What was a popular and unique one-day inaugural wrestling event last December is returning for a second year about the same time at Wakefield High School.
Wakefield will host the multiple-team Vic Blue tournament today (Dec. 16) beginning at 10 a.m. in the main and auxiliary gyms, using some six mats. The event is for junior varsity and novice wrestlers that also will include a girls competition. The host Wakefield team has nine female wrestlers.
Some 17 teams from multiple metro-area jurisdictions are expected to participate. Arlington schools Washington-Liberty, Yorktown and Bishop O’Connell high-school teams also will take part, and each has female wrestlers, as well.
Blue is the former head wrestling coach at Wakefield, who started the program and later became principal at the school.
“The tournament was a big hit last year so we want to think it will be again,” Wakefield head coach and tournament director John Leinberger said.
Girls wrestling was officially sanctioned as a varsity sport last year by the Virginia High School League. There will be a second individual girls state tournament this season.
“All of the teams are trying to grow girls wrestling now, and this tournament is a good way to do that,” Leinberger said. “We are committed to that growth at Wakefield.”
One of Wakefield’s top female wrestlers is junior 150-pounder Cameron Millsapps. She enters the competition with a 9-0 record, including nine first-period pins.
“She has been destroying opponents,” Leinberger said. “We need to get her some tough competition so she can wrestle a full match and go beyond the first periods.”
Other teams participating in the tournament will be Battlefield, Edison (girls only), Marshall, Hayfield, Herndon, Jackson-Reed (girls only), King George, Loudoun County (girls only), Madison, McLean, Millbrook, Mount Vernon, Richard Montgomery, Riverside and West Springfield.
NOTE: In recent varsity wrestling action for Wakefield, Chris Majano finished eighth at 144 pounds at the Richmond Invitational tournament.
