PEMBROKE — Several junior varsity wrestlers for Richmond Senior High School competed in the PJ Smith Memorial Invitational over the weekend.
The JV Raiders were successful as five of the eight wrestlers earned at least one win, and all five of whom placed in the top-three of their respective weight classes.
Earning bracket victories were sophomore Brandon Wiltshire (167-pounds) and freshman Javier Crank (236-240 pounds), both of whom went 2-0.
Placing second in their weight classes with 2-1 records were freshmen Edgar Montiel (168-175 pounds) and Jackson Parsons (189-197 pounds). Sophomore Kimahri Smith placed third with a 1-2 record in the 202-214 pound weight class.
Wiltshire’s run to the title was the result of a pinfall over Joseph Kuryla (Terry Sanford High School) in the first period, followed by a championship win via a 17-2 technical fall against Corbin Crawford (Hoke County) in the second period.
Crank started with a quick first-period pin of Elijah Purdie (Seventy-First), sending him to the title match. In that contest, Crank pinned Kaylor Cesinger (White Oak) just 20 seconds into the second period to record Richmond’s other championship win.
Montiel recorded a pair of 4-0 decision wins in his first two matches over Michael Smith (West Brunswick) and Damien Kost (Hoke County). Battling for the championship, he suffered a pinfall loss to Christopher Fullmore (Lumberton).
Overcoming an 8-0 major decision loss in his first match against Joshua Bartosz (White Oak), Parsons rallied with wins in his next two matches to earn second. He stayed alive with a second-period pin of Joshua Smith (Terry Sanford) before pinning Bishop Ostrom (Heide Trask) in the first minute of the first period of the second-place match.
Smith lost his first match 1-0 to Wilmer Hernandez (Heide Trask) before bouncing back with his lone win, a 4-1 decision, over Tristan Carls (White Oak). He followed that with a pinfall loss to Jett Schemper (Pine Forest).
Richmond’s final three wrestlers – freshman Cane Taylor (116-120 pounds), junior David Morton (163-165 pounds) and sophomore Trevor Smith (172-175 pounds) – each went winless and placed fourth in their respective weight classes.
