A final note on the 2007 – 2008 season…Congratulations to Virginia’s All-American wrestlers! Norfolk Academy’s Bryan Whitt (112) finished 5th while Woodberry Forest’s Bobby Burg (130) wrestled to 6th place. Eric Kurtzke (140) from Bishop O’Connell came in 7th. St. Christopher’s Tyler Spangler (119) and Blue Ridge’s John King (285) achieved 8th place.
On the team side, Bishop O’Connell finished highest among Virginia’s schools at 13th. St. Christopher’s placed 18th, Cape Henry Collegiate was 31st, Norfolk Academy 35th and Woodberry 37th. Norfolk Collegiate, St. Stephen’s & Ste. Agnes’, Blue Ridge and Episcopal were the 48th, 56th, and 2 x 69th. Paul VI, The Potomac School, Liberty Christian Academy and Randolph-Macon Academy finished up the scoring in 73rd, 83rd, 88th and 102nd. Competing but not scoring were Collegiate, North Cross and Virginia Episcopal.The season turned out to be one of new wrestlers and new teams, and not without a few surprises. St. Chris, Woodberry and O’Connell remained on top of the pecking order while Liberty Christian and St. Stephen’s & Ste. Agnes’ both improved significantly upon their 2007 results. A surprise to some, LCA racked up in excess of 30 wins on their way to their 4th place finish at Cape Henry.
A number of seniors finally achieved the state championship that had eluded them over the years. Episcopal’s Johnny Motley (135), Collegiate’s Andrew Mertens (145), St. Chris’ Kevin Isaac’s (152) & Clarke Gottwald (171) and Woodberry’s Wilson Maclin (189) capped of fine high school careers with tournament victories. It was Eric Kutzke (140) from O’Connell, however, who added his 4th championship, who was the most noteworthy.
On the other end of the class hierarchy were the freshman Tyler Whitt (103) from Norfolk Academy and Bobby Burg (130) from Woodberry Forrest. Both won at the Tournament after successful debut seasons in the VIS.
Returning stalwarts included Norfolk Academy’s Bryan Whitt (112), St. Chris’ Tyler Spangler (119), and Nam Dunbar (125) from O’Connell. All three continued to show their preeminence in the league. Veteran’s Ted Gottwald (160) from St. Chris and Ethan Hagner (215) from Liberty turned in championship seasons while newcomer John King showed himself as the class of the heavyweights.
And then there were the newcomers who added excitement and raised the level of competition. Will Mason (103), Scott Cunningham (112), and Jazz Rozier (119) from Cape Henry added to an already young team that will only improve on this season’s top 10 finish. In addition to Bobby Burg, Woodberry brought in James Peebles (103) and Duke Pickett (112), adding needed youth to a veteran squad. Wilkes Booth (103) and Marcus Miller (119) made successful debuts at Liberty Christian, while Justin Murphy (119) and Tyler Haley (112) made strong contributions to SSSA’s successful season. St. Christopher’s newcomers Trey Tarr (125), David Wesley (130), Rennie Merighe (140), and Kevin Molloy (145) added to the defending champion’s side and ensured their return to the top in 2008.
Well that's enough punditry for one season. See you all in December.
Showing posts with label VIS Wrestling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VIS Wrestling. Show all posts
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Who's Who in Virginia
Private schools in Virginia compete under the cognizance of the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association (VISAA). The VISAA, essentially, is the sanctioning body that sets the rules and standards under which member schools and athletes compete. The schools have divided themselves into 13 various leagues around the state. In general, boys and girls compete in different leagues. For example, at the Collegiate School in Richmond, the boys compete in the Virginia Prep League (VPL) while the girls compete in the League of Independent Schools (LIS). Additionally, some schools compete in different leagues for different sports. For example, Benedictine is wrestling in the Cavalier Athletic Conference (CAC) this year, but competes as an Independent in other sports. Another oddity is that schools can be in multiple conferences. The boys’ teams at Norfolk Academy compete in both the VPL and the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools (TCIS). Just when you thought you had it squared-away…there also are different divisions based on size, D1 through D3, and schools can have different teams in different divisions. Fortunately, wrestling does not differentiate by division, although the highest ranking small school is recognized at the VIS State Tournament. Finally, some schools in Northern Virginia compete in multi-state leagues. Bishop O’Connell is in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC). This league includes schools in DC and Maryland.
