Virginia Fighters battle at Saberstrong in Nashville

Virginia’s best fighters descended on Nashville, Tennessee, for the Saberstrong tournament, and Saber Light Knights was proudly represented by Ryan McKenna, Chicco Smith, Liz Pritchard, Kristi Jerome, David Graham, Em Watson, David Cook, Vince DelVecchio, and Michael Sprague. Anthony Robertson, Cole Robertson, and Lane Cash also made the trip from the Freedom Fighters, adding even more Virginia strength to the field.

Saturday featured the Standard and Redemption divisions. Ryan McKenna, Chicco Smith, Liz Pritchard, Lane Cash, Michael Sprague, Vince DelVecchio, Cole Robertson, Anthony Robertson, David Cook, and David Graham all advanced from their pools into the elimination rounds.

The quarterfinals opened with Vince DelVecchio facing Jared Graham of Florida in a close, hard-fought match. Vince fought with poise and courage, but Jared edged him out, 8–6. Next came a clash between Headmaster and Dark Lord, as Ryan McKenna and Chicco Smith met in a fierce battle. Smith narrowly defeated McKenna, 10–8, in one of the most intense matches of the day. Anthony Robertson then put on a dominant performance against Vince Toscano of West Virginia, winning 10–5 and advancing to the semifinals.

The first semifinal featured World Champion Bobby Zavala against prior World Champion Jared Graham. It was a fight of patience, discipline, and defense, with both fighters probing carefully and waiting for an opening. Bobby’s defensive precision paid off, earning him a 6–4 victory. The second semifinal saw Chicco Smith face Anthony Robertson in a match defined by raw speed and aggression. Both fighters were evenly matched, but Robertson’s reach gave him the slight edge, and he took the win, 10–9. In the third-place match, Jared Graham faced Chicco Smith. Chicco fought hard, but Jared’s experience and range secured the win, 10–4. The championship match brought Anthony Robertson and Bobby Zavala together in a dramatic final. Robertson’s power and speed clashed with Bobby’s patience and vaunted defense. Both fighters played to their strengths, and the match came down to sudden death. In the final exchange, Bobby flipped the script, attacked with a leaping strike, landed to Robertson’s right shoulder, and secured the championship.

Em Watson and Kristi Jerome competed in the Redemption division. Both fought well and made it to the quarterfinals. Kristi lost a heartbreaker to Natascha Zavala of Tennessee, securing fourth place.
The Masters division featured Virginia fighters Michael Sprague and David Graham. Both performed well in pools, with Sprague advancing into the elimination bracket. From there, he never looked back. Sprague stormed through the bracket and defeated Vince Toscano of West Virginia to claim the Masters Championship.

The Women’s division featured SLK fighters Em Watson, Liz Pritchard, and Kristi Jerome in a double-elimination tournament. Watson faced World Champion Shannon Cole-Cameron right out of the gate. She fought well but was defeated, 10–6. Em then went on a tear, defeating both Lana Toscano of West Virginia and Melodie Graham of Florida before eventually falling to Natascha Zavala of Tennessee. Jerome opened strong, defeating Talhia Qureshi and Melodie Graham before losing a razor-close 5–4 match to Shannon Cole-Cameron. Kristi then defeated Autumn Nichols of Kentucky before falling to the Knight Killer herself, Natascha Zavala. Liz Pritchard unleashed a dominant run through the bracket, defeating Niki Figgins of Tennessee, Natascha Zavala of Tennessee, and Shannon Cole-Cameron of Wisconsin. Shannon battled her way back through the bracket to face Liz again in the finals. This time, Shannon was able to defeat Liz, 10–7. Since the tournament was double elimination, they had to do the thing a third time. In the final match, Liz used off-line attacks to regain control, winning 10–7 and taking the Women’s Championship.

Virginia continued its strong showing in the Exotic Weapons bracket. Ryan McKenna, Chicco Smith, Anthony Robertson, Lane Cash, Vince DelVecchio, Cole Robertson, David Graham, and Liz Pritchard all advanced from pools.
McKenna fell to Vince Toscano in the quarterfinals, while Pritchard fell to Bobby Zavala. Anthony Robertson defeated Andy Cameron of Wisconsin, and Chicco Smith avenged his Standard division loss by defeating Jared Graham, 10–9. In the semifinals, Robertson defeated Toscano, 10–5. Chicco then faced Bobby Zavala in a close, cerebral match, narrowly falling 5–4. Anthony Robertson and Bobby Zavala clashed once again in a rematch of the Standard finals. This time, Anthony left no doubt, defeating Bobby 10–7 and claiming the Exotic Weapons Championship. Chicco Smith went on to defeat Toscano, 10–8, to claim third place.

Saberstrong was an outstanding tournament. Virginia fighters posted an amazing record across multiple divisions, brought home major wins, and, most importantly, had fun doing it. Congratulations to everyone who competed, represented, and supported the team.