingdon and Grundy. When they go, they will take 160-pound Tanner Howell, who went 4-0 with four pins Tuesday night and improved his record to 17-1 for the season.

 

“I feel like there’s always room for improvement,†Howell said. “But it’s hard to argue with four pins. You love it.â€

 

Princeton was third, going 2-2 with a 36-6 win over Fort Chiswell and a 42-18 win over PikeView. Like Graham, the Tigers have had to deal with injuries and athletes leaving the team. Unlike Graham, Princeton head coach Brett Bowyer was not pleased with his squad’s current state.

 

“I’ve got a couple guys that are injured, one guy that is sick. We’re doing the best we can with what we have,†Bowyer said. “It’s been a problem with school in the county and we really haven’t had a place to practice. It hasn’t been consistent, but the consistency’s going to come back.â€

 

But a Princeton wrestler turned in the gutsiest performance of the night. Jason Burgess fought off the pain of an injury to his right shoulder to defeat PikeView 152-pounder Kevin Mills by pin fall.

 

“He had a prior injury in football, pushed through and I’m proud he did,†Bowyer said. “That’s the first win he’s had so far this year.â€

 

PikeView finished fourth, its lone win in four matches being a 48-12 decision over fifth-place Fort Chiswell.

 

“I’m a little bit disappointed,†said PikeView head coach James Barbury. “The outcomes were fine, but I feel like we have a long ways to go before regionals.â€

 

Barbury did find a source of inspiration amidst the losing. Cody Borum led the Panthers, going 3-0 at 215 pounds and continuing an amazing comeback from a potential devastating injury.

 

“Last year, he had an accident loading a gun and he shot himself in the thigh and they told him he would never walk again,†Barbury said. “So one year later, he’s wrestling and he’s one of our best performers.â€

 

Bluefield, Princeton and PikeView will wrestle again on Friday in the West Virginia National Guard Duals.

 

— Contact Jed Lockett

 

at jlockett@bdtonline.com

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