BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

GRUNDY, Va. — By the time the final mats cleared Saturday, it was unmistakable: something historic had happened. The Martin County Cardinals had climbed to the top at the 2026 Agie Skeens Memorial Tournament in Grundy, Virginia.

Martin County claimed the team championship for the first time, doing it with lineup-wide force.

The numbers alone told the story of Coach Josh Muncy’s crew. Six champions. Four runners-up. One fourth-place finish. One sixth. One seventh. In a tournament built on tradition and attrition, Martin County owned the weekend.

Jeremy Mollett set the tone at 113 pounds. After moving cleanly through the bracket, Mollett ended his day the way coaches dream about. He pinned Brandon Johnson of River View at 1:53 in the championship bout. The fall delivered the title and 20 team points, announcing that Martin County had come to win everything.

At 120 pounds, Blake Lemaster was nearly untouchable. He opened by pinning Daniel Thornsbury of River View in just 39 seconds. He followed that with a 33-second fall over Easton Roberts of Bath County in the semifinals. Lemaster finished his run by pinning Jacob Smeltzer of Grundy at 1:45 in the finals. Three matches, three falls, 26 team points — efficiency at its most brutal.

Noah Bowens kept the momentum rolling at 138. In the semifinals, Bowens pinned Mason Blevins of Eastside at 2:37. He closed his tournament by sticking Olivia Scott of Fort Chiswell in 1:22 to claim the championship and 22 points.

At 144 pounds, Jeremy Begley delivered one of the day’s most composed performances. He pinned Jacob Cannon of Northwood at 1:22 in the semifinals. Begley then controlled the championship match from start to finish, earning a 10-6 decision over Jeremy Burns of Bath County. That was good for another 22 team points.

Ashton “Parker” Maynard turned the 157-pound bracket into his personal highlight reel. He pinned Hunter Reed of River View at 1:51 in the quarterfinals and Brennan Havens of Graham at 3:06 in the semifinals. Maynard needed just 1:02 to pin Anthony Woodson of Bath County in the finals. The result was a championship and 26 more points on the board.

Cole Jewell capped the champions at 165 pounds. After pinning Connor Cecil of Graham at 1:40 in the semifinals, Jewell closed the deal with authority. He rolled to a 16-6 major decision over Ethan Bryant of Bath County in the finals to secure first place. He added 23 team points.

Behind the champions came four runner-up finishes that proved vital.

At 106 pounds, Brody Jewell reached the finals after dismantling Colby Singleton of Thomas Walker with a technical fall at 2:07. Jewell fell 8-4 to Colton Clevinger of Grundy in the championship match. However, his second-place finish helped anchor the lower weights with 17.5 points.

James Begley battled his way to second at 175. He pinned Dale Crigger of River View at 3:04 in the semifinals before dropping a 9-3 decision to Dalton Robinson of Graham in the finals. Begley scored 18 points in the process.

Easton Slone followed at 190 pounds, earning an 8-4 decision over Ian Fuller of Eastside in the semifinals. Slone finished runner-up after being pinned by Talen Looney of Grundy at 1:55 in the championship bout. He contributed 16 team points.

At 215 pounds, Brayden Fannin delivered bonus points early. He pinned Randy Harold of Graham in 25 seconds and Henry Brown of Grundy at 1:21 to reach the finals. There, Fannin was edged by Brody Ford of Grundy 7-5 settling for second. He added 20 points to the team total.

Depth mattered just as much.

Ayden Warren finished fourth at 132 pounds, opening with a 21-7 major decision over Harris Ellis of Bath County. Warren fell to Jeramia Caviness of Fort Chiswell in the semifinals. He then rebounded with a pin of Noah Kiser of Eastside at 1:43. In the third-place match, Warren lost by fall to Malikye Frye of Northwood. He added 13 team points.

Liam May placed sixth at 215 pounds. After being pinned by Brody Ford of Grundy in the quarterfinals, May fought back through the consolation bracket. He pinned Kaleb Redmond of Richlands in 41 seconds. May fell in his final two matches to Henry Brown of Grundy in the consolation semifinals and to Samuel Scott of Fort Chiswell in the fifth-place match.

At heavyweight, Blake Stacy finished seventh at 285 pounds. He lost his first two rounds to Brendon Mabry of Fort Chiswell in the quarterfinals and to Brayden Ratliff of Grundy in consolation round three. Stacy closed his tournament by pinning Joseph Wamsley of River View in 45 seconds to add four more points.