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Charlottesville, Madison and Goochland wrestlers find podium at state championships

Things looked bleak for Charlottesville’s Walter Pilkey and Xavier Castaneda when the pair of wrestlers dropped first day matches at the VHSL Class 3 state championships. 

 

But both Pilkey and Castaneda refused to roll over after those early losses and found themselves climbing the podium at states, giving the Black Knights their first state placer since 2014. 

 

Castaneda, a senior, finished fifth at 157 pounds, bouncing back from a quarterfinal loss to rip off a pair of consolation wins, the first a pin and the second a 13-8 decision in a high scoring match. He fell to LCA’s Aidan Armbrust in the consolation semifinals but Lafayette’s Brogan Hurt, who’d beaten Castaneda in the quarterfinals, forfeited the fifth place match. 

 

Pilkey took sixth at 132 pounds, winning three straight matches after losing a narrow 7-6 decision in round one. Those victories vaulted the freshman into the consolation semis where he lost by major decision and then had a rematch with Zachary Rasnake of Abingdon, the wrestler who edged out Pilkey in the first round. Rasnake won 10-2 in the fifth place match, giving Pilkey a sixth place finish. 

 

Goochland’s Patrick Harlow took sixth at 215 pounds. Harlow fell in the semifinals in a 2-0 decision. Harlow then got pinned in the consolation semifinals and fifth place match, giving the sophomore a sixth place finish 

 

Class 2

 

Madison County’s Shawn Curtis placed sixth for the Mountaineers. Curtis won a major decision 10-2 in the state quarterfinals, but got pinned in the semifinals. Curtis ran into more trouble after that and got pinned in the consolation semifinals and the fifth place match but took sixth after losing the fifth place match. 

 

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