SPORTS
By Adam Powell
Correspondent
With the regular season winding down in local prep wrestling circles, various schools in the area are competing against conference rivals in dual-team matches while also competing in assorted individual tournaments throughout the region. Take a closer look at the latest wrestling action around Chapel Hill and Carrboro over the first two weeks of January in the newest edition of TLR’s Wrestling Notebook.
Carrboro – Jags earn team victories, fall in conference battle
Carrboro picked up a pair of solid dual team victories on the evening of Thursday, January 8, as the Jaguars earned a dominant 60-12 win over the Durham School of the Arts, along with a decisive 57-7 triumph over the North Carolina School of Science and Math. The pair of Big Seven Conference wins helped the Jaguars overcome a loss to another conference foe the night before.
On Wednesday, January 7, the Jaguars challenged Cedar Ridge, the defending champions of the old Central 3A Conference, who are looking to emerge as the top team in their new conference. The Jaguars earned four head-to-head victories over Cedar Ridge grapplers, but it didn’t prove to be enough to get the team a win, as the Jaguars fell 53-21 in the overall scoring.
Carrboro got off to a tremendous start in the match, as Nishad Herr pinned Caleb Copeland in the third round (5:12) in the opening match at 132 pounds. Jackson Brooks followed for the Jaguars by pinning Cedar Ridge’s Will Streilein late in the first round (1:53) at 138 pounds. Despite an early 12-0 advantage, Carrboro subsequently fell in the next three head-to-head showdowns.
Trailing 15-12, the Jaguars sent Dag Heintzman out to face Cedar Ridge’s Mikey O’Melia in the 165-pound match, and Heintzman came away with Carrboro’s third individual victory. In a fierce battle that went the full six minutes, Heintzman came through with a clutch 5-3 decision, which briefly tied the match, 15-15.
Cedar Ridge took command following Heintzman’s dramatic win over O’Melia, with only one individual win over the final eight head-to-head matches. That victory came from Noah Matamoros, who pinned Jonah Cheek in the second round (3:32).
Carrboro fared much better against the Durham School of the Arts, losing just two head-to-head matchups in a convincing 60-12 victory. Along with seven forfeits, Carrboro got wins from Brooks, who pinned Michael Matuszewski at 138 pounds, Heintzman pinned Elijah Borges at 165 pounds, and Matamoros pinned Solomon Lester at 285 pounds.
Against the North Carolina School of Science and Math, Antonio Gonzalez got a win for Carrboro at 132 pounds, as he pinned NCSSM’s Jeffrey Valdovinos midway through the first round (2:52). Emil Shaji followed with a dramatic 8-4 decision win over Atlas Lad at 157 pounds. Robert Orr pinned Aryan Saha in the first round (1:18) at 106 pounds. The Jaguars also added seven forfeit victories in the lopsided triumph over the Unicorns.
On Thursday, January 15, the Jaguars returned to the mat with a match against Bishop McGuinness. Then on Saturday, January 17, the Jags will make an appearance at the Patriot Invitational on the campus of Providence Grove High School in Climax, North Carolina. Carrboro closes out the regular season January 21 at Big Seven Conference rival Oxford Webb, leading up to the conference tournament January 24.
Chapel Hill – Tigers dominate Durham Riverside, East Chapel Hill in Tobacco Road matchups
Chapel Hill’s wrestling squad kicked off the New Year in winning fashion as the Tigers hosted Tobacco Road Conference rival Durham Riverside and blew out the Pirates, 61-14. A total of six different Tiger grapplers earned individual wins as CHHS ran away from their league foe.
Although Riverside won the first match at 106 pounds, Eliel Villedo got the Tigers in the win column with a 15-4 major decision win over Samuel Santiago Castro at 113 pounds. Elgia Helmstetter earned a third round pin over Jasim Tollman (4:50) at 126 pounds, Flynn Campbell pinned Rhys Roberts in the first round (1:01) at 138 pounds, Jacob Rabinovitz dropped Harron Baqia in 35 seconds at 144 pounds, Christian Garcia Mendez pinned Sawyer Betts midway through the second round (2:55) at 150 pounds, Troy Munday earned a 14-8 decision over Jabari Too at 165 pounds, and Owen Reams earned a first round pin (1:22) over Elijah Helms. The Tigers added four forfeits as they pulled away from the Pirates.
