Raiders impress at Arrowhead Invitational

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

Entering the gym of Powhatan High school, home of the reigning Region 4B champions, the Atlee Raiders walked into the Arrowhead Invitational with a chip on their shoulders to prove they have the talent to overtake the Indians and every other regional contender for this year’s region title.

After a second place finish complete with two first place winners and eight more wrestlers placing within the top-5 of their respective weight classes, the Raiders appeared to prove exactly that.

The day-long tournament on Jan. 28 featured 14 schools, some of which will be returning to Powhatan’s gym for the region tournament on Feb. 10. Atlee placed second out of the 14 schools with 165 team points, while Powhatan was close behind in third. King George won the tournament outright with 175 points.

Atlee’s two big winners on the day were 11 3-pound Eric Ludwig and 157-pound Tristen Torres, with both claiming their class titles with dominant displays that were on par with the rest of their 2022-23 seasons.

Ludwig was a force to be reckoned with, winning all four of his bouts with pins, two of which came within the first period. His championship matchup versus Douglas Freeman’s Darian Llorens was one of those early-ending victories, as Ludwig built up a 4-3 lead with a takedown and a reversal in the first period before ending things with a pin in 1:26.

Torres was also in fine form, starting his tournament off with a pin on Douglas Freeman’s Colton Jacoby before winning by technical fall over Clover Hill’s Russell Fullerton, 20-4. After a first period pin and a major decision victory in his next two matchups, Torres claimed the first place medal with a late pin in 5:25 over Shaine Givens from Highland Springs, who scored nine points against the Atlee stud, but conceded 18 the other way before Torres ended the match.

Atlee’s next best results were third place finishes from Brayton Crews and Tyler Bosher in the 138 and 144-pound classes.

Crews won his first three matches of the day, including a dominant 18-3 technical fall victory over

Douglas Freeman wrestler Will Fendley, but a loss to Powhatan’s Gavin Utley made him settle for the third place match, where he bested King George’s Sean Riley with a pin in 4:18.

Bosher, meanwhile, won his first three matches with pins that all came within the first period, but he also lost to eventual class champion Britton Proffitt from Powhatan that made him have to beat Douglas Freeman’s Reid Garnett 12-6 in the third place match.

Atlee’s other wrestlers to place within the top-5 were Brodie Gibbs, Jason Ludwig, Alex Donandson, Graham Bosher, Benji Collawn and Edward Slade.

The Raiders now have two weeks to prepare for the region tournament and a chance to claim the 4B crown over the Powhatan Indians in their home gym.