[New] Indians dominate on senior night

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

Wrestling head coach Jonathan Tanaka entered the Powhatan gym sporting a look many have come to expect when the Indians celebrate their seniors.

Rocking an all-orange suit and pants combo with an equally orange tie and a black undershirt, a look that was a gift from team parents in 2019, Tanaka brings out the Powhatan-themed look for senior nights, state finals appearances and, in a non-sport occasion, prom.

The look may be something he says he wouldn’t wear in a non-Powhatan related function, but it holds significance for the Powhatan coach, whose own high school wrestling coach brought out a similarly orange-colored suit for his own team.

“The kids love it. I was a little embarrassed by it at first, but now it’s something that everyone expects,” Tanaka said.

On this senior night occasion against Dinwiddie on Dec. 14, the orange-wearing Tanaka was just one of many special moments for the Indians, who dominated their opponent in a 72-6 final that gave the home team a huge boost heading into the Mechanicsville Holiday Classic, which they placed sixth in among 21 teams on Dec. 16-17.

While the Indians have six seniors on the roster, they were without two of those seniors on their celebratory night against the Generals. Landon Gibbs ulti- mately missed the day due to his preparation for the Big River Rivalry All-Star football game while Ricky Huber was out with an illness.

The four seniors honored were Britton Proffitt, Natalia Sanchez, Chris Davis and Amanda Seaman, all of whom were able to get a match against a Generals opponent on their senior night.

“Really happy with these six and really happy that the four here tonight got a big crowd,” Tanaka said. “We’re just so happy to see our seniors have a nice, fun event tonight.”

Proffitt was brilliant in his matchup, with the senior winning the 144-pound event with a pin in 1:12. Proffitt was lead- ing 11-3 before he finished his contest in the first period, displaying a variety of his best moves to pick up a well-earned six points for his team.

Proffitt has come a long way as one of the team’s most trusted leaders. From the day he first stepped foot on the Powhatan mats to now, he says one of the biggest areas of his own growth comes in the form of that very leadership and the ability to lift up others still new to the game.

“Honestly, I pride myself on being able to help because not all people could be leaders, and I think that I just have the ability to talk to people enough to where