BRIDGEWATER — Damien Villalobos had everything working against him.Up against Rocktown sophomore Fernando Morales in the 175-pound finals, the East Rockingham junior was down on the scoreboard and was plagued by multiple stoppages for both blood and injury.It looked dubious at times that Villalobos could will his way to a victory, but he stayed in the fight. “[My coaches] told me what I’m good at,” Villalobos said. “I was struggling a little bit in neutral. I just knew on top, I could do it.”Sure enough, in the waning minutes of the match, Villalobos found a way to get the takedown he needed from the top and pulled off an incredible come-from-behind fall win over Morales, to which he was met with a raucous ovation from the crowd inside the Larry S. Pence Gymnasium.Villalobos’ win highlighted a day of many local wrestling stars showcasing their talents at the Region 3C qualifier in Bridgewater on Wednesday.“I was down on myself a little bit going into that last little battle,” Villalobos said. “I just pushed myself and came out on top. It felt amazing.”While he has lofty goals in mind, Villalobos isn’t getting ahead of himself.“One step at a time,” Villalobos said. “Next step is regionals, then states. My goal is to make it to states, and we’ll see from there. We’ll take it step at a time.”Villalobos’ teammate, senior Grant Malin, got things rolling for the Eagles earlier in the evening after taking an 11-0 major decision win over Rockbridge senior Wyatt Eisenbrown in the 157-pound finals.“Like I said before, your mental state and how you feel going into your match is going to determine the outcome of the match,” Malin said. “If you go into your match and you just don’t want it, you’re not going to get it. If you want it, and outside of these tournaments in the practice room, you train for it, and you’re going to get it no matter what.” Turner Ashby assistant coach Jessie Knight cheers on Cohen McDorman as he wrestles against Spotswood's Aaron Hernandez. Daniel Lin / DN-R Malin said there’s nothing better than getting a decisive victory as he did on Wednesday and added that winning districts was another step in the right direction towards his goal of capturing state title gold.“I’ve worked on pushing the pace with my partners,” Malin said. “Being mentally tough is half of this sport. Technique will come as the mental toughness comes.”Turner Ashby senior Sem Mussie placed first in the 106-pound division with a 9-1 major decision win over Rocktown freshman Viktor Katykhin in the finals.Broadway sophomore Simon Dronov took down Turner Ashby sophomore Tallen Martin via fall in the 113-pound division finals, while junior Gobbler teammate Timmy Phillips scored the win in the 120-pound division via fall over Rocktown freshman Miles Neil.“I thought I did pretty good, especially since I’ve been having knee problems lately,” Phillips said. “Being able to go out there to perform the best I could, I thought I did really well.”After falling short of the title win last year, it meant a lot for Phillips to battle through adversity and capture Valley District gold.“Being able to get it done, especially with how historic the Valley is and how good it’s known to be, it feels really good,” Phillips said.On the heels of Phillips’ victory, Broadway junior Cody Wimer prevailed over East Rockingham freshman Cullyer Roadcap via fall in the 126-pound finals.The Gobblers left Bridgewater with a trifecta of gold medals, which Phillips believes speaks volumes to their ability and work ethic.