Collegiate Times

A quick drive up 460 East from the Virginia Tech campus will lead you to Christiansburg High School, home of one of the most dominating wrestling programs in the country.

Two weeks ago, the Blue Demons captured their fifth straight state title, a feat locked up before the championship round even took place. Christianburg?s 246.5 points easily eclipsed the combined totals of second and third place (Turner Ashby?s 113.5 points and Grafton?s 89 points).

Behind Matt Epperly, Jantzen Minton and Cody Gardner, the Blue Demons had six state champions and two runner ups. The trio of Epperly, Minton and Gardner couldn?t get enough of each other and budding dynasties as they will all suit up in the orange and maroon in the coming years.

Epperly, just the fifth wrestler to win four high school state championships in Virginia history, pinned his opponent in 1:11 to improve his career record to 191-19. After the match, Epperly understood the importance of his feat and said he could not have felt any better.

When he relocates just eight miles up the road, Epperly will compete under head coach Tom Brands in the 165-pound weight class.

"I?m going to Tech and I?ve got my friends going with me. I?m excited about it," said Epperly. "It?s going to be fun and it?s going to be an awesome environment only 10 minutes away from my house. It couldn?t get better with winning that fourth state title and now I get to go to Tech next year and wrestle for coach Brands. It?s all very exciting."

Minton followed up with a state title in the very next match that took place in the Salem Civic Center. Minton is also senior who compiled a 90-17 record under Christiansburg head coach Kevin Dresser.

"It?s almost relieving because you work for so long and you put in so many hours in the practice room and this is just the payoff," said Minton after his victory. "I look at this as a milestone, but I just want to keep on getting better. I cannot wait to wrestle for the Hokies."

In the 215-pound match, Cody Gardner imposed his dominance on the mat one final time in his junior campaign. He improved to 48-0 for the year and 137-6 in his career with an 11-second pin of his opponent. Gardner is the No. 1 recruit in the country for his weight class.

With another year of wrestling and the task of matching Epperly?s four-time title feat ahead of him, Gardner said he is looking forward to his senior year and will try not to focus on Tech, but it will be hard considering it is so close. Gardner will likely have the easiest transition of the three considering Minton and Epperly will be a year through the system when Gardner arrives in 2007.

"I don?t know if it?ll make it more comfortable or not but it will be cool," said Gardner. "They?ll already be there a year and when I get there I can be like ?hey, what?s up?? It will be good though because they can guide me a little."

Gardner originally hails from New Jersey, but moved to the New River Valley where he lives with his father. Gardner?s mother, Susan, comes down from New Jersey as often as possible and looks forward to when her son will wrestle in the adjacent town.

"It?s been a wonderful experience for him down here and I made a big sacrifice when I let him come here but he has really blossomed and I?m down here as much as I can. I just want him to be happy and do the best he can," she said. "He?s trained some already over there with the guys. I just think it?s a good fit. He knows where he wants to go with his career and if that?s where he wants to be as opposed to up north, then I?m okay with it."

The addition of Brands to the coaching staff was also a major selling point for the trio.

"It was the biggest influence. When coach Brands came to Tech, I was so excited," said Epperly, whose goal is to be a collegiate national champion. "We talked about everything and got everything worked out and I said ?Let?s just sign the papers, let?s do it.?"

Minton said the tutelage he and his teammates have received under Dresser is much like what they can expect from Brands and his staff.

"(Brands) was a three-time NCAA champ for Iowa and so were our coaches," Minton said. "I?ve already been trained in that Iowa style, so I don?t think it will be that big of a transition in coaching now and the coaching I?m gonna receive."

All three were quick to say Virginia Tech was a perfect fit for their careers after Christiansburg.

"It?s close to home, it?s a great school and it?s a good fit for me," Minton said. "I don?t know if it?s ever been done before, three guys from the same high school on the same major college team. It?s gonna be awesome, I?m looking forward to it a lot."