Polk County’s wrestling team sits third in the 3A West Regional standings after Friday’s opening round at West Lincoln High School, with all 13 Wolverines set to return to the mat Saturday with state tournament berths on the line.
Amon Villarreal, Jaxtyn Virgil, Brody Wolfe, Zalen McCraw and Styler Blackwell each won twice Friday to advance to Saturday’s semifinals in their respective weight classes.
McCraw continued his dominant season at 165 pounds, pinning North Wilkes’ Noah Osborne in 53 seconds before pinning Mount Airy’s Isaias Andrade-Perez in 1:12 to improve to 48-1. Blackwell was equally impressive at 190 pounds, pinning West Davidson’s Drake Richardson in 1:11 before stopping East Davidson’s Nathan White by technical fall in 57 seconds.
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Villarreal advanced at 132 pounds with a pin over East Davidson’s John Lewis and a technical fall victory over Lincolnton’s Giovonni Wallace. Virgil pinned East Davidson’s Dean Clarke and Walkertown’s Ethan Hendrix to reach the 144-pound semifinals. Wolfe edged Union Academy’s Jackson Weisenburger 10-9 in the 150-pound quarterfinals after receiving a first-round bye.
Silas Amorelli (106), Liam Jackson (126) and Zachary McCraw (175) each won their opening matches before falling in the quarterfinals. Amorelli defeated East Surry’s Kyson Massie by major decision before losing to North Wilkes’ undefeated Hunter Dancy. Jackson pinned Union Academy’s Marcus Berrios before falling to North Wilkes’ Carson Griffin by major decision. Zachary McCraw pinned Surry Central’s Micah Whitley before dropping a technical fall to Mount Airy’s Andrew Meadows.
Carson Bell (157) won his opening match with a major decision over Hendersonville’s Brendan Lewis before falling to Lincolnton’s Gabriel Robinson by major decision. Jayden Pons (120) fell in the quarterfinals to undefeated Surry Central’s Jose Trejo. Conner Ahlert (138) dropped a 7-1 decision to West Wilkes’ David Gahagan in the first round, while Isaiah Staley (215) and Tanner McKinney (285) also fell in opening-round action.
The top four finishers in each weight class Saturday will earn berths in next week’s 3A state tournament.
Polk County sits third in the team standings with 49 points, trailing Mount Airy (69) and Lincolnton (53), with North Wilkes (46) and West Wilkes (41.5) close behind.
3A WEST REGIONAL – POLK COUNTY RESULTS
106 – Silas Amorelli Champ. Round 1: Amorelli maj. dec. Kyson Massie (East Surry), 10-0; Quarterfinal: Hunter Dancy (North Wilkes) p. Amorelli (1:16)
120 – Jayden Pons Quarterfinal: Jose Trejo (Surry Central) p. Pons (4:22)
126 – Liam Jackson Champ. Round 1: Jackson p. Marcus Berrios (Union Academy) (2:00); Quarterfinal: Carson Griffin (North Wilkes) maj. dec. Jackson, 10-2
132 – Amon Villarreal Champ. Round 1: Villarreal p. John Lewis (East Davidson) (1:52); Quarterfinal: Villarreal tech. fall Giovonni Wallace (Lincolnton), 17-1
138 – Conner Ahlert Champ. Round 1: David Gahagan (West Wilkes) d. Ahlert, 7-1
144 – Jaxtyn Virgil Champ. Round 1: Virgil p. Dean Clarke (East Davidson) (1:41); Quarterfinal: Virgil p. Ethan Hendrix (Walkertown) (0:49)
150 – Brody Wolfe Champ. Round 1: Bye; Quarterfinal: Wolfe d. Jackson Weisenburger (Union Academy), 10-9
157 – Carson Bell Champ. Round 1: Bell maj. dec. Brendan Lewis (Hendersonville), 16-2; Quarterfinal: Gabriel Robinson (Lincolnton) maj. dec. Bell, 14-1
165 – Zalen McCraw Champ. Round 1: McCraw p. Noah Osborne (North Wilkes) (0:53); Quarterfinal: McCraw p. Isaias Andrade-Perez (Mount Airy) (1:12)
175 – Zachary McCraw Champ. Round 1: McCraw p. Micah Whitley (Surry Central) (2:53); Quarterfinal: Andrew Meadows (Mount Airy) tech. fall McCraw, 19-3
190 – Styler Blackwell Champ. Round 1: Blackwell p. Drake Richardson (West Davidson) (1:11); Quarterfinal: Blackwell tech. fall Nathan White (East Davidson), 17-2
215 – Isaiah Staley Champ. Round 1: Jeremiah Haggins (Lincolnton) tech. fall Staley, 17-1
285 – Tanner McKinney Champ. Round 1: Troy Edwards (North Wilkes) d. McKinney, 5-0
TEAM STANDINGS (after Friday)
- Mount Airy 69; 2. Lincolnton 53; 3. Polk County 49; 4. North Wilkes 46; 5. West Wilkes 41.5; 6. West Caldwell 40; 7. Madison 35.5; 8. West Lincoln 34.5; 9. East Rutherford 29; 10. East Surry 27; 11. Owen 22; 12. Shelby 17.5; 13. Hendersonville 17; 14. North Stanly 15.5; 15. Union Academy 13.5; 16. East Davidson 11.5; 16. Surry Central 11.5; 18. Walkertown 11; 19. Mountain Heritage 9; 20. Patton 4; 21. Bessemer City 2; 21. Draughn 2; 23. Chase 0; 23. West Davidson 0.