“We’re just in practice working with each other and doing the best we can to get each other ready for the end of the season,” Phillips said. “It’s been great working with a lot of talented partners this season.” Close Rocktown's Miles Neil wrestles against Turner Ashby's Abdullah Abdulrahman. Rocktown's Elias Arbaiza Lopez wrestles against Broadway's Cody Wimer. East Rockingham's Cullyer Roadcap wrestles against Turner Ashby's Parker Harold. Rocktown's Josh Urbina Jimenez wrestles against Turner Ashby's Sam Loveless. East Rockingham's Connor Malin wrestles against Rockbridge's Graham Niebur. Rockbridge's Hudson Ryan wrestles against Broadway's Parker Wood. Rocktown's Ali Hashim wrestles against Turner Ashby's Adam Arenas. Rockbridge's Markus Nelson picks up Spotswood's Kellen Conahan. Spotswood's Kellen Conahan celebrates after defeating Rockbridge's Markus Nelson. Broadway's Noah Hisey throws Turner Ashby's Malachi Houff. Broadway's Noah Hisey tries to pin Turner Ashby's Malachi Houff. Rocktown's Karim Mahaman tries to escape from East Rockingham's Grant Malin. Rockbridge's Aidan Williams wrestles against Broadway's Conner Mason. Rockbridge's Wyatt Eisenbrown wrestles against Turner Ashby's Walter Rhodes. East Rockingham's Kristian Hearn wrestles against Spotswood's Camden Kraft. East Rockingham's Damien Villalobos hangs onto Spotswood's Karcher Skafidi as they go out of bounds. Rocktown's Fernando Morales wrestles against Rockbridge's Isaiah Woolfrey. East Rockingham's Connor Roadcap wrestles against Rockbridge's Kellan Dorey. Rocktown's Ben Livick wrestles against Rockbridge's Gabriel Wade. East Rockingham's Trevor Klager wrestles against Rocktown's Saif Hamid. Turner Ashby assistant coach Jessie Knight cheers on Cohen McDorman as he wrestles against Spotswood's Aaron Hernandez. Turner Ashby's Cohen McDorman wrestles against Spotswood's Aaron Hernandez. Spotswood's Dawson Simons throws Turner Ashby's Dalton Ray. Spotswood's Dawson Simons celebrates after defeating Turner Ashby's Dalton Ray. Wrestling: Valley District Qualifier Rocktown's Miles Neil wrestles against Turner Ashby's Abdullah Abdulrahman. Rocktown's Elias Arbaiza Lopez wrestles against Broadway's Cody Wimer. East Rockingham's Cullyer Roadcap wrestles against Turner Ashby's Parker Harold. Rocktown's Josh Urbina Jimenez wrestles against Turner Ashby's Sam Loveless. East Rockingham's Connor Malin wrestles against Rockbridge's Graham Niebur. Rockbridge's Hudson Ryan wrestles against Broadway's Parker Wood. Rocktown's Ali Hashim wrestles against Turner Ashby's Adam Arenas. Rockbridge's Markus Nelson picks up Spotswood's Kellen Conahan. Spotswood's Kellen Conahan celebrates after defeating Rockbridge's Markus Nelson. Broadway's Noah Hisey throws Turner Ashby's Malachi Houff. Broadway's Noah Hisey tries to pin Turner Ashby's Malachi Houff. Rocktown's Karim Mahaman tries to escape from East Rockingham's Grant Malin. Rockbridge's Aidan Williams wrestles against Broadway's Conner Mason. Rockbridge's Wyatt Eisenbrown wrestles against Turner Ashby's Walter Rhodes. East Rockingham's Kristian Hearn wrestles against Spotswood's Camden Kraft. East Rockingham's Damien Villalobos hangs onto Spotswood's Karcher Skafidi as they go out of bounds. Rocktown's Fernando Morales wrestles against Rockbridge's Isaiah Woolfrey. East Rockingham's Connor Roadcap wrestles against Rockbridge's Kellan Dorey. Rocktown's Ben Livick wrestles against Rockbridge's Gabriel Wade. East Rockingham's Trevor Klager wrestles against Rocktown's Saif Hamid. Turner Ashby assistant coach Jessie Knight cheers on Cohen McDorman as he wrestles against Spotswood's Aaron Hernandez. Turner Ashby's Cohen McDorman wrestles against Spotswood's Aaron Hernandez. Spotswood's Dawson Simons throws Turner Ashby's Dalton Ray. Spotswood's Dawson Simons celebrates after defeating Turner Ashby's Dalton Ray. Turner Ashby sophomore Sam Loveless defeated East Rockingham freshman Connor Malin via fall in the 132-pound division finals.While Connor couldn’t join his older brother with a gold medal on Wednesday, Grant expects a bright future for his younger sibling.“He’s an amazing brother,” Grant said. “I see him doing way better things than I could ever dream of. He’s amazing. I’m often hard on him, but it’s not because I don’t like him. It’s because I know he has amazing potential.”Turner Ashby junior Branagan Egger had a dominant 14-1 major decision win in the 138-pound finals over Rocktown freshman Jarren Engle.