It reads like the schedule of a well-traveled minor league baseball team: Lexington, Va.; Fort Mill, S.C.; Oviedo, Fla.; Liberty, N.Y.
But it shows just how far Hayfield’s wrestling team is willing to go to keep the Northern Region championship trophy it has held six of the last eight years. Those obscure locales are places the Hawks have wrestled since the season started in early December as they roamed up and down the East Coast in search of the best competition around.
“That’s the way it always is,” said Hayfield junior 152-pounder Steven Ours. “You never want to lose a match. But you have to go out and get beat. We learn how to wrestle when we’re down. We learn how to lose and still come back the next time.”
Ours, who placed fourth at the Group AAA state tournament last year, has thrived on that competition. Ranked No. 9 in The Examiner’s Top 10 pound-for-pound rankings, he is 25-6 with an individual championship at the Zac Jarzynca Ironman Tournament in Oviedo, Fla., an elite event featuring state championship programs from throughout the Southeast. Ours also won an individual title at the Beef O’Brady Invitational in Fort Mill, S.C.
His only losses this season came when Hayfield hosted some of the best programs in Virginia and Pennsylvania at the Battlefield Duals on Jan. 6 and Jan. 13 at the Eastern States Classic, a tournament that included the top 45 teams in New York.
“I’m definitely ready for [the postseason tournaments],” said Ours, who as a sophomore was the Patriot District champion at 152 and lost a 5-4 decision in the region final to Robinson’s Lee Carsten. “That’s why our schedule is worth all the traveling. It’s something you can’t get just wrestling the same teams over and over again.”
The opening of nearby South County two years ago may have robbed Hayfield’s program of its once trademark depth. But multiple region title contenders remain, including 130-pounder Ronnie Ours (21-11), Steven’s younger brother. Junior 103-pounder Raymond Borja is 28-5, won all eight matches at the Battlefield Duals and his weight class at the Beef O’Brady Invitational. He was also the runner-up at the Ironman Tournament. Senior 171-pounder Robert Desano is 26-7 and senior 160-pounder Zach Grimsley is 23-13.
Flying High
» Hayfield has another tough test scheduled for Saturday at the U.S. Marine Corps Ultimate Challenge, a tournament at Colonial Forge, the No. 2 team in the state, according to the Web site virginiawrestling.com.
» Junior 152-pounder Steven Ours is ranked No. 2 in the state at 152 pounds. He has already beaten Colonial Forge senior Steve Courtney, ranked No. 3. Saturday he could face Courtney again as well as Great Bridge junior Jared King, ranked No. 1.
» The Hawks are 14-6 in dual meets and 6-0 against Patriot District competition. Hayfield has won six of the last seven district titles.
