Zalen McCraw and Styler Blackwell advanced to Saturday’s championship finals, giving Polk County multiple state finalists for just the second time in school history, while four other Wolverines remained alive in consolation brackets after Friday’s action at the NCHSAA 3A Individual Wrestling Championships at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro.
The last time Polk County had multiple wrestlers reach the state finals came in 2011, when James Maxwell, Juan Vera and Tyler Philpott all advanced to championship matches, with Philpott claiming a title at heavyweight. He is the last Wolverine to win a state crown.
McCraw improved to 52-1 with a dominant performance at 165 pounds, stopping Wheatmore’s Brodie Bates 18-0 by technical fall in the quarterfinals before defeating East Rutherford’s Ranger Freeman 5-0 in the semifinals. The top-seeded McCraw will face Lincolnton’s Jay Mills (47-2) in Saturday’s championship match.
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Blackwell advanced to the 190-pound finals with a forfeit victory over McMichael’s Kolten Bradford in the quarterfinals and a 14-5 major decision over Maxwell Buckley in the semifinals. Blackwell (47-7) will wrestle Wheatmore’s Dominic Hittepole (48-3) for the state title.
Amon Villarreal, Jaxtyn Virgil and Brody Wolfe each won their quarterfinal matches before falling in the semifinals and dropping into the consolation bracket.
Villarreal (46-11) pinned Providence Grove’s Ayden Terwilliger in 2:42 in the 132-pound quarterfinals before losing to Madison’s Alexander Cecil 11-0 by major decision in the semifinals. Virgil (41-16) pinned McMichael’s Colby Smith in 4:25 in the 144-pound quarterfinals before falling to Mount Airy’s Michael Fischer 17-1 by technical fall in the semifinals. Wolfe (39-10) defeated Northeastern’s Jeremy Barcliff 8-3 in the 150-pound quarterfinals before being pinned by Hendersonville’s Alexander May in 1:00 in the semifinals.
All three will wrestle Saturday morning in the consolation semifinals with a chance to place in the top six.
Liam Jackson (41-18) lost to Eastern Randolph’s David Lambright 15-0 by technical fall in the 126-pound quarterfinals and will face Trinity’s Edgar Vasquez in Saturday’s consolation bracket.
Villarreal will face the winner of Friday night’s match between West Caldwell’s Chase Pippin and Bartlett Yancey’s Yurem Torres in the 132-pound consolation semifinals. Virgil meets the winner of Owen’s Kaiser Perkins and West Caldwell’s Tuyerl Maxwell at 144 pounds, while Wolfe takes on the winner of Wheatmore’s Spencer Moore and Mount Airy’s Alex Spainhour at 150 pounds.
Saturday’s consolation matches begin at 10 a.m., with championship matches scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
Polk County state wrestling finalists
1990: Derrick Pack
1991: Ricky Miller
2003: Jim Ollis (won)
2004: Jim Ollis (won)
2006: Austin Ollis
2007: Austin Ollis (won)
2009: Jordan Ollis
2010: Josh Metcalf
2011: James Maxwell, Juan Vera, Tyler Philpott (won)
2020: Preston Burnett
2025: Efrain Rivera
2026: Styler Blackwell, Zalen McCraw
