ROBBINSVILLE — Historical past was made on Tuesday as eight native wrestlers punched their tickets to the 1A State Championship Meet.
Six wrestlers from Mount Ethereal and two from East Surry received medals on the 1A West Regional Championships hosted by Robbinsville Excessive Faculty. These student-athletes transfer on to the State Championship meet that’s set to happen Saturday, June 26 at Glenn Excessive Faculty.
These two applications are not any strangers to the state championship meet, however the 2021 season did mark a “first-ever” incidence for the Granite Bears. Freshman Hope Horan received a silver medal within the 106-pound weight class to turn out to be the primary feminine in Mount Ethereal historical past to qualify for the state event.
Horan’s achievement comes simply two years after Uwharrie Constitution’s Heaven Fitch grew to become the primary feminine in North Carolina historical past to medal on the state event, and only one yr after Fitch grew to become the primary feminine to win a person state championship. Fitch’s medals each got here within the 106-pound weight class.
Fitch, now a senior, additionally certified for the 2021 state event, doing so by profitable the 106-pound silver medal within the 1A East Regional Championship.
Along with Horan’s silver, two Bear veterans took dwelling gold medals. Defending 1A 145 State Champion Franklin Bennett received his weight class as he appears to be like to repeat as a junior. Fellow junior Connor Medvar, who took third within the 138 state championship in 2020, appears to be like to leap up just a few spots on the rostrum this yr. Medvar received the 152 bracket by going 4-0 on Tuesday.
Mount Ethereal’s Edwin Agabo, Saverio Lennon and Alex Cox all certified for his or her first state championships. Agabo completed third within the 195 bracket, Cox took third in 126 and Lennon completed fourth in 220.
For East Surry, two wrestlers certified for the state championship for the primary time. Eli Becker did so by taking third within the 182 bracket, and Daniel Villasenor joined him by ending fourth within the 195 bracket.
Mount Ethereal completed third total within the workforce standings with 123.5 factors. Solely Avery County (245.5) and Robbinsville (163.5) had extra factors than the Bears.
East Surry had 33 factors to place them on the No. 11 spot out of 24 groups.
Outcomes for East Surry and Mount Ethereal are listed by weight class.
106
Mount Ethereal’s Horan acquired a first-round BYE, then received her quarterfinal match over the No. 3 seed when her opponent didn’t make weight
Horan went on to pin the bracket’s No. 2 seed, Avery County’s Franciso Turja, within the second interval of the semifinal match. Horan dropped the championship match by way of technical fall to Robbinsville’s Luke Wilson.
Wilson reached the 106 championship match of the 2020 state championship earlier than falling to Heaven Fitch.
113
The Bears’ Brison George received his first-round match in simply 13 seconds, then was defeated by technical fall within the second spherical by eventual regional champ: Benjamin Jordan from Avery County.
120
Mount Ethereal’s Jeremiah Wall misplaced his first-round match towards Robbinsville’s Case Beasley.
126
East Surry’s Colby Stowers dropped his first-round match towards Murphy’s Marcus Kephart by way of fall.
Mount Ethereal’s Alex Cox defeated Avery County’s Wilson Wilson by way of technical fall within the first spherical, then pinned Murphy’s Kephart within the first interval. Cox misplaced to eventual champion Jayden Nowell, who completed the event with a 25-0 document, within the subsequent spherical.
Cox defeated Polk County’s Satchel McCoy 2-0 in comfort finals to win third place.
132
Mount Ethereal’s Caleb Johnson misplaced to Bessemer Metropolis’s Chris Moses by way of fall within the first spherical.
138
East Surry’s Israel Flores was defeated by way of fall within the first spherical by Starmount’s Cole Nixon.
Mount Ethereal’s Avery Poindexter defeated Bessemer Metropolis’s Xavier Figueroa by way of fall within the first spherical, however fell to East Wilkes’ Kole Lambert by way of first interval fall in second spherical. Lambert would end third within the class.
