Suffolk News-Herald

Ben Streetman started off two victories for the Nansemond River (NR) wrestling team on Wednesday evening at Franklin High School. One was a coasting blowout that the Warrior matsters dominated almost from start to finish. The other was a heart-pounding gut-wrencher that came down to the final match. NR charged away with a 62-9 rout of the host Broncos, but they had to scramble for a late run to defeat Nandua 36-35 in a ‘Warrior War.’ (the Eastern Shore school also carries the Warrior nickname). The win avenged a defeat that Nandua handed NR in the season-opening Cape Henry tournament.

After Nandua’s Fosten Chandler beat NR’s Seth Kachenhourlugo 16-0 at 160 to open the first match, Streetman took on William Norton. Each wrestler scored a takedown and escape in a 3-3 tie with 40 seconds left in the first period, but Norton inadvertently kneed Streetman in the face, causing an injury timeout.

&uot;The room did a complete 360-degree turn,&uot; Streetman said. &uot;I was out of it.&uot; He got back in quickly, slamming Norton on his stomach to end the period ahead 5-3.

The NR star scored a takedown and escape to finish the second period ahead 8-4, but was penalized a point for locking his hands early in the third. The wrestlers toppled out of bounds twice, but Streetman escaped and notched one more takedown for a 12-7 victory.

Neither teamed fielded a competitor for the 189 match, and Trehorn Vinure pinned NR’s Jason Brown at 215. His teammate Nick Rich beat Quentin Hoggard to give Nandua a 17-3 lead.

Tony Bullock got the momentum back to NR in 103 competition, pinning M.J. Graw in 68 seconds. Tommy De Triquet took longer at 112, but he managed to hold down Nathan Charnock at 5:40 to cut the lead to 17-15.

Fate had one more shot for the Suffolk team, however, as John Kleps built a 5-1 lead over Nandua’s Quenton Parker in the 119 battle before a shoulder injury forced him to forfeit the match. DeAndre Walker pinned NR’s Nathan Martie at 125, and the non-local Warriors had a 29-15 lead with five matches to go.

Ryan Linton showed that NR was far from finished, thrashing Patrick Doss 17-0 at 130. &uot;I was hitting my tilts and got my five-point takedown,&uot; said the junior Warrior. &uot;When I first took him down, I knew I had him.&uot;

At 135, Brent Christie showed the skills that helped him go undefeated at the Hermitage tournament in Richmond last weekend (the Warriors finished fifth out of eight), building a 10-2 lead over Eddie Heady before pinning him at 4:36.

Chris Suarez was forfeited the 140 match to finally put NR ahead 32-29, but James Harmonson pinned NR’s Prince Nelson at 145 to go back up, 35-32. It was all up to NR’s Brandon Aston.

Aston started off his match against Nandua’s Ben Hammer with a takedown and near-pin that gave him a 5-0 lead at the end of the first period. He took down Hammer with 1:45 to go in the second period, and appeared to have him pinned, but the Nadua matster managed to keep his shoulders off the mat. Aston still managed to end the second period ahead 10-0, and he racked up four more points in the third to give himself a 14-0 victory and his team a four-point major decision victory and the match.

&uot;I was really mad, because it should have been a pin,&uot; Aston said. &uot;I knew I was going to win.&uot;

Nearly the entire team felt the same way in the Franklin battle. Kachenhourlugo was forfeited the 160 match, and Streetman held off Daniel Childress 9-6 at 171. There was another double forfeit at 189, and Brown, Hoggard, Bullock and De Triquet were given their respective matches, already procuring a 39-0 advantage.

A recovered Kleps pinned Whitney Jordan in 26 seconds, but NR forfeited the 125 battle, and Steve Frankson beat Linton 10-6 to get to 39-9. Christie and Suarez pinned their opponents, and Nelson defeated Steve Puccine 25-10. Aston pinned Bert Williams, and the quick match was over.

NR will take part in the Lake Taylor tournament Friday in Norfolk, and the Suffolk Duels, postponed because of January’s snow, will be made up on Saturday at Lakeland, with both NR and the host Cavaliers competing.