In the Benedictine wrestling room, coach David Yost talks to his Cadets about “flipping the switch” to put themselves in the right mindset for a given setting — in the classroom, in the chapel, on the mat, for example.
And no Cadet excels more at flipping that switch on the mat than junior 165-pounder Lane Foard, a two-time VISAA individual state champion and the 2024 All-Metro wrestler of the year.
Foard employed a physical and relentless style marked by a ferocity which contrasts his off-the-mat persona to compile a 36-2 record that included first-place finishes at the Richmond Invitational, John Kelly Invitational, Coach K Memorial Tournament and VISAA state meet.
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Most notably, he placed third in his weight class at the National Prep Wrestling Championships, the second-highest national finish in the history of one of Richmond’s premier high school wrestling programs, and was named most outstanding wrestler in the highly competitive middleweight division at the VISAA meet.
“This year at national preps, it really solidified that – ooh man, Lane is in an elite class of wrestler, and wrestles with a style that I wish all of our boys would adapt,” Yost said, seated opposite Foard in the coach’s corner office at the back of the Cadets wrestling room, a low, industrial building nestled toward the back of the Goochland County campus off River Road.
“Very physical, relentless, exciting, fun to watch. He’s just done a really good job this year leading his team and finishing the season really strong.”
The roots of Foard’s wrestling background can be traced to his hometown in Madison County, and Eastern View High in nearby Culpeper. His father, David, introduced him to the sport through friend and former Culpeper coach Eric Brown.
Brown was instrumental in honing the foundations of Foard’s relentless, up-tempo style. The broad-shouldered program leader loves to wear his opponents down with constant aggression and pressure.
He’s happy to grind out long matches and, as Yost put it, drag opponents into deep water and the third period, where he secures ample wins by attrition.
Foard’s weight classification progression has proven fascinating — he started at 113 pounds as a freshman, then jumped up to 138 as a sophomore and 165 this year. As a senior, he hopes to wrestle at 190 or even 215.
Yost said though some wrestlers may struggle to acclimate to such accelerated weight gains, it has behooved Foard, who still “wrestles like a little guy” in a higher weight class.
It has certainly born fruit in the progression of Foard’s results — he finished seventh as a freshman at National Preps, then eighth as a sophomore and now third.
Yost and Foard both recall a sophomore year match at the Beast of the East tournament when Foard grinded out a 13-11 decision over St. Christopher’s Cale Roggie, a VISAA state champ who’s now wrestling at George Mason.
The coach and wrestler knew then that Foard had a chance to be among the best in the Richmond area and the state. And that third-place finish at National Preps solidified his standing.
“I’ve always wanted to get to the finals, but I’d always wanted that chance to wrestle those top-ranked kids,” Foard said.
“I want to make my mark, be in there wrestling with them. So to be able to compete with and beat some of the highest-caliber wrestlers, it’s a good feeling, knowing I belong here, this is my spot. I don’t care that y’all are here, my name should be on the board.”
Back home, Foard loves to wrestle with his older sister, Virginia Foard. Virginia is Lane’s longtime training partner and a formidable wrestler herself — the King University freshman was the National Wrestling Coaches Association’s NCAA women’s wrestler of the month in February.
“We’ve been side by side growing up wrestling with each other,” Lane said.
“She was my partner, I was her partner, we always went to tournaments, got first and second, were always close, it was fun.”
Off the mat, Lane loves enjoying the outdoors, particularly hunting, fishing and hiking. He plays the bagpipes at Benedictine, and music is among his favorite subjects, in addition to math.
He also plays the guitar and piano, and said his faith has been a guiding light in his life on and off the mat.
“All glory to God in this, I couldn’t do anything without him,” Foard said.
“He says, ‘I can do all things through Christ my lord who strengthens me,’ and I truly believe that, I couldn’t do any of this if it wasn’t for him.”
Yost said he often points to Foard as an example to follow when trying to show the ropes to young wrestlers that are new to the program.
Foard’s gravitational, endearing personality has proven a cornerstone of a Cadets team that routinely competes atop the VISAA with the likes of rival St. Christopher’s and Paul VI.
But once he steps on that mat and flips that switch — no more Mr. nice guy.
“He’s a savage on the mat. Then he comes off and he’s the nicest guy you’ve ever met in your life,” Yost said with a chuckle and a strong note of pride.
“So I think it confuses some of his opponents because of how nice a guy he is off the mat. He’s extremely likeable, has lots of friends, in and outside of our program.
“But once that whistle blows, Lane flips the switch and he’s a menace.”
Meet the rest of the first team Royce Wetzler
School: Cosby
Weight: 106
Year: Freshman
About: The Region 6A champion and Class 6 state runner-up finished a dominant season 45-1. His only loss came in the state final, a 3-1 decision against Chantilly’s Carter Shin, the state’s top-ranked 106-pounder across all classifications.
