Chantilly Shows Solid Strength; Finished Third at Concorde Wrestling Tournament

Being in a competitive district is something that Chantilly coach Phil Cronin just has to swallow. The Chargers, who performed well in the Concorde District, placed in third with 119 aggregate point’s right behind Robinson and champion Westfield.

“The boys wrestled well,” Cronin said. “It’s a tough thing when you’re in a district with Westfield and Robinson. Clearly, not just the two best in the district, but the region and state as well. If we can get out of the district, we feel good about the region.”

Chantilly’s best personal performance in a match was by senior Bernabe Mejia, who won the 171 pound division with a 6-2 decision that included an impressive takedown for two points. Mejia has been a major cog this season for the Chargers. On the year, he has a 32-8 mark and finished in second at the Marine Corp Challenge.

“He’s a kid who came out for us as a freshman,” Cronin said. “Most of our guys actually in our lineup don’t have a lot of youth league experience. So they come out and they just work hard. This is a kid who’s a football player who we talked into wrestling and he worked hard and was disciplined. It paid off this week and we’re hoping it will pay off next week.”

The Chargers had two second place finishers at the district tournament. Sophomore Ryland Arnold finished in second at the 125 pound weight division and senior Ricky Lopez was runner-up at the 152 pound weight.

“We had a great dual meet season,” Cronin said. “Next week is all about getting to that next level - getting to states.”

In total, 11 Chargers advanced to regional competition, which will be held Feb 10-12 at Fairfax High School.

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