The Mike Duman Toys for Tots Wrestling Invitational Tournament yielded four large boxes full of toys last year in addition to raising money for the NR Warriors wrestling team, and the Nansemond River High School-hosted event will be back for its seventh year this weekend with 28 schools participating.

“This is the most ever,” tournament coordinator John Bostwick said. “Last year we had 22.”

To accommodate this new high, the event will feature five mats for the first time.

There will be two mats in the school cafeteria, like in the past, but now “we’ll actually have three mats right down the middle of the gymnasium,” Bostwick said.

He noted this year will probably push the school to its limits in terms of capacity for teams, so a new plan may need to be devised next year.

“The potential is there to grow,” Bostwick said, adding that he turned away about a dozen teams this time.

He said the event is the largest invitational in the region, and its increase in the number of teams this year was not at the sacrifice of quality.

Evaluating the group of 28 squads, Bostwick said it was, “from top to bottom, probably the most competitive field that we’ve had.”

Among the teams competing is Eastern View High School, which he said has been a top-five team in Group 4A for the last two years and currently features a couple wrestlers who placed at states.

Bostwick noted Powhatan High School and Amherst County High School each feature a state champion, and Smithfield High School has a handful of wrestlers back that placed at the state level last year.

There will be a roughly even mix of 4A, 5A and 6A schools from around Virginia, as well as a couple of 3A schools and a couple of schools from North Carolina. All three Suffolk public schools will be participating.

Wrestling will start on Friday at 4 p.m. and conclude around 9:30 or 10 p.m., resuming on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Finals are scheduled to begin that day at 6 p.m.

Tickets for admission on Friday will cost $10 for adults and $6 for spectators ages 11 to 18. A two-day pass will also be offered — $17 for adults and $12 for spectators 11 to 18.

If spectators bring a new, unwrapped toy, “we give a reduced gate admission on Friday night for a two-day pass,” Bostwick said. “If you bring a toy, you get $2 off of the all-session pass.”

Tickets for admission on Saturday will cost $12 for adults and $8 for spectators 11 to 18.

Children 10 and under will get in for free both days.

For more information, contact John Bostwick at NansemondRiverWrestling@yahoo.com.