Noah Rankin
School: St. Christopher’s
Weight: 113
Year: Sophomore
About: A focal point of the Saints’ VISAA team championship run, Rankin finished 35-8 including a pin of Paul VI’s Trey McKinney in the state final. Rankin reached the round of 12 at National Preps and the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, two of the country’s toughest high school tournaments, and ended the year ranked as the state’s top 113-pounder.
Kyle Gibson
School: New Kent
Weight: 120
Year: Senior
About: Gibson claimed a Region 3A title and finished third at the Class 3 state meet to cap a 39-6 season. Particularly of note was a pin of Benedictine’s Jameson Burns, the VISAA state champ at 120 pounds. Gibson pinned Kettle Run’s Nathaniel Hardesty in 37 seconds to win the Class 3 third-place match.
Drew Roggie
School: St. Christopher’s
Weight: 126
Year: Sophomore
About: The VISAA state champ at 126 pounds went 41-11 en route to All-American honors and punctuated the season with a seventh-place finish at National Preps. Roggie, the next in a storied line of Roggie wrestlers at St. Chris, won his second consecutive state title with a pin (4:12) of Benedictine’s James Ortuno in the championship match. Roggie was a cornerstone of the Saints’ team state championship run.
Brycen Arbogast
School: Benedictine
Weight: 132
Year: Senior
About: Though he missed a good portion of the season due to injury, Arbogast still posted an 18-1 record including a sixth-place finish at Trojan Wars en route to the third individual state title of his accomplished career. Arbogast defeated Paul VI’s Niko Colavecchio by 12-5 decision in the VISAA 132-pound final.
Walker Turley
School: St. Christopher’s
Weight: 138
Year: Sophomore
About: Turley joined Roggie and Rankin in leading the Saints’ state-title charge. He posted a 41-8 record including a tech-fall victory over Benedictine’s Nate Foldes in the VISAA final. Turley’s dominant season included a tournament title at Trojan Wars and fourth-place finish at Escape the Rock, and culminated in a third-place finish at National Preps plus Turley’s second consecutive All-American recognition.
Robert Owens
School: Hanover
Weight: 144
Year: Senior
About: Owens captured a region title with an impressive victory over Powhatan’s Gavin Utley, and finished third in Class 4 with a 9-1 major decision to defeat Sherando’s Zachary Hayes in the third-place match. He posted a 37-5 mark on the season.
Tyler Hood
School: St. Christopher’s
Weight: 150
Year: Junior
About: Another foundational piece of a dominant Saints season, Hood finished 43-9 and won his third consecutive VISAA individual state title with an 11-2 major decision victory over Fishburne Military School’s Ryan Barone in the championship match. Hood notched impressive fourth and sixth-place finishes at Trojans Wars and Escape the Rock, respectively, and punctuated the campaign with a fourth-place finish at National Preps and All-American honors.
Mitchell Faglioni
School: St. Christopher’s
Weight: 157
Year: Junior
About: Of all the Saints’ standouts this year, it’s tough to say which was the most dominant. But Faglioni surely has a case. He posted a 41-8 record and won an individual VISAA title with a pin (3:52) of Paul VI’s Merritt Clinton in the championship match. Faglioni won a title at Trojan Wars, placed eighth at Escape the Rock and finished fourth at National Preps en route to All-American honors for the second year running.
Jackson Rogish
School: Douglas Freeman
Weight: 175
Year: Junior
About: Rogish went 38-6 on his way to a fifth-place finish in Class 5 at the state tournament. In the fifth-place match, Rogish pinned (1:47) Franklin County’s Colton McGuire.
Tyler Ritz
School: Cosby
Weight: 190
Year: Senior
About: The Region 6A champion overcame a childhood medical battle with PANDAS — pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections — to produce a storybook high school wrestling career which concluded with a 40-6 season. Ritz, who only picked up the sport his freshman year, will wrestle in college at Averett University.
Patrick Harlow
School: Goochland
Weight: 215
Year: Junior
About: The Class 3 champ defeated Petersburg’s Keith Melton by 11-4 decision in the state final to cap a 31-2 season that also included a region title. Harlow split two matches with Hermitage’s Davion Clark, another of the area’s top 215-pounders. Harlow’s career mark sits at 82-13.
James Bland
School: Cosby
Weight: Heavy
Year: Junior
About: Bland earned the title of Richmond’s top heavyweight with a 44-2 season, tasting defeat only in the region and state finals to Landstown’s Naasir Edmonds, who won a Class 6 title over Bland by a slim 4-3 decision.
All-Metro honorable mentions
106: Ryan O’Keefe, Patrick Henry; Luke Houchins, Benedictine; Alex Cuic, New Kent.
113: Tristan Carter, New Kent; Landon Burke, Glen Allen; Alex Bowles, Thomas Dale; Jenna Anderson, Cosby.
