Sports
Short-Handed Cougars Go Winless at PVI Meet
Oakton falls in match-ups against PVI, Woodson and South Lakes
A depleted Oakton wrestling team went winless in Wednesday's Christmas Quad meet hosted by Paul VI. The Cougars fell in their first match against the hosts and followed it with losses to Woodson and South Lakes.
Oakton only had participants in 10 of the 14 weight classes and was forced to cede 24 points to each of their rivals. Another wrestler, 189-pound junior Austin Murga, did not take to the mats, though the skilled Geoff McLaughlin also competes in that division and was available.
With only one team breaking the 50-point barrier all day—Paul VI dominated Woodson 64-10 in the day's final round of competition—those points proved critical in determining the day's results for the Cougars.
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"I think we performed fairly well," said Oakton Coach John Welcher. "We had four or five guys out of the line-up. It's good competition, and I thought we did well."
Indeed, in the opening round against Paul VI, the Cougars only dropped three matches. Against South Lakes, Oakton took five of the 11 individual contested matches that counted for points.
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"The kids did what they were supposed to do, and we'll just work hard and get better," Welcher said afterward.
Among the standouts for Oakton were 145-pounder Roscoe Davis and 140-pounder Lkhagvadorj Bayarsaikhm, known to his teammates simple as "L." Both seniors were 3-0 on the day.
Bayarsaikhm won by a pin in his second match—one of four pins for the Cougars versus Woodson—and also dominated South Lakes' Tommy Rugari in his third match, accruing a 15-point lead to earn a technical fall and five points for the Cougars.
Facing Haris Hafizi of South Lakes in his third match, Davis trailed 7-5 on points with a minute remaining in the third period, but came from behind to overtake his opponent with 15 seconds remaining.
Davis' win was the first of successive last-second individual victories for the Cougars versus South Lakes. Junior Stephen Buscemi entered the final two-minute period against South Lakes senior George Ramirez knotted at four. Buscemi tallied a point for an escape and followed it with two points for a takedown. Ramirez got a point for an escape of his own with around 25 seconds remaining, but with Buscemi ahead 7-5, was forced to shoot for a takedown. Buscemi was able to get into a controlling position and hold the Seahawk at bay to clinch the win.
Wednesday's event was Oakton's third competition of the still-young season, which will continue Tuesday with a tournament at Fauquier set to begin at 9 a.m.