After a great week for Virginia wrestling in which it won two matches by 30 points or more, the Cavaliers (7-3, 1-1 ACC) were back in action Friday for a Commonwealth Clash showdown against Virginia Tech. Virginia hosted the Hokies (6-3, 2-0 ACC) at John Paul Jones Arena for the first time since 2019, and in front of a crowd of over 2,000 fans, Virginia Tech bested the Cavaliers 27-9.
With the momentum both teams had coming into the clash, it was clear that both sides were prepared to put up a fight. However, it became very apparent from the start that the highly ranked Virginia Tech team would prove too much to overcome.
Starting off with the 149-lbs class, the Cavaliers went down early as junior Erik Roggie lost in a 7-2 decision, while senior Dylan Cedeno — one of only three ranked Virginia wrestlers in the dual Friday — was upset by unranked junior Clayton Ulrey. After a couple of very tight losses by decision, the Cavaliers found themselves down 13-0 four matches in.
At that point, it was do-or-die time for Virginia. There were six matches to go, and the Cavaliers had to start racking up points if they were to come back. Unfortunately, the points never came. A tech fall loss came first followed by three more close decision losses, and — all of a sudden — Virginia was down 27-0 with just two matches to go. The situation was not salvageable, and all the Cavaliers could do was try to make it respectable.
Fortunately, the last two matches went well for Virginia. Junior Marlon Yarbrough II, who is currently unranked, defeated a ranked opponent when he won by major decision against senior Sam Latona. In the final matchup, sophomore Jack Gioffre won by tech fall to extend the Cavalier point total to nine and set the final score at 27-9. Virginia suffered its first conference loss of the season.
Although losing by 18 points to anyone is a letdown, this was the toughest team the Cavaliers have faced all year, and it’s understandable that Virginia might not have been ready to compete with a team as well-rounded and complete as the Hokies. That being said, the Cavaliers will have to get used to the tough competition, as they play two more ranked teams in the next three duals.
Those teams will look to expose Virginia’s weaknesses just as Virginia Tech did Friday. Most notably, a lack of a killer instinct really hurt the Cavaliers in this dual. Virginia lost three duals by a mere two points each and only allowed bonus points in two matches. Nonetheless, they were unable to capitalize when time ran down and it mattered most.
Additionally, the struggle to make matches close and respectable was clear, and regardless of the nine points they gained late it was obvious that the Cavaliers never had a chance. When facing other elite teams, Virginia will have to fight harder from the beginning if they want to gain respect and have a chance against the ACC’s best programs.
“They exposed us in some areas and out-wrestled us in some positions,” Coach Steve Garland said. “That was a wake-up call for some of our guys and now the hard part comes Monday; doing the right things to fix the mistakes and improve.”
As for the Commonwealth Clash as a whole, the Cavaliers are still winning 5.5-2.5. There are still plenty of clashes to go before a winner will be crowned, but this loss did not deter Virginia from being in control of this year’s clash so far.
The Cavaliers compete again Friday in another ranked matchup when they travel to Raleigh, N.C. to face NC State. The match will be broadcast on ACCNX and starts at 7 p.m.
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