With their high school careers coming to a close, five Hanover senior wrestlers never accomplished one goal that they had sought throughout their years as Hawks; winning a state championship. Yet, even though they fell short of that noted achievement, they will not leave school without a major accomplishment.

  Patrik Foxworth, Kevin Keck, Kyle Locke, Zach Nussbaum and Ben Wilson will graduate from Hanover holding the most career team wins of any wrestling squad in school history.

  “Knowing that we were able to set a benchmark like that before graduating high school, it’s a pretty good feeling for me,” Nussbaum said.

  Keck agreed. “It definitely feels pretty good to be a part of something like that.”

  Wilson will graduate as not only part of the team holding the most career wins and being a four-time state qualifier, but he also set a school record with 125 career pins and tied Gene Allgood’s record of 177 victories.

  “I’m pretty happy with myself for doing that,” Wilson said. “Usually when you come in as a freshman it’s really hard to win because you’re just getting used to wrestling. Middle school’s way different from high school.”

  Wrestling at 152, Wilson finished a career best fifth at the state tournament this year.

  At 189, Locke has been the quiet, solid-as-a-rock, competitor who served as inspiration for the entire team throughout his career. “He always leads by example,” said Hanover coach Aaron Bradley. “Always shows up and works hard; sets the pace for the guys.”

  According to Wilson, while many of the Hawks would boast about prowess to build confidence before a match, Locke was always the voice of reason. “We’d be like, ‘We’re going to crush these people,’ but Kyle Locke would be the one saying, ‘I don’t know this kid’s pretty good,’” Wilson said. “But whether they were good or not, (Locke) would go out there and wrestle his hardest.”

  After winning a state championship in Group AA last year at Poquoson, Foxworth was hoping to do the same in his return to Hanover this year, but it was not to be.

  Setting a goal to win, Foxworth finished third in the Central Region. “He had some tough competition there then placed fifth in the state (140),” Bradley said. “He gutted out a lot of close matches too. He usually finds a way to win the tight ones.”

  Always the competitor, Foxworth wanted more. “It was great coming back here and being with my friends and stuff, but I didn’t really do as good as I wanted,” Foxworth said. Not wanting to finish on a down note, Foxworth has one more competition on his slate. “That’s why I’m going to the Fila Nationals, to prove that I should have done a lot better.”

  While Foxworth, Locke and Wilson have been a foundation for the Hawks’ wrestling program for the past four years, Keck and Nussbaum were the surprise elements in this year’s success.

  Keck, who qualified for the state tournament twice, showed he could bounce back from obstacles. “He always seems to gut out close matches,” Bradley said. “He has lots of close matches but always seems to come out on top when it matters, like at the regional tournament.”

  “It’s been fun but I wish I would have gotten into it a little bit earlier,” Keck said. “I started taking it seriously a little too late.”

  Nussbaum’s efforts in the Central Region Tournament were essential to Hanover’s win. “Zach Nussbaum had four pins for us this year at the regional tournament, which helped us with the team score” Bradley said. “He stepped up big time and qualified for the state tournament for the first time in his career.”

  “I would have to say that over the past four years of my high school wrestling career, the technique and stuff that I’ve learned is amazing,” Nussbaum said.

  But more important than team wins, the five young men will leave Hanover as close friends, something that helped them achieve the monumental mark.
“You practice harder when you practice with someone you like so it makes you enjoy the sport more,” Locke said.