GMHS Wrestling Kicks Off 2004-2005 Season

The 2004-2005 wrestling season began in a big way Saturday when the George Mason wrestling team traveled to Gar-Field High School in Woodbridge for a 10 team dual meet tournament. Team success was elusive as the grapplers placed eighth among the field, which consisted entirely of AAA schools plus No. 1-ranked AA powerhouse Turner-Ashby. This was due primarily to the lack of a full lineup, forcing the Mustangs to forfeit four weight classes each match.

Despite this handicap, the Mustangs managed to place ahead of two other teams and did compete well individually, with Nick Pitas, Mike Coleman, Willie Hoover, and Bob Bumgarner each finishing the day with 4-1 records. John Sullivan closed out at 3-2, Trevor Quillin finished at 2-3, and Andy Millar, Tashdid Khan, Rick Schumann, and newcomer Barrett Kennett wrestled well for the team with each posting at least one victory. Pitas was awarded team MVP honors for his three pins and a major decision. The coaches were pleased with the day’s efforts also, but coaches Pitas and Heupel both stressed the value of experience over victory.

“We are both extremely pleased that our guys did well, but more important to us and them at this point of the season is that they begin to apply what they learn in practice to competition,” Head Coach John Pitas said. “We saw a lot of that Saturday and that is the most encouraging part.”

Pitas cited the recent World Series victory by the Boston Red Sox as a perfect example of this strategy. “The Red Sox did not finish the regular season with the best record but they won it all because they constantly reevaluated their strengths and weaknesses and continued to improve right up until their final victory. They saw the ultimate goal and worked for that, not just for day to day success. We want our guys to improve every time they hit the mats and we will work to make that happen.” The Mason team travels to Fort Meade High School this weekend for a two-day tournament.