The Barter Players performed Alice in Wonderland to a packed house at Wytheville's Millwald Theatre on Friday, February 13.
The Barter Players performed Alice in Wonderland to a packed house at Wytheville's Millwald Theatre on Friday, February 13.
VHSL CLASS 1 WRESTLING: Caleb Gibson's fourth state title fuels Rural Retreat's run to top of team standings, ending Grundy's reign; Honaker's Dye siblings win gold (copy) (copy)
Rural Retreat's Chaz Penwright celebrates his win in the 157 Class 1 State Wrestling Finals.
Rural Retreat's Caleb Gibson celebrates to the fans after his win over Parry McCluer's Brody Julian in the Class 1 126 State Wrestling Championship.
Rural Retreat's Justin Walker celebrates his win over Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy's Grant Gardner.
Rural Retreat looks to the fans with their hardware after winning the VHSL Class 1 State Wrestling title.
SALEM, Va. – Caleb Gibson won his fourth individual state title on Saturday but there was no egocentric histrionics from the Rural Retreat wrestler after achieving such a historic feat.
He simply flashed four fingers on one of his hands as his arm was raised by the referee following his triumph in the 126-pound finals.
No flexing, flipping, bellowing or heckling from this dude.
“I like to stay calm, I guess,” Gibson said.
Gibson was much more fervent when it came to another major development.
That’d be the fact Rural Retreat finished atop the team standings in the VHSL Class 1 state tournament.
“Honestly, that’s better than anything individual,” Gibson said. “To win one with these guys – they’ve been my family since middle school. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Gibson’s four-peat was among the reasons Rural Retreat won its first state team title since 2017 and ended Grundy’s reign as the rulers of the mat in the VHSL’s smallest classification.
“We came in here and shut the house down,” said Rural Retreat senior Justin Walker. “It felt great.”
Walker (138) and Chaz Penwright (157) also won individual gold for the Indians from Wythe County.
Grundy had six state champions with Colton Clevinger (106), Reid Stiltner (150), Andrew Scarberry (165), Talan Looney (190), Brody Ford (215) and Luke “Quake” Shelton (285) standing atop the podium.
Honaker siblings Carter Dye (113) and Hunter Dye (120) won championships too as Region 1D grapplers prevailed in 11 of the 14 weight classes.
Rural Retreat took the grand prize with a team score of 216. Grundy (192 ½), Riverheads (128 ½), Mathews (108) and Bath County (96) rounded out the top five.
While Grundy had twice as many individual champs as the Indians, it wasn’t enough.
“They won some matches and brought a few more than us,” said Grundy coach Travis Fiser. “They are just a little deeper and congrats to them. They are well-coached and a good bunch of kids.”
All 13 state qualifiers from Rural Retreat won at least one match over the course of the two-day state tournament in Salem and the final medal count for the Indians was 11.
Gradyn Gibson (Caleb’s brother) was runner-up to Grayson County’s Caleb Thompson at 132 pounds.
Astan Badziev (106), Gabe Crewey (120) and Ian Bear (175) were third-place finishers.
Peyton Newberry (113) was fourth, William Rose (144) and Hunter Pennington (165) placed fifth and Jameson Tibbs (215) finished sixth.
“That was an amazing job,” Penwright said. “By everybody.”
Rural Retreat edged Grundy by 17 ½ points to win the Region 1D tournament. The Indians had the state team title locked up before the finals began on Saturday.
“We weren’t stressed about it,” Penwright said. “We knew if we came and did what we had to do, we had it.”
Penwright capped an unbeaten season with a 4-1 overtime win over Ivan Schaible of Mathews. That finals match was much closer than most people expected.
“It was tough,” Penwright said. “He was stuffing my shots the whole match. … I knew in overtime if I got in on a shot, I was finishing it.”
Walker also had a hard-fought title bout as he outlasted Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy’s Grant Gardner for a 5-3 decision.
