Viking grapplers improve duals record to 7-0 to open season

NEWLAND — Avery Wrestling continues to pile up winning results in dual matches in the early weeks of the 2022-23 season. The Vikings hosted West Wilkes and McDowell high schools in Viking Gym on Tuesday, Nov. 22, in the team’s last action prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Avery improved its record for the season in dual matches to 7-0 overall, as it defeated both the Blackhawks and the Titans on the mat.

Avery 48, West Wilkes 33

The West Wilkes Blackhawks proved to be a worthy adversary against the Big Red, with Avery having to battle to pick up the win in the dual.

Avery earned eight victories in the 14 bouts, with West earning six total bout wins. At 160 pounds, Tristan Adams earned a pinfall win over West’s Chris West in 1:18 for an early Viking lead. Teammate Cael Dunn followed with a first-period pin over West’s Seth Huffman at 170 pounds, while Avery’s Seth Blackledge dispatched of West opponent Chase Huffman in only 24 seconds to give the Vikings an early advantage.

West Wilkes bounced back for its first team points of the dual as Holt Hanchey defeated Brandon Cabrera of Avery by 8-1 decision for three team points. West wrestlers Elija Ramirez (220 pounds) and Bryson Vickers (285 pounds) were each victorious by pinfall over Avery’s Connor Brewer and Sky Ramsey, respectively, leaving Avery with a slim 18-15 lead entering lower weight classes.

Cooper Foster stopped the West momentum by picking up a pin in 28 seconds over West’s Isaac Clonch at 106 pounds, with Korie Clark earned a win at 113 pounds by pinfall in 3:55 over opponent Joshua Orellana. West Wilkes’ Carter Minton earned a win by pin over Avery’s King Orvosh at 120 pounds to narrow the score to 30-21. Avery then extended its lead for good, as Ben Jordan was a winner by pin in 59 seconds at 126 pounds over West’s Jacob Bray, Johnathon Gragg won by pin in 3:17 against West foe DJ Ferko and co-captain Grant Reece won by pin in 1:36 at 138 pounds over West’s Mason Overton.

Avery surrendered a forfeit to West at 145 pounds, with Blackhawk wrestler Taner Estes winning by fall in 1:37 over Viking Barrett Potter to account for the final match score.

Avery 51, McDowell 30

Avery had little time to rest on its laurels, as it quickly returned to the mat to square off against the border rival Titans.

Dunn kicked off the dual with a win by fall in 1:31 at 170 pounds over opponent Hunter Pitman, with Blackledge earning a win by fall in 1:51 over McDowell’s Josh Burnette at 182 pounds. The Titans earned their first team points at 195 pounds, as Kane Thomas earned a win by second-period fall over Avery’s Cabrera. Titans teammate Hayden Haynes followed with a first-period pin over Avery’s Brewer to tie the match at 12-12. MHS won a third consecutive bout, as Jonathan Hall won at heavyweight by fall over Ramsey to take an 18-12 advantage.

As the lineup flipped to the lower class weights, Avery reeled off five victories in six bouts, all by pinfall to regain the advantage. Foster earned a win in 1:12 at 106 pounds over MHS’s Harper Thompson, and McDowell answered with a win by pin by Morgan Rapasky at 113 pounds over Avery’s Korie Clark. Orvosh avenged his earlier defeat with a win by pinfall in 55 seconds over Titans grappler Tony Austin, while Avery’s Jordan was victorious by pin in 40 seconds over McDowell’s Rylan Patterson at 126 pounds. Gragg was a winner by second-period pinfall at 132 pounds over McDowell’s Gonzalo Castillo, while Reece earned a pinfall win at 1:52 over McDowell’s Logan Laurie.

Avery surrendered a forfeit at 145 pounds, then ended the match with two straight bout wins, a a hard-fought 8-5 decision win by Potter at 152 pounds, and a win by pinfall in 1:41 at 160 pounds by Adams over McDowell’s Hunter Kirby.

“That was the first time that we were able to see Barrett kind of ‘gut through’ a win. That’s an important maturation step for him. We spoke to him after his loss to the West wrestler, and he went out there and beat the guy that had beaten his first opponent. That was impressive on his behalf,” Avery head wrestling coach Matthew Dunn said about the freshman after the matches. “You always like to see a kid recognize that moment of maturation, when they push through and are able to win those matches when they’re behind.”

Dunn is grateful for his team’s performance and its solid start, but also is realistic in noting that his team still has much to improve upon at such an early point of the season.

“We’re still young, and we’re still making a lot of mistakes. We’ve got to be better than what we’re being. We’re not living up to the expectations that we have for our program right now. We’re even expecting our younger kids to show more heart and more tenacity than what we’ve been seeing,” Dunn explained. “We’ve got a long ways to keep working at it, and when you’re 7-0 you can’t sit around and complain too much. You’ve got to be thankful for the breaks you’ve been given. We have six kids on the team who are 7-0 and you can’t complain about that. The guys we’re expecting to go out there and do great are going out and doing great. We’ve got to have our younger kids to develop faster if we want to maintain our expectations and get to where we want to be this season.”

Avery continues its grueling early schedule and returns to the mat in Viking Gym at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30, for duals against Elizabethton (Tenn.), Newton-Conover, East Burke and Freedom high schools. Avery’s wrestlers age 15 and younger will also compete this weekend in Gatlinburg, Tenn., at The Bear Tournament.