Before the season started, Whitehall’s Kade Pascoe envisioned himself grinding through every match and standing on many podiums.

For the most part, Pascoe has achieved his preconceived notions.

Teammate James Hopkins had planned to follow a similar path, and his early aspirations haven’t lagged behind.

The junior duo has played a pivotal role in the Zephyrs’ success on the mats this season. They recently both had standout weekends at the Virginia Duals at the Hampton Coliseum.

Pascoe registered three falls and major decision at 121 pounds, while Hopkins compiled the same slate at 190 pounds. As a team, the Zephyrs beat Heritage, 33-24; lost to Louden County, 41-36; beat Westfield, 42-28; and beat Gloucester, 66-14.

Yet, Pascoe took the Virginia weekend as a learning experience for the remainder of the season.

“My weekend in Virginia went well,” he stated. “Even though I lost a match, I learned a lot, and I am working hard to improve on what I did wrong.”

Pascoe posted an overall 29-15 record last season. He was fifth at districts, fourth at regionals, and didn’t place at states. So far, Pascoe has an 18-6 record with 15 falls.

Still, he is keeping everything in its proper perspective.

“My season has been going decent,” he added. “I lost to some opponents that I should’ve beat, but those losses showed me that I need to focus on the fundamentals of wrestling more and beat them when it really matters come postseason.”

With a more positive approach, Hopkins hopes to improve on his run from last season. He went 34-10 with a fourth-place finish in districts and a sixth-place at regionals.

This year, Hopkins is 17-6 with eight falls at 190 pounds.

“Virginia went really well for me,” said Hopkins. “The season started slow, but I feel like it’s starting to pick up a little bit.

“This season, having a positive mindset has been a big talk in the practice room. In reality, it always has been, but there has been a bigger focus this season.”

Head coach Tim Cunningham like the direction of the team from the Virginia tournament, and how they have adapted to a difficult schedule.

“The team wrestledwell overall,” said Cunningham about the Virginia Duals. “We have a few guys like Kade (Pascoe), James (Hopkins), Trokon (Kai), Wilmont (Kai), and Nolan (Schmeckenbecher) that have been stepping up for the team.

“We lost two tough matches to a few of the top teams in Virginia, and I am hoping we learn from those losses and compete harder every time we go out and wrestle. We stacked our schedule this year to wrestle the best competition in order to prepare for the post season.”