In addition to private school competition, most schools also compete against public schools in tournaments and dual meets. There is not, however, an overall combined championship. That is, the VIS State Championship includes only VISAA member schools. During the season, these schools may decide a champion based on dual meet results, but this is not the case with all leagues. Moreover, most leagues also hold a League Tournament which is followed by the State Tournament. Wrestlers who qualify at States by finishing in the top four can then compete in the National Prep Tournament at Lehigh University.
Who competes at the Nationals is another oddity of private school competition. You’d think that if you are a private school, you’d be able to do so. It is not that simple. The Prep Tournament was set-up to provide a championship for private schools that do not compete in an overall state championship with public schools. Some private schools and private school leagues choose to compete in the public school championships and thus abide by the rules governing public schools. Others, for reasons of historical precedent, aversion to certain restrictions or contentment with the existing infrastructure choose to remain independent. Take New Jersey for example. Parochial schools have historically been part of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Althetic Association (NJSIAA). These schools do not compete at Nationals. St. Benedict’s School (a Catholic school in Newark) however, recently switched over to the New Jersey Independent School Athletic Association (NJISAA) and has since competed at the National Prep Tournament. Similarly, Blair Academy is in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) and it is a member of the New Jersey Independent School Athletic Association (NJISAA). Pennsylvania is set-up in a very similar way. About 200 private schools compete in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA). These schools do not go to the National Prep Tournament. At the same time, there are about 100 members in the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS); Germantown Academy and Wyoming Seminary are but two. These schools compete at Nationals. Similarly, the 20 team Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) also sends teams, such at LaSalle College High School, to Nationals. The PCL, however, will join the PIAA for the 2008-2009 season. Under the current standards the PCL teams will no longer compete in the National Prep Tournament after the 2007-2008 season.
Back to Virginia…
There are seven leagues in Virginia that compete in wrestling. In Northern Virginia there are three: the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC), and the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC). These three conferences are comprised of schools from Northern Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland. The WCAC and IAC, generally, have bigger schools while the MAC contains smaller schools. Conference schools that compete in wrestling are listed below.
WCAC: Bishop Ireton, Bishop O'Connell, Paul VI (VA), Gonzaga College High School (DC), Our Lady of Good Counsel (DC), St. John's College High School (DC), Bishop McNamara (MD), DeMatha Catholic (MD), and St. Mary's Ryken (MD).
IAC: Episcopal High School, St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes, Georgetown Prep (DC), St. Albans (DC), Bullis (MD), and the Landon School (MD).
MAC: The Potomac School, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School (MD), St. James School (MD), Maret School (DC), Sidwell Friends (DC), and Georgetown Day School (DC).
In the Northwestern part of the state are three conferences. These are the Delaney Athletic Conference (DAC), which encompasses schools from Front Royal to Fredericksburg, the Cavalier Athletic Conference (CAC), which is primarily located around Charlottesville, and the Virginia Independent Conference (VIC) which is based in the environs of Lynchburg and Roanoke.
DAC: Randolph-Macon Academy and Tandem Friends CAC: Blue Ridge School, Massanutten Military School, and BenedictineVIC: Virginia Episcopal School, Hargrave Military School, Fishburne Military School The Miller School, The Covenant School, Liberty Christian Academy. North Cross School and Roanoke Catholic.
The central region of the state has the Virginia Prep League (VPL). This league is geographically dispersed from Charlottesville to Norfolk inclusive of Richmond.
VPL: St. Christopher’s School, Collegiate School, Woodberry Forest School, Fork Union Military Academy and Norfolk Academy.
