Wrestling is all about positioning and with a 9-3 (2-0) record Washington is feeling good about where it stands right now at this point in the season.
After taking second place at the Eli Saleeby Lee Memorial wrestling tournament over the weekend, the Pam Pack was able to pin down a Coastal Conference victory on Wednesday as it topped D.H. Conley 49-30.
Washington wrestling coach Daniel Riggs said he is encouraged by the attitude and the devotion of his team.
“Chris Bohn, Ian Stroud, Kyle Krajewski and David Giordano showed a lot of heart (on Wednesday). Without these four guys stepping it up, we would have not been able to pull off the victory” Riggs said. “Kyle Krajewski showed how committed he is to this team. He hurt his finger at practice the night before pretty bad but he wanted to stay in the lineup and give it everything he had. He fought through the pain and got a pin. I couldn’t be any prouder for the kid.”
It’s that kind of effort that has come to define this team so far in this season.
“We are very young, but they are working hard everyday and keep improving every time they step on the matt,” Riggs said. “If we keep with this type of attitude and stay hungry, I see good things coming in the future for this team.”
Over the weekend, Washington put forth another tremendous effort as it took second place in the Eli Saleeby Lee Memorial tournament, which is held in honor of the late Eli Saleeby Lee, a former Pam Pack wrestler who died in a tragic car accident in 2005. Aside from honoring the late Saleeby Lee, the tournament also serves as a fundraiser which has recently helped the team purchase new wrestling mats.
Washington’s second-place effort was highlighted by the play of Jack Rodman, Ned Batts, Thomas Remick and Jordan Grazier, who each went undefeated on the day.
“I have been really impressed with (Batts, Remick and Rodman) on how they have been performing up to this point,” Riggs said. “Jack Rodman has been wrestling 182 pounds for us, when he weighs in at 170.  I am trying to get him to be quicker and stronger for when regionals comes around.
“Ned’s hard work during the offseason has really been paying off. He pinned all three opponents he faced at our tournament.
“Thomas Remick came to our team this season from Charlotte and he has been a great addition to the team. He showed the team on what it means to wrestle all three periods. He was losing one of his matches for the first 2 periods. He stayed calm and used his conditioning to his advantage and won as the whistle blew.”
The Pam Pack will be back in action tonight when it competes in the Beast of the East tournament in Croatan.