VIRGINIA BEACH — With six wrestlers reaching the top of the victory stand, the Cox wrestling team took a meaningful step toward earning a state title three-peat, capturing the Class 5 Region A championship Saturday before a packed house inside its gymnasium.

The Falcons tallied 267.5 points, comfortably ahead of runner-up Great Bridge with 205. Rounding out the top five were Kellam (183), Ocean Lakes (175) and Tallwood (146.5).

Ironically, at last year’s VHSL Class 5 state championship meet, the Falcons won while Great Bridge and Kellam tied for second.

As the host team celebrated wins from its seasoned veterans, the Falcons advance to the final step of their championship journey with the knowledge that some newer arrivals will be helping to advance the cause.

“We’re lucky to get 10 (wrestlers) through,” Falcons coach Dalton Head said, noting the number of state qualifiers for his team, “and six at number one.”

Cox grapplers swept through three of the lower-middle weights to earn 17 points and seal the team win.

At 138 pounds, Landon Cahill scored a fall over Deep Creek’s Isaac Michalski. Caleb Rafal followed at 144 with a win by fall over the Hornets’ Kaleb Kumm. In the next bout, Vicente Granada earned a 13-1 major decision over Kellam’s Derek Shultz to claim the 150-pound bracket.

“(Granada) has turned it around,” said Head, “moving from being ranked No. 5 to No. 1.” In fact, Granada and Shultz hold the top two spots in the state Class 5 rankings. “And (Cahill) is a fighter.”

Cox’s Vicente Granada, the eventual champion at 150 pounds, gets ready to wrestle Friday during the Class 5 Region A championships in the Falcons’ gymnasium in Virginia Beach. PETER CASEY/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Head wasn’t joking, noting Cahill’s nationally ranked experiences as a Muay Thai fighter. His focus in the martial arts has helped him succeed on the mat.

“I have the same mindset every match,” said Cahill, a junior, who has been ranked No. 1 at 138 pounds in Class 5 by Virginia Wrestling. “I want to leave it all on the mat.”

Karl Ludwig (165), Rudy Wagner (190) and Izaque Tomaz (285) also won titles for Cox. Wagner was named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler, while Tomaz provided the final statement in his bout, taking down Jacob Roberson of Kempsville and landing squarely on top of his opponent with a resounding thud for a pin in 32 seconds.

Great Bridge had three champions. The Wildcats won the first two finals, with Cayden Clark (106) scoring a fall over Landon Warren of Hickory, while Vince Von Bernewitz (113) scored a 12-6 decision over Ocean Lakes’ Skiles Burkhead. Ayden Christian won at 175 pounds.

Five other schools had one champion.

Ocean Lakes freshman Matthew DeAngelo won a 10-3 decision over Tallwood’s Blake Candino to win at 120. However, the Lions’ Colton Hepp, a recent commit to the University of Lynchburg, won the 126-pound title with an 8-2 decision over Xavier Kovacs of Great Bridge.

Ryan Stoddard of First Colonial scored a fall over Jalen Bailey of Great Bridge to win at 132. Kellam’s Tanner Clark dominated all opponents, eventually scoring a technical fall over Tallwood’s Jaleel Porter in the final at 157.

At 215 pounds, Green Run’s Patrick McMillan scored a 44-second fall over First Colonial’s Aljayden Edwards.

The top four wrestlers in each weight class advanced to the VHSL Class 5 state meet, which will be held at the Virginia Beach Sports Center on Feb. 22-23.

https://www.dailypress.com/2026/02/07/cox-wrestling-team-grapples-to-class-5-region-a-trophy/