With the most individual entries, the host Arlington Wrestling Club had a strong showing at the second annual Warrior Classic.
The club had two champions and six other top-four finishers at the Saturday (April 19) event at Wakefield High School. There were 109 wrestlers participating from some 30 club teams, made up of high-school-age grapplers.
Teams came from throughout Virginia as well as from Maryland, DC and Pennsylvania. Team scores were not kept in the freestyle competition, but individual weight-class winners for boys and girls were crowned.
Club tournaments for high-school grapplers are popular when the winter prep season is not being held.
“We want to hold this event to create an opportunity for wrestlers to compete,” said event organizer John Leinberger, also Wakefield High’s head wrestling coach.
Leinberger said the reduced numbers of wrestlers from last season’s initial event might have been because of Easter weekend and the end of spring break for many school systems. Proceeds from the event go toward purchasing a new Wakefield wrestling mat.
Arlington Wrestling Club had 24 participants. Its two individual champions were Evan Cronin at 165 pounds and Ariana Trejo in the girls lightweight division. Cronin had a 2-0 record with two technical falls. Trejo was 4-0 with four pins.
Finishing second were Zachary Capps at 138 and Anthony Morales at 175. Third were Bilegjargal Miyaragchaa at 175 and Marilyn Parada in the girls middleweight division.
Fourth were Kellan Dick at 165 and Brayden Black at 190. Paulina Mazzuchi was fifth in the girls lightweight division.
From Virginia, club teams came from as far away as Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, Richmond, Charlottesville, Culpepper, Gainesville and Stafford. The Heavy Hitting Hammers from the Chesapeake area also were entered.
There also were local teams like the Northern Virginia Wrestling Club and squads from Langley and McLean high schools.
