Greenwood's Talent Unmasked by Neil Abt, The Washington Post
The D.C. Classic wrestling tournament has held mixed results for Adams Greenwood of the Edmund Burke School. Last season, he placed third in the tournament-his best finish to that point-but suffered a concussion from a head butt he received in the classic

After two similar incidents, Greenwood's doctor advised him to wear a plastic and foam face mask-or give up wrestling. Reluctantly, Greenwood has worn the mask this season. He lost his first match, but has won 15 straight since, including an 8-6 victory over Zach Scholz of Sidwell Friends in the 171-pound title match of the D.C. Classic yesterday at the Maret School in Northwest Washington.

Tim Whitehead (152 pounds) and Winship Ross (160) won their respective weight classes as St. Albans of Northwest won the team title with 166.5 points.

Ross improved to 7-2 and had to come from behind to defeat Nathan Chaisson of Gonzaga, 4-3 in the finals. A two-point takedown gave Chaisson a 3-2 lead with 30 seconds left in the match, but Ross managed an escape and then received a penalty point in the final 10 seconds for the victory.

While Greenwood would rather wrestle without the mask-which he said makes breathing difficult because it restricts air flow-he said there is a positive side to it. "It intimidates some opponents," he said. "They do not see me, they see the mask. After a match I asked an opponent and he told me it scared him."

For Greenwood, whose team finished last, this day meant more than just receiving a trophy.

"Finishing third last season was bittersweet because of what happened," he said. "To come back and win here is bigger than words can say."

Notes: Sidwell Friends' Riad DeFreitas, who defeated Sam Picard of St. Anselms, 14-4, to win the 125 pound championship, was named the meet's outstanding wrestler.

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