Nansemond River High School’s wrestling team took claim to the Class 5 Region A sectional title last weekend.

The Warriors wrestlers put on a show at the 5A sectional tournament at Green Run High School. They took the sectional championship while claiming seven champions over the weekend.

Evan Rawls, Brandon Gibbs, Aaron Williams, Zechariah Gray, Omar Mattox, Jaquelle Harrell and Aaron Whear were all crowned champions in their respective weight classes. Along with the seven champions, they had two runner-ups, four third-place finishes and a fourth-place finish. Coach James “Tripp” Seed was happy with his team’s performance last weekend.

“We qualified everybody for the regional this weekend, so that’s good,” Seed said. “I’m happy with what the guys were able to do. Our goal is to win the region this weekend also. If we perform like we did last weekend, we have a pretty good shot at it. We are going to have to perform well to win it.”

The sectional tournament is made up of Hampton Roads teams in the Class 5 Region A. The regional meet this weekend will consist of all teams in the region. Going forward, Seed wants his team to keep performing like it has been recently.

“We want to keep improving every weekend,” Seed said. “We are keeping the practice fun and the kids motivated. We get in and fix some mistakes, and then I send them home. I try to keep the mood light for the kids.”

Seed encourages his wrestlers to see themselves winning their matches every time they step on the mat. He wants his wrestlers to visualize that they can win each matchup, because the mental aspect is the biggest part of the postseason.

“We are going to be in some tough matches this weekend,” Seed said. “There are some tough competitors in this regional tournament. We are going to have to win those tough matches. But I don’t want these guys to get away from having fun. I’ve had a fun team, and winning is fun. The more we keep winning, the more fun we will have.”

Nansemond River will compete in the regional tournament this Saturday, Feb. 10 at Green Run High School.