VIRGINIA BEACH — Repeating as a Class 5 individual state champion was great for Cox High junior Rudy Wagner. Doing so as part of a repeat team state champion was even better, though only he can understand what made him feel best of all.

“I finally tied my dad (Billy Wagner),” he said. “He had two state championships for Cox, so words can’t describe how really nice this feels.

“He’s always been there to encourage me, on and off the mat, and I’m really thankful for that.”

Wagner’s technical-fall victory over Douglas Freeman’s Jackson Rogish wasn’t the only individual highlight of the night for the Falcons. Karl Ludwig took home individual gold with a pin of First Colonial’s Cecil Miller.

They were the only two individual winners for the Falcons, but so many others did so well that the repeat was never in doubt. The Falcons totaled 212 points to win before packed stands in their home gymnasium with a 50-point cushion over Beach District rival Kellam and Great Bridge, who tied for second at 162 apiece.

“It’s always fun to win,” Wagner said. “When you’re with your teammates, it makes everything 10 times better.”

Ludwig said, “Winning the team championship, being here with all my teammates, is exhilarating.”

Great Bridge’s Caleb Neal provided the other highlight of the night with his 65-second pin of First Colonial’s Aiden Ryan. The victory made Neal, who will wrestle next year for Southern Illinois, the first South Hampton Roads wrestler since Cox’s Colin Dozier in 2007 to win four state titles.

“I’m just grateful for the opportunity to get out and compete,” Neal said. “I feel super-grateful for my teammates and coaches.

“It took a lot of people to get me to this point.”

While Cox got the better of Great Bridge — which won their dual meet — for a second consecutive season at state, the Wildcats won the only individual duel between the two. Vince von Bernewitz decisioned Aiden Dougherty 4-1 in the 106-pound final. Cox put one other wrestler in the finals, Izaque Tomaz, but he fell to L.C. Bird’s James Bland.

A pair of Falcons enjoyed the team victory but did not repeat as individual champs. Cox’s Seth Pringle, who won at 106 a year ago, was fifth at 113, while his teammate Caleb Rafal, the champ at 126 in ’24, was third this year at 132.

Great Bridge had a second repeat champion in Beau Lewis. First at 144 a year ago, Lewis needed just 53 seconds to pin Kellam’s Tanner Clark in the 157 final.

Kellam, however, enjoyed a nice run of its own during the finals, starting when Brodie Altman, the winner at 132 a year ago, pinned Ocean Lakes’ Paul Chapman to win at 138. That came immediately before the Knights’ Kellen Good won a hard-fought 2-1 decision over Independence’s Chase Alvarez.

Several other Beach District wrestlers shined on their home turf. Tallwood’s Colton Hepp beat Great Bridge’s Xavier Kovacs 7-0 for the title at 113.

Hunter Elliott of Salem persevered to earn a 9-6 decision over Dawson Bowden of Princess Anne. Ethan VanNostrand of Princess Anne avenged that by decisioning Anthony Citoli of Independence 4-1 at 132.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the night for the Beach contingent was the inability of four-time state finalist Leonard Ashley of First Colonial to repeat as a champ. He led well into the second period of his final at 165 before injuring an ankle that rendered him unable to continue.