Mount Airy raced to a 25-4 lead through seven matches and withstood Polk County’s furious comeback attempt to claim a 42-28 victory in Tuesday’s quarterfinals of the NCHSAA 3A Dual Team Tournament at Wheatmore High School.
The Bears (25-1) dominated the early going, winning six of the first seven matches to build what appeared to be an insurmountable advantage. But the Wolverines (33-6) roared back with their regional champions leading the charge, pulling within three points before Mount Airy sealed the victory in the final two matches.
Mount Airy’s early surge included pins by Jenevy Olalde at 106 pounds, Alex Martinez-Perez at 113 and a major decision by Angel Olalde at 120. Charlie Smith’s 7-4 overtime decision over Liam Jackson at 126 gave the Bears a 19-0 lead.
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Conner Ahlert stopped the bleeding with a technical fall at 132 pounds, but Mount Airy’s Justice Collins edged Amon Vilarreal 8-7 at 138 and Michael Fischer defeated Jaxtyn Virgil 7-1 at 144 to push the Bears’ advantage to 25-4.
That’s when Polk County’s comeback began.
Brody Wolfe pinned Jared Horton at 150 pounds. Carson Bell took down Caden McDaniel at 157. Zalen McCraw followed with a pin of Isaias Andrade-Perez at 165, pulling the Wolverines within 25-22.
Mount Airy’s two-time defending state champion, Andrew Meadows, stopped the momentum with a pin of Zachary McCraw at 175 to make it 31-22. But Styler Blackwell answered immediately, pinning Brody Caudle at 190 to cut the deficit to 31-28 and give Polk County hope heading into the final two matches.
The Bears closed strong as Aaron Ruiz-Angel won by fall at 215 and Aiden Frank won by technical fall at heavyweight to seal the victory and advance to the state semifinals.
Mount Airy then fell to West Lincoln 39-38 in the 3A West Regional final, setting up a West Lincoln-Trinity clash for the state 3A crown. Trinity built a 42-9 lead, then forfeited the final four matches to earn a 42-33 victory and the 3A title.
STATE 3A DUAL TEAM TOURNAMENT – QUARTERFINALS
106: Jenevy Olalde (MA) p. Grace Settles
113: Alex Martinez-Perez (MA) p. Silas Amorelli
120: Angel Olalde (MA) maj. dec. Jayden Pons, 12-2
126: Charlie Smith (MA) d. Liam Jackson, 7-4, overtime
132: Conner Ahlert (PC) tech. fall Nathan Haynes, 18-3
138: Justice Collins (MA) d. Amon Villarreal, 8-7
144: Michael Fischer (MA) d. Jaxtyn Virgil, 7-1
150: Brody Wolfe (PC) p. Jared Horton
157: Carson Bell (PC) p. Caden McDaniel
165: Zalen McCraw (PC) p. Isaias Andrade-Perez
175: Andrew Meadows (MA) p. Zachary McCraw
190: Styler Blackwell (PC) p. Brody Caudle
215: Aaron Ruiz-Angel (MA) p. Chester Wilson
285: Aiden Frank (MA) tech. fall Tanner McKinney, 17-2
Note: Polk County penalized 1 team point for unsportsmanlike conduct
