Goochland's Liam Johnson wins VHSL 175-pound state title in Salem

Liam Johnson captured the VHSL 175-pound state title at the Salem Civic Center on Feb. 21, 2026, beating Alleghany’s Carter Nicely by a 13-3 major decision to close the tournament with a 31-5 record. The victory gave Goochland High School a state champion at 175 pounds and capped a three-match title run printed on the official bracket lines.

Johnson’s path to the final shows a fall and an injury default before the championship match. FloWrestling bracket lines list Johnson at 29-5 when he won by fall over Frank Lukanich of Brookville in 1:15, then at 30-5 when he advanced by injury default over Colton McGuire of Staunton River at 1:17, and finally at 31-5 after the 13-3 major decision over Nicely. Video and match coverage archived on FloWrestling document Johnson’s 175-pound finals match.

Nicely entered the final with a dominant run through the bracket. FloWrestling lines show Alleghany’s Carter Nicely with tech-fall wins over Sam Richards of Brentsville District (TF-1.5 5:28, 19-3) and over Cru Scott of Kettle Run (TF-1.5 3:45, 18-2), with his record printed as 42-0 and then 43-0 before the final; the bracket prints his final mark as 43-1 after the loss to Johnson.

Sources vary in how the tournament is labeled on published materials. Bracket excerpts and event listings identify the weight blocks with a Class 3 label - for example the 175-pound block appears as "3 - 175" on bracket pages - while other material describes the event as a VHSL Class 1–3 bracket held in Salem. The Salem Civic Center location and the Feb. 21 date are consistently shown in the event coverage.

Goochland produced more than one champion at the Salem event. Senior Cannen Harlow also won a state title, recorded on the bracket as "Cannen Harlow (Goochland) 30-4 won by decision over Brian Bland (Fauquier) 33-8 (Dec 7-2)," and local reporting notes Harlow won both the region and the Class 3 215-pound titles in his senior year. Vawrestle rankings printed before the tournament listed Liam Johnson as 10. Liam Johnson: Goochland (Senior) 3A in the 175-pound block and listed Cannen Harlow as 7. Cannen Harlow: Goochland (Senior) 3A in a 190-pound ranking block.

Other state champions appearing on the published bracket lines included Jake Robie at 190 pounds and Jerrelle Carter at 285 pounds, among several winners across weight classes. With Johnson’s 13-3 major decision over Nicely and Harlow’s 7-2 decision in his final, Goochland’s two state titles at Salem provide measurable momentum for the program as the seniors conclude their seasons.