The Lord Botetourt wrestlers will have a busy week on the mats as they open the 2024 portion of their schedule this week.
The LB Gray Team (B Team) will be traveling to Radford tonight for the Bobcat Brawl, a dual tournament with 10 teams. The Gray Team will also be wrestling at the Knights of the Round Table at Cave Spring on Saturday.
The Lord Botetourt Red Team (Starters) will be wrestling at Roanoke College on Saturday against Staunton River and New Kent in a tri-match.
“Those will be tough matches against the top two teams in the state,” said LB coach Paul Craft. “But if we’re going to continue getting better then we need to wrestle the top teams.
“We’re excited about the opportunity, and we’re equally excited and blessed to have the numbers that allow us to split our team up and send our non-starters to get mat time at other events. That’s one thing that we have to make sure we manage as a coaching staff. We have to make sure that if our kids are putting in the time, effort, and sacrifice then they need to get mat time regardless of their ability or level. It helps keep all of them invested and developing.”
The Cavaliers hosted Pulaski County and Magna Vista in a tri-match last Saturday morning in Daleville and had two resounding wins. LB defeated Pulaski, 78-3, and Magna Vista, 66-12.
“Up until the day of the meet I didn’t know how it would play out,” said Craft. “We had multiple injuries and four kids out with 104-degree temps all week. It was supposed to be a quad but one of the teams pulled out. It was not looking good for the weekend. Once again we challenged the team to step up and overcome adversity. They did it. I thought we wrestled well, very physical and aggressive. We looked like the team we’ve been trying to become since the beginning of the season.”
LB’s TJ Piluso remained unbeaten at 165 pounds at 16-0. Cooper Roberts had a big win at 157 against Magna Vista. Sophomore Gabe Glenn had two wins at heavyweight.
“Overall, we were very happy with the way our guys wrestled,” said Craft. “We’ve got a lot of wrestling this week and are getting into the meat of our schedule now. We’ve just got to get and stay healthy.”
