Nansemond River High School’s wrestling team expects a good season this winter.

With winter sports under way, that means wrestling season is up and running as well. Football players who have played late into the season are returning, and returning wrestlers are prepared and ready to go for what looks like is going to be another competitive season for the Warriors.

The Warriors have wrestled in two matches so far this season, and coach Tripp Seed likes what he sees from his team. They hosted and won a tournament last weekend. Now that football season is over, they also have key wrestlers back on the mat.

“It was a good weekend last weekend,” Seed said. “The first weekend I try to get all of my kids in a match to get experience and stuff, especially with the new kids and stuff. It also gives us an opportunity to bond as a team and mesh together. We just wanted to get some good experience out of it.”

It is still early in the season, and though Seed believes his team will be highly competitive, he knows that they still need to improve. Returning for this season will be Elijah Williams, Daniel Peacher, Ian Oakley, Aaron Whear and Zech Gray. Williams was sixth in the state last season at 145, and Peacher was a state qualifier and a conference champion at 152. Oakley and Whear are both conference champions as well that are returning from last season. Gray wrestles at 182.

“I think we are going to have a successful season this year,” Seed said. “I think we can maybe contend for a region title this year. If everyone wrestles like they are capable of, I think we can be a top-five team in the state this year.”

It is going to take a while for everyone to be fully in shape and in rhythm, but Seed believes by the start of 2018, the Warriors could be hitting their stride. After Christmas break, Seed expects their schedule to ramp up, as they will be facing quality competition.

They wrestled in a dual match Wednesday night against Great Bridge High School and King’s Fork High School. They defeated King’s Fork but lost to Great Bridge.

Great Bridge 48, Nansemond River 24

106-Evan Rawls NR over Logan Pierson GB; 113-Robbie Sanders GB over Kenneth Hansin NR (Fall 0:00); 120-Harrison Smith GB over Brandon Gibbs NR (Dec 8-3); 132-Blake Bowes GB over Kishawn Creque NR (Fall 0:00); 138-Kolby Allred GB over Cameron Cuffee NR (Fall 0:00); 145-Jesse Alvarado GB over Elijah Williams NR (Fall 0:00); 152-Axel Cardona NR over Dakotah Stogsdill GB (Dec 10-8); 160-Daniel Peacher NR over Jacob English GB (Fall 0:00); 170-Owen Lalley GB over Ian Oakley NR (Fall 0:00); 285-Jaiden Rivera GB over Nathaniel Sears NR (Dec 9-6)