The results this year were not quite the same as last year when Mason’s David Ray won the championship of the 152-pound weight class, but was the only one of the Mustangs to earn a medal.
This year, Mason had no champions but did have three wrestlers earn medals. Senior Manuel Veiga-Diaz led the way with a fourth-place finish at 189 pounds. At 112, Danny Seidita finished in seventh place and Teddy Reuckert claimed seventh at 152 pounds. All three finished the tournament with 4-2 records.
With many of his starters away for the holidays or hobbled with injuries Harris also considered himself lucky to have nine out of his 14 Varsity regulars on the bus with him.
“Last year we could muster only 3 guys, so I have no complaints,” said Harris.
“There were 24 teams in this tournament so finishing as high up as our guys did is an accomplishment,” said Harris, “but the best part was all of our guys got to experience a big tournament atmosphere.
“We have had only dual meets to this point and our post season consists of tournaments, so it is important to get a feel for how they operate and get a sense of what to expect in the post season. Even the wrestlers who did not place will benefit from the experience,” Harris said.
The Mustangs are off till Saturday, Jan. 9, when they will host Lee, Fauquier, Kettle Run and Mount Vernon High Schools in a dual meet round robin. Wrestling will start at 10 a.m. with additional rounds at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. One admission fee will be good for the entire day.