Meanwhile, Gibson was his methodical self in finishing the season unbeaten.
His title win came in the form of a 10-0 major decision against Parry McCluer’s Brody Julian.
“He takes care of business,” said Rural Retreat coach Cade Rouse. “He trains year-round for it. He knows how to be prepared and every time he’s just focused on what he needs to do to win.”
Was Rouse surprised that Gibson didn’t show much emotion after his title-clinching win?
“Never does,” Rouse said. “He keeps it cool all the time. He just goes out there and wrestles his match.”
After all, Gibson is not what you would describe as flashy.
He almost never gets out of position and just scores points, rarely relying on risky and crowd-pleasing maneuvers.
“I was never good at those moves to be honest,” Gibson said. “I figured out how to win the tough way when I was younger.”
He became just the fourth Rural Retreat grappler to win four individual state titles. Trey Boyd, Josh Wynn and Ethan Martin previously did so.
“I had that dream going into my freshman year,” Gibson said. “It feels crazy that it’s already here. This year just flew by.”
Rural Retreat’s entire team was dominant this winter as the Indians did not lose a dual match.
“We came in and worked hard together,” Walker said. “We were just looking for that goal of winning.”
Rural Retreat won four straight state titles from 2014-2017 under the tutelage of popular head coach Rick Boyd. Rouse was a wrestler on those teams (winning an individual title as a senior) and took over as the mat boss of the Indians prior to the 2022-23 season.
“To continue the tradition like he did,” Rouse said. “It’s a great feeling.”
Rouse runs a tight ship.
“You guys do not understand the practices we go through,” Penwright said. “We push each other and it’s just a blessing to have these guys as teammates.”
Grundy had blocked Rural Retreat’s path to the top since the Golden Wave moved into the state's smallest classification in 2018.
Rural Retreat had finished as runner-up five times and in third place thrice in the team standings in the previous eight state tournaments, all of which Grundy had won.
With Grundy closing its doors – it will consolidate with Council, Hurley and Twin Valley to form the Southern Gap High School Eagles and compete at the Class 2 level beginning in the fall of 2026 – this was Rural Retreat’s last chance to finally get the best of its longtime nemesis.
Did that add extra incentive?
“There was,” Rouse said. “It’s real sad to see ‘em go, but we wanted that opportunity to beat ‘em.”
The Dye brothers from Honaker also made the most of their chance to do something special in winning state titles on the same night.
Hunter Dye became Honaker’s first-ever VHSL wrestling champ last year when he won the 113-pound title. Carter Dye, a freshman, saw that moment materialize as a spectator.
“I knew that if he won last year, he was gonna get more glory than me,” Carter Dye said. “That motivated me this year. I knew I had to win.”
Carter Dye did so in dominant fashion in the finals.
He caught Mason Wood of Riverheads in a spladle and pinned him in 70 seconds.
“I wasn’t expecting a match like that really. … Most of the time I’m really nervous for my match,” Carter Dye said. “This time I just told myself I was going to lay it on the line and do my best.”
Hunter Dye watched on with a sense of pride.
“That was awesome,” Hunter Dye said. “It got me pumped up for my match.”
Hunter Dye then went out and hammered Grundy’s Jaccob Smeltzer in earning an 11-0 major decision. He pulled off a perfectly-executed backflip after winning his match.
“This year I knew what I had to do,” Hunter Dye said. “Let the nerves stay away and just wrestle.”
Dye vs. Dye is a main event at Honaker practices.
“Sometimes it gets heated because we go so hard,” Hunter Dye said. “That’s how we get better.”
Holston’s Dalton Arden (106), Northwood’s Dominic Haynes (150), Castlewood’s Jake Bush (175) and George Wythe’s Trey Sparks (215) had runner-up finishes.
Chilhowie freshman Dylan Martin (144), George Wythe’s Trenton Hall (157) and Chilhowie’s Colton Hamm (190) were among the third-place finishers.
