Southern Wayne head wrestling coach Tori King, left, shows proper technique on a move to senior 175-pounder Gabe Carmack. King, Carmack and seven more Saints are headed to the NC High School Athletic Association east 3A wrestling regionals Saturday. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
WENDELL — The road to Greensboro is paved with tremendous hurdles for Southern Wayne’s wrestling team.
Head coach Tori King has eight grapplers seeded in 14 different weight classes for the NC High School Athletic Association east 3A regionals, slated for Saturday at East Wake High School.
First-round bouts start at 10 a.m.
“We feel pretty good about our chances and can’t wait to actually get on the mat,” King said.
Amari Thomas is the highest-seeded Saint.
The senior drew No. 9 and opposes eighth-seeded senior Jason Edwards (23-10 overall) from traditional power Southern Nash. Thomas (15-10) has fully recovered from a mid-season injury and rides momentum from a medal-podium finish in the recently-contested Quad County 3A tournament.
“Amari is capable of making a run as well and has really been coming on strong during the end of the year,” King said.
The Saints’ next-highest seed is Gabe Carmack.
After sitting out last season, Carmack (26-11) emerged as the QCC runner-up at 175 pounds. Seeded 10th for the regional, the senior squares off against Currituck County sophomore Dominic Yanger, who is 31-12.
“175 is looking like a tough weight class for the region, but [we’re] hoping he can put together some wins and make a run as well,” King said.
Yusef Ceballos is No. 11 at 190 pounds.
Despite nagging injuries, the second-year matman has continued to show improvement in the circle. He faces C.B. Aycock senior Travis Burton, a 37-match winner, in opening-round action.
Sophomore Omar Soler-Sanchez (7-1) drew the 13th seed.
Outspoken and aggressive, he carries a “no fear” attitude onto the mat, which is critical in what is normally an upset-filled 106-pound class. He takes on Currituck County freshman Jayden Rhodes, who has prevailed in 21 of 30 outings this season.
“We feel Omar is capable of upsetting some people and making a run to states,” King said.
Isaiah Smith and Jordan Valentine are seeded 14th at 113 and 157 pounds, respectively. Smith tangles with Jacksonville junior Cole Hunt, while Valentine battles West Carteret junior Braden Reynolds.
Dary Perez-Lucas and Chris Melvin have the toughest matchups.
Riddled with injuries throughout the year, the 15th-seeded Perez-Lucas (19-13) has a date with second-seeded Noah Michael of Franklinton. Melvin gets to see QCC champion Nicholas Rodgers of Fike – the region’s top seed – at heavyweight.
“Chris has recently been dealing with a shoulder injury, but is going to give it a shot and see how it goes,” said King, whose past two teams have posted 20th-place performances on the regional scene.
The top four finishers in each weight class punch their tickets to the two-day, NCHSAA state finals in Greensboro next weekend.
First Flight seeks its third consecutive east regional team crown.
2024 NC High School
Athletic Association
Class 3A East Regional
(at East Wake HS, Wendell)
No. 1 Seeds
106: Jose Salazar (Southern Nash, 35-6); 113: Ethan Brownlee (South Johnston, 40-3); 120: Joshua Kozminski (Dixon, 40-1); 126: Ayden Goodman (Swansboro, 35-6); 132: Luke Connick (West Brunswick, 27-2); 138: Dylan Shirley (West Carteret, 40-7); 144: Azrael Simpson (First Flight, 35-1); 150: Jaedon Norwood (Rocky Mount, 19-2); 157: Moises Sontay (NSDJ, 21-1); 165: Jackson Mitcham (Dixon, 30-5); 175: Kamar Brown (NSDJ, 41-0); 190: Justin Bullock (Fike, 39-7); 215: Dallas Bailey (C.B. Aycock, 31-1); HWT: Nicholas Rodgers (Fike, 43-3).
