High School Wrestling

SALEM – One second, Turner Ashby High School wrestling coach Marshall Smiley was devastated. The next, he was elated.

Both emotions might never entirely wear off.

A pair of Knights could have been celebrating their state championships together Saturday night. Instead, only junior Luke Kiser fulfilled his long-held desire for a Group AA title, in the 145-pound weight class, while senior and close friend Jacob Michael’s at 113 was snatched away in the final second.

After Kiser posted a 4-3 decision over Grafton junior Justin McRee, he ran directly into an embrace from his older brother, Bryce, who won a state title for TA in 2008 at 135 pounds.

“It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had,” said Luke Kiser, who last week was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler in Region III.

“It’s what I’ve wanted since I’ve started wrestling.

“Me and my brother could kind of bond. That’s why I hugged him, because he won, too, as a junior. It was special, because I knew he had been through it all, and he knew what I was going through.”

“I’m proud of Luke for what he did,” Smiley said, “but at the same time, it’s gonna kill me for quite a while what happened [to Michael] at 113.”

Michael was less than a second away from giving TA its first year of multiple state titles since his coach wrestled for the Knights in 2004.

In his match with Brookville’s Landon Curry, the senior used an escape to tie the score at 6-all with 1:50 to go in the third period.

That score stood through a one-minute overtime, then a 30-second second overtime. Michael started in the defensive (bottom) position for the third overtime. It took 10 seconds for him to stand up and slowly pry away Curry’s hands from his waist for a one-point escape.

Curry took a shot with about 10 seconds on the clock, and both wrestlers went to their knees, holding each other in headlocks.

Michael only needed to waste a few more ticks to secure the title. Instead, Curry landed what Smiley called “a desperation move,” spinning Michael onto his back as the clock ticked to one second. As the head referee flashed two fingers for the score, the clock showed no time remaining.

“I got my escape, and I was excited,” Michael said. “… He took that shot, and I wasn’t ready for it.”

The two referees conferred, then consulted the scorer’s table—all the while escorted by a fired-up Smiley —before officially ruling that the 2-pointer came just in time.

In the end, it stood as an 8-7 final score that was equally thrilling and deflating, depending on which side you were on.

“I wanted to make sure time wasn’t out,” Smiley said. “They told me that it was two, that it was exposed, and time was good. It is what it is.”

After the match, Michael shook hands and sprinted straight into the locker room before reemerging for the awards ceremony with a stunned look etched on his face.

“Nine times out of ten, I probably beat the guy,” Michael said. “I had already beaten him three times.”

TA placed sixth as a team with 81 points, one spot better than last year. As expected, Region IV champion Christiansburg dominated Group AA, scoring 205 points ahead of Region III champion Brookville’s 123.5.

The Knights had three other competitors on the Group AA podium Saturday: Jared Bell (fifth place, 126 pounds), Jackson Reel (seventh, 132) and Jake Liskey (fifth, 182).

Smiley was particularly proud of Liskey, who has wrestled with a complete ACL tear since January.

“Every match he steps out there, he might not be able to walk off,” Smiley said. “He put a brace on it and said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ They told him, ‘You could go out there and blow out your MCL, LCL, the whole nine yards and be done for a long time.’”