By KYLE TUCKER

Tyson Muffly, top, takes down Kevin Peterson during the North American Beach Wrestling Championship on Saturday. Muffly won. Beach wrestling was a new addition to the North American Sand Soccer Championships this year. RICH-JOSEPH FACUN/SPECIAL TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

The North American Sand Soccer Championships came to a close Sunday with a not-so-stunning U.S. Open final and one last fling for the new beach wrestling craze.

In the Open, a Pro-Am sand soccer tournament, Team Rio knocked off the Hampton Roads Soccer Council All-Stars 6-2. Rio, a team of Brazilians from Miami, is a perennial tournament power.

"They win about every other year," said HRSC All-Stars player Matt Whalen. "Heavy, heavy favorites."

The local contenders hoped to keep it close, but that aspiration melted almost immediately.

Rio scored four goals in the first three minutes and ran away with the $8,000 winners' purse. The HRSC All-Stars collected $4,000 .

"We weren't too happy," Whalen said. "... It wasn't pretty."

The quirky new sport of beach wrestling yielded another first on Sunday.

After Saturday crowned several individual weight and age-group champions - who scored victories by slinging opponents out of a sandy circle or pinning them in the grit - organizers put together a dual match Sunday.

It was a first in beach wrestling , according to event chairman Frank Lipoli.

Five teams, comprised mostly of middle school and high school-aged wrestlers, battled for sand supremacy. The Hungry Hungry Hippos, captained by Great Bridge sophomore Jared King, beat the Beach All-Stars for the inaugural dual title.

"Having the duals was so exciting, because so many people got behind it on the boardwalk," Lipoli said. "At some point, they probably had four or five thousand people cheering for them, and that got the kids pretty excited."

King was joined by Wildcats teammates Junior Pearman, a three-time high school state champ, Garrett Haas and Jimmy Ilardi.

The Beach All-Stars featured another pair of Wildcats - senior Jayk Cobbs and sophomore Taylor Wilde - along with Kellam's state runner-up Ryan Benzel.

An eighth-grader, Cape Henry's Jazz Rozier, sealed the 19-9 team victory for the Hippos with an upset win over Wilde.