Meanwhile, the champ of champs was Caleb Gibson.
His four titles came in four weight classes: 106, 113, 120 and 126.
Which one means the most to him?
“I don’t know yet,” Gibson said. “I feel like I’ll figure that out when I’m older and sitting in a rocking chair.”
VHSL State Tournament
Class 1
Feb. 20-21
Salem Civic Center
Team Scores
Rural Retreat 216, Grundy 192.5, Riverheads 128.5, Mathews 108, Bath County 96, Grayson County 86.5, Giles 71, Castlewood 59.5, Fort Chiswell 57.5, Chilhowie 51.5, Honaker 51, Northampton 50.5, George Wythe 48, Holston 48, Rappahannock 47, Parry McCluer 42.5, Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy 39.5, Eastside 38, J.I. Burton 23, Galax 22, Thomas Walker 22, Franklin 20, Lancaster 20, King and Queen Central 18.5, Northwood 18, Patrick Henry 13, Essex 12, Buffalo Gap 11, Bland County 10, Middlesex 7.
Championship Finals
106 – Colton Clevinger (Grundy) pinned Dalton Arden (Holston), 2:36; 113 – Carter Dye (Honaker) pinned Mason Wood (Riverheads), 1:10; 120 – Hunter Dye (Honaker) maj. dec. Jaccob Smeltzer (Grundy), 11-0; 126 – Caleb Gibson (RR) maj. dec. Brody Julian (P. McCluer), 10-0; 132 – Caleb Thompson (Grayson) tech. fall Gradyn Gibson (RR), 18-3 (2:50); 138 – Justin Walker (RR) dec. Grant Gardner (Smith Mountain Lake), 5-3; 144 – Bryson Cash (Riverheads) tech. fall Carson Campos (Giles), 19-2 (3:00); 150 – Reid Stiltner (Grundy) pinned Dominic Haynes (Northwood), 1:08; 157 – Chaz Penwright (RR) dec. Ivan Schaible (Mathews), 4-1 (OT); 165 – Andrew Scarberry (Grundy) tech. fall Eddie Sherlinski (Grayson), 21-5 (5:25); 175 – John Smith (Giles) maj. dec. Jake Bush (Castlewood), 10-2; 190 – Talan Looney (Grundy) pinned Kenneth Madison Jr. (Rappahannock), 2:37; 215 – Brody Ford (Grundy) pinned Trey Sparks (GW), 1:00; 285 – Luke “Quake” Shelton (Grundy) dec. Brendon Mabry (Fort Chiswell), 5-3 (Double OT);
Third-Place Matches
106 – Astan Badziev (RR) maj. dec. Benton Williams (Grayson), 15-3; 113 – Bo Anders (Grayson) dec. Peyton Newberry (RR), 11-6; 120 – Gabe Crewey (RR) pinned Isaac Cooper (Castlewood), 1:23;126 – Jeramia Caviness (Fort Chiswell) pinned Pete Lignos (Smith Mountain Lake), 2:41; 132 – Franklin Cardenas (Mathews) tech. fall Carson Crank (Riverheads), 15-0 (2:30); 138 – Sal Cardenas (Mathews) maj. dec. Jeremy Burns (Bath), 18-4; 144 – Dylan Martin (Chilhowie) dec. Andrew Daggins (Northampton), 12-5; 150 – River Diaz (Lancaster) maj. dec. Derlin Robertson (Riverheads), 12-3; 157 – Trenton Hall (GW) pinned Anthony Woodson (Bath), 4:46; 165 – Ethan Bryant (Bath) pinned Trey Payseur (Riverheads), 1:49; 175 – Ian Bear (RR) dec. Ian Fuller (Eastside), 1-0; 190 – Colton Hamm (Chilhowie) pinned Aaron Arnold (Thomas Walker), 1:38; 215 – Tyler Stafford (Giles) tech. fall William Sheperd (J.I. Burton), 18-3 (4:11); 285 – Tyler Shaver (Bath) tech. fall Justin Suarez (Northampton), 16-1 (1:46);
Fifth-Place Matches
