For the first time in school history, the wrestling team from St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship.
Heading into the Feb. 3 tournament, held at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Md., the Paul VI Panthers had gone 10-0 in WCAC competition and 22-1 overall in duals, including a win over returning WCAC champion St. Mary’s Ryken High School 39-34. The Paul VI team was ranked in the top 10 in Virginia, first in the WCAC, second in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association, second in Northern Virginia, and were featured as number one in The Washington Post. At the WCAC tournament, Paul VI had seven individual champions, three runners up, two third-place finishes and two fourth-place finishes to bring home the title.
Mike Eastman, Paul VI wrestling’s head coach, is proud of all the individual accomplishments that brought about their ultimate team win. “Fourteen wrestlers competed and 14 wrestlers walked out of the gym in the top four. We had seven individual WCAC champions, which is the most in Paul VI school history,” he said. Eastman said that this being Paul VI’s first WCAC championship for wrestling in school history made the win even more special. “The guys on the team have worked very hard to achieve this goal, a goal they set out to accomplish before the season even began. This season was so special to everyone on the team, and this win brought the team closer together. They wanted to win this for each other. They wanted to win for the school.”
Cash Colbert, a sophomore and one of the Paul VI team captains, said the team had “a long season with injuries and we all came together for this tournament.” He said that St. Mary’s Ryken was the Panthers’ biggest competition, with five matchups in the finals and everyone placing in the top four.
Leif Clinton, another team captain and one of only two seniors on varsity, said that he feels “ecstatic about the win” and is proud that he could be such a big part of Paul VI history. As a senior, the season was special to him because it is his last year of high school. He also really treasured this season because of all the friends he made on the journey.
Sophomore Merritt Clinton, another team captain, was recognized for his outstanding performance at the WCAC tournament, winning the award for most outstanding wrestler. Clinton said that he loved this season because of “the best friends that he made and how close knit the team is.” He is excited for the upcoming seasons and ready to continue to thrive as part of the team.
Not only did the Panthers achieve a WCAC win, but the team placed second in the VISAA state tournament held Feb. 16-17 at The Potomac School in McLean. At VISAA, PVI boasted six state finalists and 13 total state place winners, along with 11 national qualifiers. Colbert and sophomore Miles Sanderson took home state championships and Sanderson also won the upperweight outstanding wrestler award. Eastman was named VISAA coach of the year for the second year in a row.