120: Jameson Burns, Benedictine; Ben Owens, Hanover; Carl Andrade, Glen Allen; Brady Cramer, Cosby.
126: Jerry Simon, Deep Run; James Ortuno, Benedictine; Peyton McNamee, New Kent; Landon Morris, Patrick Henry.
132: Eli Cramer, Cosby; Luke Wells, Powhatan; Mustafa Safi, Deep Run; Adam Ayala, New Kent.
138: Talon Harness, Powhatan; Ben Fox, Deep Run; Nate Foldes, Benedictine; Noah Cuic, New Kent; Jack Christ, Patrick Henry; Lewis Summers, Midlothian.
144: Brennan Loving, Deep Run; Noah Bentley, New Kent; Gavin Utley, Powhatan; Sam Parsons, Benedictine; Caleb Haney, St. Christopher’s; Jackson Lambert, Cosby.
150: Jaden Thomas, Thomas Dale; Michael Guidice, Deep Run; Quinn Morrison, New Kent; Will Hart, Hanover.
157: Ronin Foldes, Benedictine; Jason Bennett, New Kent; Tristan Torres, Atlee; Shaine Givens, Highland Springs; Warrick Stevenson, Douglas Freeman.
165: Liam Johnson, St. Christopher’s; Jared Edeza, New Kent; Zach Tyler, Hanover; Nana Utsey, Glen Allen.
175: Ethan Winter, Goochland; Chase Wiles, New Kent; Caleb Bowles, Dinwiddie; Nicholas Rosado, Glen Allen.
190: Cannen Harlow, Goochland; Javaris Tucker, Thomas Dale; Amere Minott, Petersburg; Ethan Viers, James River.
215: Keith Melton, Petersburg; Davion Clarke, Hermitage; Cal Johnson, Powhatan; Cole Leinberger, Thomas Dale; Bryson Smith, St. Christopher’s; Cory Siebert, New Kent.
Heavyweight: Kelvin Melton, Petersburg; Adams Turpin, Varina; Pedro Williamson, New Kent; Andrew Weippert, J.R. Tucker.
Girls All-Metro team
NOTE: Virginia held its second sanctioned girls wrestling state meet this year, with expanded weight classes as the event continues to grow. If listed wrestlers placed at the state tournament, their finish is in parentheses next to their name. All weight classes are not represented.
100: Syd Branch, Prince George (champion); Jordon Forsyth, Patrick Henry (second); Kylah McFadden, Thomas Dale
114: Jenna Anderson, Cosby (champion).
126: Aurie VanSant, Thomas Dale; Honest Williams, Dinwiddie.
132: Sydney Ogburn, Dinwiddie (third); Lorelai Mooradian, New Kent (fifth).
138: Jasmine Craddock, Thomas Dale
165: Deborah Skelton, Clover Hill (fourth).
185: Amanda Walker, Dinwiddie (second).
235: Elisa Davis, Thomas Dale (champion).
Past All-Metro wrestlers of the year
2023: Patrick Jordon, New Kent
2022: Zane Cox, Benedictine
2021: Nick Vafiadis, New Kent
2020: Simeone Holmes, Cosby
2019: Jackson Turley, St. Christopher’s
2018: Collin Gerardi, Powhatan
2017: Josh Wyland, Benedictine
2016: Anthony Helm, Matoaca
2015: Neal Richards, Matoaca
2014: Kyle Gordon, Matoaca
2013: Corbin Ramos, Matoaca
2012: Cody Allala, Hopewell
2011: Austin Coburn, Cosby
2010: Gabe LaVey, Hanover
2009: Jared Anongos, James River
2008: Tyler Spangler, St. Christopher’s
2007: Kevin Donahue, St. Christopher’s
2006: Gene Allgood, Hanover
2005: Curt Jones, Lee-Davis
2004: Brandon Bradley, Henrico; Huy Vu, Douglas Freeman
2003: Ernest Tucker, Petersburg
2002: David Atkins, Lee-Davis
2001: David Atkins, Lee-Davis
Meet this year's Richmond Times-Dispatch All Metro players
Since its inception in 1979, the Richmond area's top high school football honor of All-Metro player of the year has just two repeat winners.
Player of the year - Highland Springs QB Khristian Martin
Defensive player of the year - Matoaca DE Caleb Williams
Offensive player of the year - Dinwiddie QB Harry Dalton
Meet the 2023 All-Metro girls volleyball team, led by Midlothian's Hannah Ball
Meet the 2023 All-Metro boys volleyball team, led by Patrick Henry's Jason Matthews
The All-Metro 2023 Cross Country Runners of the Year are Mills Godwin's Berkley Nance and Glen Allen's Elly Velasquez.
Meet the 2023 All-Metro field hockey team, led by Collegiate's Callie Rogers
Monacan's Talon Dingledine is the 2023 All-Metro Golfer of the Year.