The Hawks entered the 2001 wrestling season with high expectations due to the fact that Hayfield had won two straight Norther Region titles. However, the beginning of the season started with less than stellar results. At the annual Titan Kickoff Classic in Virginia Beach, Hayfield faced perennial state powerhouse Hickory High School. The dual meet was tight, coming down to several close matches as Hayfield fell to the Hickory Hawks 35-32. The next match was against another perennial top 10 team, Franklin County. The results were similar as Hayfield fell 42-36. The last match of the day was against Currituck of North Carolina. The Hawks overwhelmed their opponents 60-7 for the first win of the season. Outstanding performances on the day were turned in by Gabe Resto, Jochen Granja, Jason Howard, Tomas Ovalle, and Floyd Wright, who all went 3-0.

The next weekend Hayfield traveled to Fairfax for the Northern Region Classic. Led by tournament champions Resto, Howard, Ovalle, adn Wright, the Hawks captured 3rd place overall behind Centreville and Robinson. Ovalle was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.

At the Beast of the East, the toughest tournament in the the U.S.A., the Hawks had two place finishers in Tomas Ovalle, 6th, and Floyd Wright, 2nd. The Eagle Invitational was voted int he top 20 toughest tournaments in the country and Hayfield finished 9th overall with OValle capturing another championship. The Hawks closed out the month of December with yet another top 20 ranked tournament, the Herndon Capitol Classic. The Hawks placed 7th and had champions in Howard, Ovalle, and Wright, who was also named Outstanding Wrestler.

After the first month of the season, only 5 of 14 starting wrestlers had a winning record. The wrestlers that survived this trial by fire of having 3 consecutive nationally ranked tournaments found out a lot about their individual toughness and resolve!

The dual meet season resumed with the Hawks going 2-1 in a quad at Hayfield. Palacios defeated a top ranked opponent, while the other wrestlers were tired of losing. Hayfield reeled off wins against West Springfield, T.C. Williams, West Potomac, Lake Braddock, and Oakton. Then the Hawks stunned #2 in the state Western Branch with an exciting 37-37 tie!

The next weekend Hayfield traveled down to Chesapeake to take on #1 ranked Gread Bridge ina quadrangualar meet. The Hawks pummeled Robinson 48-22 before falling to Great Bridge 56-15 and #3 ranked Lee-Davis 37-34.

Next on the plate for the Hawks was the Patriot District Championships, hosted by Annandale High School. The Hawks put six in the finals, and 7 in the consolation finals. Hayfield crowned 5 district Champions and had the momentum going into the Northern Regionals.