Styler Blackwell is making a habit of standing on top of regional tournament podiums. Saturday, he brought company.
Zalen McCraw joined Blackwell as a regional champion at Saturday’s 3A West Regional at West Lincoln High School, giving Polk County multiple regional champions for the first time since 2011 and helping the Wolverines qualify six wrestlers for next week’s state championship in Greensboro – matching the second-highest total in school history.
Blackwel, who won a 1A West crown last season, became only the fourth wrestler in school history to win multiple regional championships, joining Ricky Miller, Jim Ollis and Austin Ollis in that exclusive company. He earned his second straight regional title, this one at 190 pounds, with a pin over Shelby’s Jimon Leach in the semifinals and a hard-fought 8-3 decision over West Caldwell’s Lathan Dula in the final.
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McCraw improved to 50-1, pinning Madison’s Judson Beaver in the semifinals before stopping Lincolnton’s Jay Mills in 54 seconds in the championship match.
Amon Villarreal, Jaxtyn Virgil, Brody Wolfe and Liam Jackson each earned third-place finishes to round out Polk County’s six state qualifiers.
Villarreal fell to Madison’s Alexander Cecil in the semifinals before pinning East Surry’s Ronald Locklear and claiming third place via forfeit. Virgil lost a tight 5-3 decision to Mount Airy’s Michael Fischer in the semifinals, then bounced back with a major decision over West Wilkes’ Ryker Cayton and a 15-8 decision over Owen’s Kaiser Perkins to claim third.
Wolfe fell to Hendersonville’s Alexander May in the semifinals but responded with a 16-3 major decision over North Wilkes’ Tommy Sturgill and another 16-3 major decision over Owen’s Mason Wheeler to earn third. Jackson had perhaps the most dramatic path to the podium, winning a tiebreaker over Mount Airy’s Charlie Smith in the consolation semifinals before claiming third with a 7-1 decision over North Wilkes’ Carson Griffin.
Mount Airy won the team title with 195 points, with Polk County a clear second at 150. Lincolnton finished third with 137.5 points, followed by North Wilkes (104.5) and West Lincoln (101).
For the second straight year, the Wolverines finished as regional runner-up to Mount Airy – the same program they will face Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the 3A state dual team playoffs.
3A WEST REGIONAL – SATURDAY RESULTS
106 – Silas Amorelli Cons. Round 2: Joshua Faulkner (North Stanly) tech. fall Amorelli, 20-2
120 – Jayden Pons Cons. Round 2: Pons p. Adrien Prakuson (Draughn) (1:16); Cons. Round 3: Pons tech. fall Cyrus Bolen (Mount Airy), 18-2; Cons. Semi: Eli Matthew (West Lincoln) p. Pons (3:37)
126 – Liam Jackson (3rd place) Cons. Round 2: Jackson tech. fall Antwan Spikes (Shelby), 18-2; Cons. Round 3: Jackson p. Aleq Sweet (West Lincoln) (3:46); Cons. Semi: Jackson d. Charlie Smith (Mount Airy), 5-4 (TB-1); 3rd Place: Jackson d. Carson Griffin (North Wilkes), 7-1
132 – Amon Villarreal (3rd place) Semifinal: Alexander Cecil (Madison) p. Villarreal (3:41); Cons. Semi: Villarreal p. Ronald Locklear (East Surry) (3:55); 3rd Place: Villarreal by forfeit
138 – Conner Ahlert Cons. Round 1: Ahlert d. Aiden Skipper (Walkertown), 3-0; Cons. Round 2: Matthew Walsh (Union Academy) p. Ahlert (0:52)
144 – Jaxtyn Virgil (3rd place) Semifinal: Michael Fischer (Mount Airy) d. Virgil, 5-3; Cons. Semi: Virgil maj. dec. Ryker Cayton (West Wilkes), 10-2; 3rd Place: Virgil d. Kaiser Perkins (Owen), 15-8
150 – Brody Wolfe (3rd place) Semifinal: Alexander May (Hendersonville) p. Wolfe (0:56); Cons. Semi: Wolfe maj. dec. Tommy Sturgill (North Wilkes), 16-3; 3rd Place: Wolfe maj. dec. Mason Wheeler (Owen), 16-3
157 – Carson Bell Cons. Round 2: Bell p. Michael Youngblood (East Surry) (2:20); Cons. Round 3: Colton Jessup (Madison) tech. fall Bell, 17-1
165 – Zalen McCraw (1st place) Semifinal: McCraw p. Judson Beaver (Madison) (2:37); 1st Place: McCraw p. Jay Mills (Lincolnton) (0:54)
175 – Zachary McCraw Cons. Round 2: McCraw tech. fall Lucas Maness (East Davidson), 15-0; Cons. Round 3: McCraw tech. fall Barry Huntley (East Rutherford), 18-2; Cons. Semi: Joram Gnamien-Brou (Walkertown) maj. dec. McCraw, 9-0
190 – Styler Blackwell (1st place) Semifinal: Blackwell p. Jimon Leach (Shelby) (0:54); 1st Place: Blackwell d. Lathan Dula (West Caldwell), 8-3
215 – Isaiah Staley Cons. Round 1: Staley p. Jayden Johnson (Chase) (4:55); Cons. Round 2: Spencer Hunt (North Wilkes) maj. dec. Staley, 12-3
285 – Tanner McKinney Cons. Round 1: McKinney maj. dec. Brady Christian (Patton), 12-1; Cons. Round 2: Alex Kalisz (Union Academy) d. McKinney, 9-5
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
- Mount Airy 195; 2. Polk County 150; 3. Lincolnton 137.5; 4. North Wilkes 104.5; 5. West Lincoln 101; 6. Owen 92; 7. West Caldwell 91; 8. Madison 86.5; 8. West Wilkes 86.5; 10. East Surry 72.5; 10. Hendersonville 72.5; 12. East Rutherford 62; 13. North Stanly 57.5; 14. Shelby 41.5; 15. Surry Central 39.5; 16. East Davidson 38; 17. Union Academy 31; 18. Mountain Heritage 22.5; 19. Walkertown 20; 20. West Davidson 12; 21. Patton 11; 22. Draughn 6; 23. Bessemer City 5; 24. Chase 0.
