By Marty Gordon
Salem High School is the 2024 Big Blue Wrestling Tournament champs. Salem had eight wrestlers in the in the finals this weekend in Christiansburg to take the team title with 220 points.
Cave Spring finished second with 209 points, Powhatan was third at 204 and Blacksburg fourth with 168.5 points.
Glenvar finished fifth with host-Christiansburg in seventh.
Defending state champ Brady Hand, of Christiansburg, won the team championship at 138 pounds. Hand downed Talan Harness of Powhatan. Hand’s teammate, Jacob Robie took the title at 165 pounds in a win over West Wingate of Cave Spring. Zachary Cummings finished as runner-up at 175, and Brandon Bevins was third at 190.
Christiansburg’s Brady Hand was also named the Dean Underwood 2024 Outstanding Wrestler for the event. Christiansburg’s Evan Mefford was third at 114.
On the Blacksburg side of the mat, Braden Henderson took the 132 title. Holden Keller was a runner-up at 106 and Tyson Brown at 215. Blacksburg’s Hudson Beeken also received the Jackie Toney Memorial Scholarship. Jackson Mann finished third at 165 pounds, and Cyrus Wheeler was third at 113.
