By Marty Gordon
Staunton River took home a second consecutive Region 3D wrestling team title Saturday at Christiansburg High School. The Golden Eagles compiled 283.5 points as five of their wrestlers claimed region championships.
Lord Botetourt finished second with 198.5 points; William Byrd was third with 179 points; Northside finished in fourth place with 134 points; and host Christiansburg tallied 129.5 points to finish in fifth place.
Christiansburg’s Brady Hand placed first in the 120-pound weight class by a fall over Dominic Pascoe of William Byrd, and four of his teammates finished third.
Evan Mefford placed third in the 126-pound weight class by a fall over Gage Cochran of William Byrd. Jake Robie was third in the 150-pound weight ass by decision over Bricen Lancaster of William Byrd. JJ Pociask placed third in the 175-pound weight class by decision over Xavier Williams of William Byrd, and Branden Bevins placed third in the 190-pound weight class by decision over Aidan Lucan of William Byrd.
The top six-place winners all advanced to this week’s state championships, scheduled for the Salem Civic Center.