Mount Vernon junior Bill Adusei-Poku wrestles Kempsville’s Kobe Laxa in the 5A 138-pound final during the VHSL state meet on Feb. 20 at Robinson Secondary School. Photo by Craig Sterbutzel.
Mount Vernon wrestler Bill Adusei-Poku used his loss in the 2014 132-pound state championship match as motivation entering his junior year.
He hasn’t lost a VHSL match since.
Adusei-Poku capped an undefeated junior season by winning the 5A 138-pound state title on Feb. 20 at during the VHSL state meet at Robinson Secondary School. Adusei-Poku defeated Kempsville’s Kobe Laxa via 5-3 decision in the state final.
The win improved Adusei-Poku’s 2014-15 record to 33-0.
“[It] just made me more motivated to win,” Adusei-Poku wrote in an email, “and to work harder to accomplish my goals.”
The state championship was Adusei-Poku’s second in three years. As a freshman, he won the AAA 126-pound championship.
“It felt great being back on top of the podium,” Adusei-Poku wrote, “and I can’t say that it felt better than the last because they’re both great feelings.”
Matoaca won the 5A team championship with a score of 78. Broad Run finished runner-up (67), followed by Hickory (52), Great Bridge (51) and Mountain View (43).
Mount Vernon tied for 14th place with 19 points.
In the 6A tournament, West Potomac’s Joshua Carter placed fourth in the 160-pound bracket. Carter, a 6A North region champion, lost to Riverbend’s Alex Miller, 9-3, in the third-place match.
The Wolverines finished 26th in the team standings with eight points.