106 – Gavin Seldomridge (Buffalo Gap) dec. Brantley Roberts (Riverheads), 7-3; 113 – Brayden Stone (Castlewood) pinned Eli Norris (Holston), 2:51; 120 – Carter Coles (Mathews) def. Gavin Walker (Grayson), forfeit; 126 – Gage Stephens (Eastside) dec. Eric Cardenas (Mathews), 11-4; 132 – Braylan Rose (Eastside) pinned Bishop Ratliff (Patrick Henry), 1:53; 138 – Maddox Buchanan (Holston) dec. Jordan Brockenbrough (P. McCluer), 6-5; 144 – William Rose (RR) maj. dec. Jayden Boyd (Mathews), 8-0; 150 – Jesse Monastyrly (Mathews) def. Xavier Banks (Franklin), medical forfeit; 157 – Preston McCauley (Riverheads) def. Braeden Whitaker (Galax), medical forfeit; 165 – Hunter Pennington (RR) def. Ayden Stiltner (Galax), forfeit; 175 – Chase Shelley (King and Queen Central) pinned Tyler Gonzalez (Chilhowie), 3:42; 190 – Jerry Sturgis (Northampton) pinned AJ Kopp (Bland), 2:06; 215 – Azriel Tyson (Bath) pinned Jameson Tibbs (RR), 1:29; 285 – Timber Thomas (P. McCluer) dec. Brunner Houchins (Castlewood), 3-2.
Fireworks planned for Rural Retreat Lake
Independence Weekend festivities are returning to Rural Retreat Lake for the first time since 2012, as Wythe County and the Wythe County Parks and Recreation Department present “Liberty at the Lake” July 3-5, 2026.
The three-day Independence Weekend Festival marks the revival of a long-time goal of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors to reestablish a signature Fourth of July celebration at the lake. The event will feature live music and entertainment, athletic tournaments, an all-day pool party on the 4th, vendors, food trucks, and of course —fireworks. Admission is free.
“Bringing Independence Day celebrations back to Rural Retreat Lake has been a priority for this Board for quite some time,” said James D. Smith, chairman of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors. “We are proud of the wonderful Fourth of July events that communities across Wythe County already host each year. Liberty at the Lake is meant to add to that celebration, giving families even more opportunities to gather, celebrate and enjoy everything our county has to offer.”
Festivities will begin Friday, July 3, with live entertainment and fireworks. Saturday will feature athletic tournaments, an all-day pool party, square dancing and continued entertainment throughout the day. Vendors and food trucks will be available daily. On Sunday, July 5, the weekend will conclude with additional live entertainment and a special “Movie by the Lake” showing of “Top Gun.”
A full schedule of events will be released in the coming months.
“This is more than an event. It’s the return of a tradition,” said Alicia Sides, director of Wythe County Parks and Recreation. “Every year, we receive calls asking if this is the year fireworks and festivities will return to Rural Retreat Lake. We’re proud to finally say yes. The lake has long been a place where families gather, and we have some exciting and unique experiences planned for the whole family that will make this Independence Weekend truly special.”
Wythe County Parks and Recreation is now accepting vendor applications. Businesses, food vendors and community organizations interested in participating can apply online at wytheco.org/libertyatthelake.
Additional event updates, including entertainment announcements and activity details, will be shared through Wythe County’s official website and social media channels.
For more information, visit wytheco.org/libertyatthelake and follow Wythe County’s social channels.
Grundy's Luke Shelton and Fort Chiswell's Brendon Mabry wrestled for the 285 Class 1 State Championship title on Saturday.
Grundy's Luke Shelton and Fort Chiswell's Brendon Mabry wrestled for the 285 Class 1 State Championship title on Saturday.
