Jeremy Smith's state title was Manassas Park's cherry on top, its holiday bonus, the exclamation point on an otherwise remarkable weekend for the Cougars.
With four of his teammates having already earned individual titles at the Virginia A tournament and with the team title wrapped up even before the finals began, the senior wrestler didn't need to win the 275-pound final for anybody other than himself.
Lam Le, left, was one of five Manassas Park wrestlers to win individual state titles. The Cougars also won the team title, their eighth overall.
(Don Petersen For The Washington Post)
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He didn't try to outmuscle Mathews High's Eric Quigley in the final, he only tried to outthink him. Just as he had mapped out with his coaches beforehand, he wrestled conservatively and gave himself a chance to win. He extended the match into double overtime, then escaped the grasp of Quigley in the closing seconds to walk away with a 2-1 victory.
Smith was the most unlikely of the Cougars' five champions, knocking off Region D's top seed, Northwood's Joel Surber, as well as Quigley, a returning finalist, along the way. But as Manassas Park proved with its second straight state title -- and record-tying eighth overall -- winning tends to breed winning.
"That was huge," Manassas Park Coach Richard FitzSimmons said of Smith's win. "I'm sure he was feeling pressure, being the last guy out there. All but one of his teammates in the finals had won and the team title's locked up. I can imagine he must have been thinking, 'Man, this is all for me.' And he pulled it out."
Sophomore Sergio Ortiz (103), juniors Lam Le (125) and Todd Smoot (135) and senior Matt Chustz (112) also won titles for the Cougars, whose 218.5 points tied the record set in 2002 by Brentsville, which also won eight Virginia A titles before moving to AA two years ago. Seniors Bryan Prewitt (119) and Chad Jenkins (160) placed second and third, respectively.
For Manassas Park, it begs the question, "What's next?" Five Cougars starters are seniors, but there doesn't appear to be any major decline in the foreseeable future. Among the returnees are Ortiz, Le and Smoot, who have to be considered favorites to defend their titles next season, given their dominant performances this past weekend at the Salem Civic Center.
The team's departures -- although significant -- should be compensated for by a strong feeder program in the Cougar Wrestling Club.
"On the whole, we're very optimistic about our future," FitzSimmons said. "I like the looks of our middle school program, we have some nice-looking elementary school kids in the Cougar Wrestling Club and I feel like the program is set up right now. If I can get quality freshmen in every year, that's what we aim for. You never want 10 seniors on the team."
It will be tough, however, to find another a group like this one. Chustz and Le are two-time champions and Smoot, a three-time champion, is regarded by many to be the best 135-pounder in the state. At least the precedent is set for future generations.
"I just hope when I graduate and I come back I'll be able to see Manassas Park winning the state title for 10, 20 years," Smoot said.
Note: Brentsville (29 points) finished tied for 17th in the Virginia AA tournament, also this past weekend in Salem. Cody Phipps (2nd at 152) and Petie Silver (5th at 160) placed for the Tigers.
Virginia A Championships
Team
