Elaal is a state runner-up in final appearance as a Mustang

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

The turnaround was quick for senior Joe Elaal and his four Mechanicsville teammates as they transitioned their attention from the Region 4B Wrestling Tournament to the bigger stage of the Class 4 State Championship held at Virginia Beach Sports Center on Feb. 17-18.

Elaal, a decorated wrestler at Mechanicsville who has emerged as one of the state’s most dynamic athletes on the mat in his high school career, had one last chance to represent his school and come away with the sought after state gold medal.

He got that opportunity after running though his first three matches and setting up a rematch with Eastern View’s Brett Clatterbaugh, the same wrestler who gave Elaal a rare loss in last week’s 215-pound regional final with a 3-2 decision. Clatterbaugh was able to duplicate the result on the larger stage, once again defeating Mechanicsville’s top performer in another 3-2 decision that came down to the wire and tested the endurance of its two stars held at center stage with all eyes on them.

The second consecutive runner-up result may have stung for the Mechanicsville senior, but no one will doubt the effort he put in to get to that stage. Elaal earned two escapes against Clatterbaugh, but the Eastern View giant added an escape of his own along with a go-ahead takedown that pushed him ahead by a single point in the final moments of the final.

After finishing up his time at Mechanicsville, Elaal now looks ahead to a collegiate wrestling career at Washington & Lee, where he’ll enter the next level as a decorated newcomer.

Elaal was one of four stateplacers for Mechanicsville, as fellow seniors Jacob Koenig, Drew Kozubal and Kevin Bagby all placed fourth in their weight classes.

Koenig, competing in the 175-pound class, was fresh off a state title at Powhatan High School and rode that momentum with a 3-2 record at states. In the consolation semifinals against

Liberty High School’s Logan Buchanan, Koenig guaranteed himself a spot in the third place match with a 13-3 major decision, railing off three near falls, a takedown and a reversal.

Kozubal made it to the semifinals of the 157-pound class after an opening round decision victory and a first period pin versus Louisa County’s Kasey Casazza in the quarterfinals, but he also had to work his way into the third match game after a close 3-2 loss to Dominion’s Santiago Pena. He won the consolation semifinals over Broad Run’s Doug Bloodsworth with a pin in 3:20.

Bagby added the other fourth place finish in the 150-pound weight class, coming off his own region title victory with a strong start to the state tournament featuring a gutsy 4-2 decision over Kettle Run wrestler Fortune Fangamou.

After falling in the semifinals, Bagby won the consolation semifinals with another close win, defeating Dinwiddie’s Quentin Mankin with a 3-1 decision where he started with an early takedown and pulled away with a third period escape.

Some of the other top results out of the Capital District include a third place finish from Atlee’s Eric Ludwig in the 113-pound bracket after he entered the state championship with a region title under his belt. Ludwig earned a spot in the semifinals after winning a thriller of a quarterfinals matchup against Tuscarora’s Ibrahim Barokah, which ended in a 7-6 decision in the Atlee star’s favor.

He bounced back from a tough semifinals loss with a consolation semifinals win by major decision and a pin in 3:24 over Barokah in a rematch to decide who took home third place.

Hanover also had two state-placers in 138-pound Robert Owens and 144-pond David Hart. Owens previously won his region title last week, while Hart placed second.

Patrick Henry then finished with one state-placing wrestler in 215-pound Jason Cooper, who placed fourth at regions.