C.B. Aycock grapplers cruise to ECC 3-A tournament title

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 4, 2008 2:32 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- A focused and prepared Charles B. Aycock wrestling team dominated from start to finish during the 2008 Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference individual wrestling championships on Saturday.

The Golden Falcons placed a grappler among the top three in all 14 weight classes and recorded a resounding 256 points, nearly 63 more than runner-up and 2007 champion Eastern Wayne.

"Any time every wrestler in your lineup brings home a top-three finish, you will have a successful tournament individually and as a team," said Aycock head coach Mark Bass.

Five Aycock competitors emerged conference champions -- Justin Farrell (112 pounds), Joseph Conner (119), Drake Gurley (125), Kevin Carmel (140) and Jarrett Covar (215). The quintet also earned all-ECC honors for their efforts.

Nick Bentley (103), Brandon Bailey (130), Freddie Coley (160), Josh Grimes (171), Bryan Diorio (189) and heavyweight Khiry Reid each ended up second overall. Jacob Marple (135), James Jones (145) and Ryan Butts (152) each finished third.

The Golden Falcons recorded falls in 15 of their first 21 individual matches, and collected crucial bonus points.

"We were able to keep the energy high, the wrestling consistent and avoid any real lulls in our performance," said Bass. "These are all issues we have dealt with earlier in the year since replacing so many excellent wrestlers from a year ago."

Eastern Wayne senior Chris Tesar improved to a staggering 195-9 during his career with a 3-0 performance at 130 pounds. Tesar became the Warriors' first-ever, four-time conference champion during Mike Brown's tenure as head coach.

A.J. Washington (152), Brandon Darby (171) and Tyler Wicks (189) also won individual titles for Eastern Wayne. Teammates Drew Tesar (125), T.J. Jones (103), Corbin Harris (119), Jordan Harris (125), Zach Hahn (140), Hunter Newsome (145), Cody Britt (160) and Foy Coley (215) finished among the top four in their respective divisions.

Southern Wayne got outstanding efforts from senior heavyweight Josh Robinson, who was selected most outstanding wrestler after upsetting Aycock's Reid in the finals. It was Robinson's second victory over Reid in less than a month.

Tristan Bass and John Futrell grabbed titles at 145 and 160 pounds, respectively. Teammates Jacob Richards (119), Miles Bradshaw (125), Dakota Ovalle (130), Josh Woodall (135) and Dustin Richards (140) contributed to the Saints' fourth-place team finish behind Wilson Hunt.

Aycock and Eastern Wayne return to action Tuesday in the N.C. High School Athletic Association dual-team playoffs. First-round matches begin at 6 p.m.

"With the conference tournament championship in hand, another goal has been checked off our list," said Bass. "We will continue to work hard to prepare ourselves for the remainder of the postseason."