145
East Surry’s Troy Haywood misplaced to Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy’s Nathan Halliday by way of a second-period fall. Halliday bumped into Mount Ethereal’s Bennett in semifinals and misplaced by way of fall within the third interval.
Bennett earned a first-round BYE, then picked up wins over Swain County’s Israel Ferguson and TJCA’s Halliday within the second and third rounds. Bennett went on to win the championship in a 6-3 determination victory over Johnathan Cable of Avery County. Bennett improved to 21-1 on the season by handing Cable simply his second lack of the season.
152
Mount Ethereal’s Connor Medvar received by way of first spherical falls in every of the primary three rounds. Medvar defeated Hayesville’s Gage Michael within the first spherical, Swain’s Lawson Woodard in second and Polk County’s Bryson McCraw in semifinals.
Medvar defeated Avery’s Tristan Adams 8-5 in championship. The junior improved to 23-0 on the season and likewise recorded his one hundredth profession win.
160
East Surry’s Kaleb Tilley defeated Swain County’s Damian Lossiah within the first spherical, however misplaced by way of fall within the second spherical to Cherokee’s Braden Taylor. Taylor completed fourth within the class.
Mount Ethereal’s Aidan Horton bested Lincoln Constitution’s Greyson Mackie with first interval fall, then misplaced to the eventual second-place finisher, Cherryville’s Chase Miller, by way of a 3-2 determination
170
East Surry’s Joshua Pack misplaced to Starmount Caden Abernathy within the first spherical by way of a second interval fall.
Mount Ethereal’s Luke Leonard earned a first-round BYE, then misplaced by way of fall to Polk County’s Jacob Knighton. Knighton went on to complete fourth within the class.
182
Mount Ethereal’s Edwin Ramirez defeated Starmount’s Will Moxley 13-6 within the first spherical, then misplaced to Robbinsville’s Kage Williams by way of fall within the first interval.
East Surry’s Becker had a first-round BYE, defeated Cherokee’s Ian Crowe by way of fall within the second spherical earlier than shedding to Robbinsville’s Williams within the semifinals. This was simply Becker’s second lack of the yr. Williams went on to win the category and enhance his document to 26-0.
Becker handed Avery County’s Dalton Towe, who took silver within the 170 Championship in 2020, his second lack of the yr in comfort finals to complete third.
195
Mount Ethereal’s Edwin Agabo defeated Malik Salem of Bradford Preparatory Faculty by way of second interval fall within the first spherical, then pinned TJCA’s Wade Turner within the second spherical. Agabo misplaced to Rosman’s Jeshua Whited by way of 10-7 determination within the semifinals.
East Surry’s Daniel Villasenor bested Mitchell’s Camron Prepare dinner by way of fall within the first spherical, then defeated Blake Sain of Swain County by way of 8-7 determination within the second spherical.
Villasenor misplaced by way of fall within the semifinals to Robbinsville’s Kyle Fink. Fink was the 195 runner-up in 2020 earlier than factors had been taken away from the state champion, Jackson Tumbarello of Mount Ethereal, as a consequence of what the N.C. Excessive Faculty Affiliation referred to as a “timing problem.”
Agabo then defeated Villasenor by way of fall within the comfort finals.
220
East Surry’s Izaiah Gulledge acquired a first-round BYE, then fell to Andrews’ Samuel Wooden within the quarterfinals.
Mount Ethereal’s Lennon (Mt Ethereal) additionally acquired a first-round BYE. Lennon defeated Swain County’s over Kohlton Neadeau by way of first-period fall, however then fell to Avery County’s Zach Vance.
Andrews’ Wooden defeated Lennon by way of fall within the comfort finals.
285
Mount Ethereal’s Matthew Bagley fell to Johnatan Argueta of Starmount within the first spherical.
East Surry’s Kevin Blakeney received by way of fall towards Cherryville’s Caleb Hovis by way of fall within the first spherical, however misplaced to Elkin’s CJ Henderson within the second spherical.