In the East, there is the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools (TCIS) based in and around Norfolk.
TCIS: Norfolk Academy, Bishop Sullivan Catholic, Norfolk Collegiate, Cape Henry Collegiate and Peninsula Catholic.
In addition to private school competition, most schools also compete against public schools in tournaments and dual meets. There is not, however, an overall combined championship. That is, the VIS State Championship includes only VISAA member schools. During the season, these schools may decide a champion based on dual meet results, but this is not the case with all leagues. Moreover, most leagues also hold a League Tournament which is followed by the State Tournament. Wrestlers who qualify at States by finishing in the top four can then compete in the National Prep Tournament at Lehigh University.
Who competes at the Nationals is another oddity of private school competition. You’d think that if you are a private school, you’d be able to do so. It is not that simple. The Prep Tournament was set-up to provide a championship for private schools that do not compete in an overall state championship with public schools. Some private schools and private school leagues choose to compete in the public school championships and thus abide by the rules governing public schools. Others, for reasons of historical precedent, aversion to certain restrictions or contentment with the existing infrastructure choose to remain independent. Take New Jersey for example. Parochial schools have historically been part of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Althetic Association (NJSIAA). These schools do not compete at Nationals. St. Benedict’s School (a Catholic school in Newark) however, recently switched over to the New Jersey Independent School Athletic Association (NJISAA) and has since competed at the National Prep Tournament. Similarly, Blair Academy is in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) and it is a member of the New Jersey Independent School Athletic Association (NJISAA). Pennsylvania is set-up in a very similar way. About 200 private schools compete in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA). These schools do not go to the National Prep Tournament. At the same time, there are about 100 members in the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS); Germantown Academy and Wyoming Seminary are but two. These schools compete at Nationals. Similarly, the 20 team Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) also sends teams, such at LaSalle College High School, to Nationals. The PCL, however, will join the PIAA for the 2008-2009 season. Under the current standards the PCL teams will no longer compete in the National Prep Tournament after the 2007-2008 season.
Back to Virginia…
There are seven leagues in Virginia that compete in wrestling. In Northern Virginia there are three: the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC), and the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC). These three conferences are comprised of schools from Northern Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland. The WCAC and IAC, generally, have bigger schools while the MAC contains smaller schools. Conference schools that compete in wrestling are listed below.
WCAC: Bishop Ireton, Bishop O'Connell, Paul VI (VA), Gonzaga College High School (DC), Our Lady of Good Counsel (DC), St. John's College High School (DC), Bishop McNamara (MD), DeMatha Catholic (MD), and St. Mary's Ryken (MD).
IAC: Episcopal High School, St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes, Georgetown Prep (DC), St. Albans (DC), Bullis (MD), and the Landon School (MD).
MAC: The Potomac School, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School (MD), St. James School (MD), Maret School (DC), Sidwell Friends (DC), and Georgetown Day School (DC).
In the Northwestern part of the state are three conferences. These are the Delaney Athletic Conference (DAC), which encompasses schools from Front Royal to Fredericksburg, the Cavalier Athletic Conference (CAC), which is primarily located around Charlottesville, and the Virginia Independent Conference (VIC) which is based in the environs of Lynchburg and Roanoke.
DAC: Randolph-Macon Academy and Tandem Friends CAC: Blue Ridge School, Massanutten Military School, and BenedictineVIC: Virginia Episcopal School, Hargrave Military School, Fishburne Military School The Miller School, The Covenant School, Liberty Christian Academy. North Cross School and Roanoke Catholic.
The central region of the state has the Virginia Prep League (VPL). This league is geographically dispersed from Charlottesville to Norfolk inclusive of Richmond.
VPL: St. Christopher’s School, Collegiate School, Woodberry Forest School, Fork Union Military Academy and Norfolk Academy.
In the East, there is the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools (TCIS) based in and around Norfolk.
TCIS: Norfolk Academy, Bishop Sullivan Catholic, Norfolk Collegiate, Cape Henry Collegiate and Peninsula Catholic.
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