Southern Wayne sophomore Omar Soler-Sanchez shows off the tradition of biting the gold medal after he won the 106-pound weight class in the season-ending Quad County 3A individual wrestling championships Saturday. (Contributed photo)
WENDELL — Tori King looked more like a “proud papa” than a wrestling coach Saturday afternoon.
Who could blame him?
A diligent, season-long effort that could have easily been derailed by injuries and outside distractions, paid some well-deserved dividends in the Quad County 3A wrestling tournament contested at East Wake.
Southern Wayne had four medalists, including its first-ever QCC champion in the King era, and had six of 11 grapplers finish among the top four in their respective weight classes.
“Very pleased with the wrestling today and the last couple of weeks,” King said. “[Our] guys are turning the corner and starting to get it. [They’ve] become students of the sport.”
Runner-up at 106 pounds a year ago, Omar Soler-Sanchez topped the competition this time. Despite having just three matches on his docket, the sophomore started the day with 23-second fall over Smithfield-Selma freshman Landon Willis.
Soler-Sanchez scored a first-period fall against top-seeded Diego Perez in the semifinals. He pinned West Johnston freshman Gary Snyder with 20 seconds left during the opening period of their championship tilt.
In all, Soler-Sanchez logged less than four minutes on the mat and accounted for 24 team points. The outspoken and confident grappler missed the first semester due to disciplinary reasons.
“Omar looked good, although he still needs to get some more matches to be ready for regionals,” King said.
A third-place finisher at 138 pounds last season, Amari Thomas secured the silver medal (second) at 144 pounds. He received an opening-round bye and advanced to the finals with a 94-second fall over Fike’s Zach Turner.
Thomas fell to Smithfield-Selma’s Jaelyn Groves in the final.
“Amari looked solid and is continuing to improve,” King said of the senior, who missed part of the season due to an injury.
Senior Gabe Carmack emerged as the runner-up at 175 pounds.
He pinned Hunt’s Dabian Garcia in the quarterfinals and notched an 89-second fall over East Wake’s Taymir Crowder in the semifinals. Charles B. Aycock’s Axl Perry defeated Carmack in the finals.
Perry claimed his second QCC crown.
Saints freshman Jordan Valentine earned the bronze (third place) at 150. He stumbled in the quarterfinals, but moved to the medal round with an elimination-round conquest of West Johnston’s Byron Whitmore.
Valentine secured a spot on the medal podium after he recorded a third-period fall over Hunt’s Dymani Truesdale.
Andrew Dickins and Yusef Ceballos took fourth at 157 and 190 pounds, respectively. Teammates Catherine Chavarria (215), Dary Perez-Lucas (165), Oswaldo Quiroz (138) and Isaiah Smith (113) also competed in the day-long event.
“Some of our young kids made it to the medal round and really surprised some people,” King said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them. The team is really coming together as a family. They cheer each other on, are really into our matches and that always makes it easier during your matches.
“They’re really having fun.”
In the QCC’s three-year existence, seven SW wrestlers have combined to collect nine medals – one gold, five silver and three bronze.
Tournament wrap
CBA “three-peated” as the tournament champion with a 202-189 conquest over South Johnston. The Golden Falcons returned home to Pikeville with a tournament-best five individual champions.
South and CBA combined for 21 medalists and 36 falls.
West Johnston filed a third-place worksheet with 108.5 team points. East Wake ended up next with 96.5 points, followed by Fike (96), Southern Wayne (91), Smithfield-Selma (50) and Hunt (24).
Each school had one or more medalists.
Seven wrestlers protected their No. 1 seeds.
For the second straight year, the Golden Falcons (21-6 overall, 7-0 QCC) claimed the league’s automatic bid to the NC High School Athletic Association dual-team tournament, which begins Jan. 27.
East Wake will play host to the 27-team east regional on Feb. 9.
2024 Quad County 3A
Wrestling Championships
(at East Wake HS, Wendell)
Team Scores
Charles B. Aycock (CBA) 202, South Johnston (SJ) 189, West Johnston (WJ) 108.5, East Wake (EW) 96.5, Wilson Fike (F) 96, Southern Wayne (SW) 91, Smithfield-Selma (SSS) 50, Wilson Hunt (H) 24.
Individual Championships
106: Omar Soler Sanchez (SW) wbf Gary Snyder (WJ), 1:40; 113: Ethan Brownlee (SJ) wbf Carvin McMahon (CBA), 1:21; 120: Antonio Mitchell (F) dec. Carson Corl (SJ), 7-2; 126: Triston Woodard (EW) wbf Kiare Sewell (CBA), 3:22; 132: Jeremy Johnson (CBA) wbf Tyrone Crothamel (SJ), 3:00; 138: Ethan Croom (WJ) wbf Nathaniel Stanley (SJ), 5:54; 144: Jaelyn Groves (SSS) wbf Amari Thomas (SW), 1:37; 150: Jamari Hill (F) wbf Matthew Rodriguez (SJ), 5:34; 157: Samad Wooten (CBA) wbf Kevin Coyt (WJ), 2:36; 165: Jude Bennion (EW) dec. Aaron Painter (WJ), 6-4 (SV-1); 175: Axl Perry (CBA) wbf Gabe Carmack (CBA), 0:27; 190: Travis Burton (CBA) wbf Justin Bullock (F), 3:30; 215: Dallas Bailey (CBA) dec. Jamarion Ward (SJ), 2-1 (TB-1); HWT: Nick Rodgers (F) wbf Jadon Best (CBA), 2:41.
Consolation (third-place) Finals
106: Diego Perez (SJ) wbf Noah Berner (CBA), 2:13; 113: Michael Hizer (WJ) wbf Elvis Rivas (EW), 2:32; 120: Caleb Winstead (F) dec. Jaiden Moses (CBA), 5-1; 126: James Gomez Manzano (SSS) wbf Zach Greene (F), 4:14; 132: Bella Murillo (F) wbf Kalel Gonzalez-Jimenez (WJ), 2:42; 138: Aleczander Reyes (CBA) dec. Rigo Rivas (EW), 7-5; 144: Julio Gonzalez (SJ) wbf Tristan Bass (CBA), 4:30; 150: Jordan Valentine (SW) wbf Dymani Truesdale (H), 5:00; 157: Diego Uribe (SJ) wbf Andrew Dickins (SW), 1:17; 165: Miguel Diaz (SJ) dec. Urias Chandler (CBA), 5-4; 175: Cayden Wright (SJ) wbf Carlos De La Cruz Belmonte (SSS), 2:45; 190: Nash Ellis (SJ) wbf Yusef Ceballos (SW), 1:50; 215: Judah Harris (H) wbf Reid Kent (SSS), 0:53; HWT: Derique McIntyre (EW) waf Tyler Beasley (SJ), 2:28.
