2009 All-Metro Wrestling: Anongos let his dominance do the talking

A few seconds into overtime in the 135-pound final in the state Group AAA wrestling tournament, Jared Anongos knifed in and grabbed the right leg of Roman Perryman. They hopped around for a bit before Anongos finally got Perryman off his feet and completed the sudden-death takedown.

With a long-awaited state title in hand, the James River High senior did something slightly out of character.

He got up and pumped his fist.

The Times-Dispatch's wrestler of the year made another abbreviated jab while walking across the mat, then removed his headgear, returned to the middle of the mat and waited to shake Perryman's hand.

"He's very reserved," James River coach Mark Helberg said. "For Jared, celebration is a fist pump. It was very cool to see a little emotion out of him."

Anongos is understated in just about everything he does -- except when it comes to winning.

His 215 career victories shattered the previous Virginia High School League record (181). Anongos wasn't even aware he had broken the career record until it was announced after one of his matches.

There was some backslapping, of course, but Anongos didn't show much emotion. He remained focused on his quest for a state title.

"Most of my friends get more excited for me when I win than I do," he said.

Anongos was pretty good at soccer and baseball as a youngster. He started wrestling in fourth grade at the suggestion of his father -- and discovered he had natural ability.

"I was one of the fastest learners in the room," he said. "I picked up everything pretty quickly."

That's been a trait throughout his career. Anongos lives in the Monacan High zone. He decided to attend James River after being accepted into the school's Center for Leadership and International Studies.

He carries a 4.39 GPA.

Known for his exceptional quickness and his ability on his feet, the 5-4 Anongos whetted expectations as a freshman by winning the first of four Central Region championships.

He finished sixth in the state that year, then fourth and third before finally getting the elusive title this year. That marked the first state title for the Central Region since 2002. Hopewell freshman Cody Allala followed two weight classes later with another state title for the region.

Anongos has accepted an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he plans to wrestle and major in engineering.

"He's a quiet kid, but he's a machine when it comes to wrestling," Helberg said. "He's got this aura about him."