GREENSBORO – Mark Emory exhaled a sigh of both exhaustion and contentment.
After two full days of wrestling in Greensboro Coliseum, Emory and Wolverines boarded their lucky activity bus and headed back to Polk County with the best state tournament showing ever by a Wolverine squad.
Polk County finished third in the 3A team standings, had five top-four finishes, two state finalists and the program’s fourth individual champion in senior Zalen McCraw.
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“I am super proud of how they came down here and performed,” Emory said. “The guys who battled back and finished third, that was awesome. That’s what I asked them to do. I preached it yesterday to them, they battled back and got thirds. That was big for us in the team score.”
McCraw’s championship in the 165-pound weight class highlighted the weekend. The senior capped his 53-1 season with his 176th career win, pinning Lincolnton’s Jay Mills in the closing seconds of their match.
But McCraw’s title was just part of Polk County’s story:
- Styler Blackwell reached his first state final, advancing in the 190-pound class to face defending state champion Dominic Hittepole of Wheatmore. Blackwell took an early lead and more than held his own, eventually dropping a 6-3 decision.
- Senior Amon Villarreal pulled away late in the third period to defeat West Caldwell’s Chase Pippen in the consolation semifinals, then pinned Mount Airy’s Justice Collins in the first period of the third-place match at 132 pounds.
- Junior Brody Wolfe decisioned Wheatmore’s Spencer Moore in the consolation semis, then pinned McMichael’s Hunter Lewis early in the second period of the third-place match at 150 pounds.
- Jaxtyn Virgil’s 9-7 win over Owen’s Kasier Perkins moved him into the third-place match, but Eastern Randolph’s Jamie Crabtree scored a pin in the second period to win the third-place match.
“Styler had a defending champion, but he hung in there with him,” Emory said. “Amon wrestled really well. He could have hung his head and quit (after losing in the semifinals), but he didn’t. He wrestled really well.
“Brody wrestled really well. Jaxtyn wrestled really well. He just got caught in a bad position in that match for third place.”
State dual team champion Trinity also landed the state tournament team title with four state champions, 10 placers and 156.5 points. Mount Airy took second with 104.5 points, followed by Polk County with 73.5. Lincolnton and Owen rounded out the top five.
The 3A tourney had the feel of a Western Highlands Conference meet at times. Hendersonville’s Alexander May capped his stellar career with an 8-6 decision over Owen’s Mason Wheeler at 150 pounds. Owen’s Joaquin Leunda Freeman won the state title at 157 pounds, with Madison’s Alexander Cecil second at 132 pounds and Owen’s John Bryson Perkins second at 138.
That’s three state champions and four state runners-up all from the WHC.
“This is the toughest region in the state that we come out of,” Emory said. “We were battle tested this year. Two of the teams we lost two were state champions (Trinity and West-Oak, S.C.). Enka’s going to win the state here (the Jets won the 5A title), and we lost to them.
“I’m proud of them. It’s been a really good season.”