“In my mind, I was like, ‘This is my match,’” Egger said. “I just tried to push the pace and let it be known that I’m the guy.”With regionals ahead, Egger said that’s the next-best thing as he’ll use Wednesday’s experience as a stepping stone to get to his ultimate goal of a state championship.“I’m one of those guys that’s like, ‘All right, what’s next?’” Egger said. “Yeah this is districts, but how can I win regionals and state? I’m always looking for the next-best thing.”Rockbridge junior Hudson Ryan picked up a win for the Wildcats in the 144-pound finals via fall over Turner Ashby freshman Adam Arenas. Turner Ashby's Cohen McDorman wrestles against Spotswood's Aaron Hernandez. Daniel Lin / DN-R Turner Ashby sophomore Malachi Houff notched another first place for the Knights with an 8-0 major decision win over Spotswood junior Kellen Conahan in the 150-pound finals.It was difficult for Houff to find the words, but he knew winning a Valley District crown meant something special.“It means a lot,” Houff said. “I don’t know how to put it into words. It’s something you can be proud of.”Houff doubted his potential in the past, but with the encouragement of head coach Marshall Smiley, he got to work.Now, he’s a Valley District champion at 150 pounds.“[TA head] coach [Marshall Smiley] saw potential in me and knew that I could get better and knew that I could be good,” Houff said. “He told me to put in the hard work, and that’s what I did. I got better.”East Rockingham senior Kristian Hearn tallied the third first-place finish for the Eagles with a victory over Rockbridge senior Aidan Williams via fall in the 165-pound finals.Rockbridge senior Kellan Dorey added another win for the Wildcats by defeating Turner Ashby senior Cohen McDorman in the 190-pound finals.Wildcats senior Gabriel Wade followed Dorey’s first-place effort with one of his own in the 215-pound division, defeating Spotswood senior Dawson Simons by fall.Rounding out the night was Turner Ashby senior Chase Smith, who bested Rocktown sophomore Saif Hamid via fall in the 285-pound finals for the district crown.Smith was also named the Valley District Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Year while Smiley earned Coach of the Year honors. The Knights won their 27th district championship this season.

Area wrestlers shine at Region 3C qualifier

Rockbridge’s Wyatt Eisenbrown wrestles against Turner Ashby’s Walter Rhodes.Rockbridge senior Kellan Dorey added another win for the Wildcats by defeating Turner Ashby senior Cohen McDorman in the 190-pound finals.East Rockingham’s Connor Malin wrestles against Rockbridge’s Graham Niebur. Up against Rocktown sophomore Fernando Morales in the 175-pound finals, the East Rockingham junior was down on the […]

Rockbridge’s Wyatt Eisenbrown wrestles against Turner Ashby’s Walter Rhodes.Rockbridge senior Kellan Dorey added another win for the Wildcats by defeating Turner Ashby senior Cohen McDorman in the 190-pound finals.East Rockingham’s Connor Malin wrestles against Rockbridge’s Graham Niebur.
Up against Rocktown sophomore Fernando Morales in the 175-pound finals, the East Rockingham junior was down on the scoreboard and was plagued by multiple stoppages for both blood and injury.Sure enough, in the waning minutes of the match, Villalobos found a way to get the takedown he needed from the top and pulled off an incredible come-from-behind fall win over Morales, to which he was met with a raucous ovation from the crowd inside the Larry S. Pence Gymnasium.Rocktown’s Miles Neil wrestles against Turner Ashby’s Abdullah Abdulrahman.“I was down on myself a little bit going into that last little battle,” Villalobos said. “I just pushed myself and came out on top. It felt amazing.”Rockbridge’s Wyatt Eisenbrown wrestles against Turner Ashby’s Walter Rhodes.“I’m one of those guys that’s like, ‘All right, what’s next?’” Egger said. “Yeah this is districts, but how can I win regionals and state? I’m always looking for the next-best thing.”Turner Ashby’s Cohen McDorman wrestles against Spotswood’s Aaron Hernandez.East Rockingham’s Trevor Klager wrestles against Rocktown’s Saif Hamid.