By Jim McConnell
Media General News Service

Central Region Wrestlers made history over the weekend at the Group AAA state wrestling tournament. The Central Region contingent entered the state tournament with lofty expectations and more than lived up to them.

With five individual champions, the region easily eclipsed its previous best effort (three) in 1991.

Its nine finalists were second to the Eastern Region’s 13, but four more than its all-time high, when it had one champion and four runners-up in 1996.

Its 29 place winners also set a high-water mark – seven more than last year – and second only to the Eastern.

Its 23 top-six finishers demolished the previous standard of 16, which had been done three times since 1996.

The Central Region also had four teams – James River, Hopewell, Hanover and Matoaca – in the top 10 of the team standings, a remarkable display of depth from a region that went six years without an individual state champion before finally ending the drought last season.

“It was frustrating because it wasn’t like we didn’t have good wrestlers, the kids just didn’t believe they belonged here,” James River coach Mark Helberg said. “It’s all about belief.”

Topping James River’s contingent was Ryan Powis, who pinned down a spot in Saturday’s 285-pound finale, but he closed the tournament in heartbreaking fashion, losing 2-1 to Cox’s three-time state champion, Ross Burbank.

On Friday, Cosby’s Austin Coburn (171) held on for a 3-2 triumph over Annandale’s Stacey Anderson, which placed him in the finals for his weight class. Coburn placed second with a 7-3 decision to Hopewell’s Cody Allala. Allala and brother, Clint, made state history by becoming the first brothers to win state wrestling titles in the same year.

James River’s Andy Svanda nearly joined made the semifinals, but surrendered a takedown with three seconds left and lost 3-1 to Robinson’s Wes Jones.

Even the loss of a contact lens couldn’t slow Powis, who put Green Run’s Dany Davis on his back and pinned him with 21 second left in the second period of their 285-pound quarterfinals.

Powis described himself as “very blind” without his contacts and added that it had been his goal all year to make and win the state finals.

Jim McConnell is a correspondent for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Local results
Team: James River, 72; Cosby, 20; Midlothian, 8.
Individual: 119: 3. Brayden Manchester, James River; 125: 3. Jordan O’Donnell; 145: 5. Josh Wells, James River; 160: 7. Andy Svanda, James River; 171: 2. Austin Coburn, Cosby; 215: 6. Mark Howard, Midlothian; 285: 2. Ryan Powis, James River