On January 9, the Tigers hosted a quad series of matches that included Apex’s Middle Creek High, Fayetteville’s Union Pines High, and Montgomery Central High in Troy. The Tigers defeated Montgomery Central in a 36-33 thriller, but lost to Middle Creek (47-24) and Union Pines (66-8).
Against Montgomery Central, Sergio Hewitt got a win for Chapel Hill in the 157-pound weight class, as he earned an 11-8 decision victory over Juan Mireles. Other victories for the Tigers included Samuel Munroe’s first round pin (1:22) of Ruben Mireles at 175 pounds, Troy Deniz’s 10-4 decision over Jatorian Hill at 190 pounds, Benjamin Green’s 7-0 shutout decision over Hawk Callahan at 215 pounds, Reams’ 11-9 decision over Kohl Greene at 285 pounds, and Jasim Tollman’s second round pin (3:23) over Damian Tedosio at 120 pounds. Reams also earned Chapel Hill’s only individual victory against statewide powerhouse Union Pines, as he earned a 5-3 decision over Wyatt Musil.
Against Middle Creek, five different Tiger grapplers came away with individual victories, including Helmstetter, who outlasted Naylor Higgins in an 11-7 decision at 126 pounds, Campbell, who pinned Ian Turner in just 54 seconds at 138 pounds, Green, who earned a 6-3 decision over Jayden Spencer at 215 pounds, Reams, who needed only 28 seconds to pin Hicham Jaouahar at 285 pounds, and John Vece, who pinned Aadhitya Raamakrisha in the third round (5:29) at 106 pounds.
On January 15, the Tigers traveled to East Chapel Hill and earned a hard-fought 53-16 triumph over the Wildcats. Chapel Hill won a total of 11 of the 14 individual matches against the Wildcats, including six of the match’s final seven showdowns.
For Chapel Hill, Reams pinned Samuel Chorino at 285 pounds, Tollman pinned Samuel Rossi in the second round (2:57) at 120 pounds, Elliott Cottrell earned a 10-1 major decision over Eric Hito at 132 pounds, Jacob Rabinovitz earned a 12-3 major decision over Alphonso Winn at 144 pounds, Hewitt earned a tough 13-11 decision over Ben Nabedrik at 157 pounds, Munday earned a 4-3 decision over Ezekiel Neff at 165 pounds, Munroe earned a 7-3 decision over Hogan Martin at 175 pounds, and Deniz pinned Josiah Whitsell in the first round (1:40) at 190 pounds. There were also three forfeit wins for the Tigers in the victorious match.
Chapel Hill continues its postseason preparations as it hosts a series of quad matches on Friday, January 16, and Friday, Jan. 23. The Tigers also travel to Tobacco Road Conference rival Southern Durham on Wednesday, Jan. 28, to close out the regular season.
East Chapel Hill – Wildcats defeat Spartans, fall to Chapel Hill in conference showdowns
On the evening of Thursday, Jan. 8, East Chapel Hill’s wrestling squad traveled to Southern Durham for a dual team match against the Spartans. The Wildcats came away with a clutch 42-39 triumph over the Spartans.
Against Southern Durham, Roland Owen pinned Mahomd Alsoln early in the second round (2:10) at 113 pounds, Alphonso Winn pinned Mason Wilkerson in the second round (2:27) at 157 pounds, Hogan Martin pinned Ray Russell in the third round (5:21) at 165 pounds, and Raphael Maracaja pinned Christophe Masengo in the second round (3:24) at 175 pounds. The Wildcats were also the beneficiaries of three critical forfeits, which produced nine points that helped ECHHS get over the hump for the narrow team victory.
On Saturday, January 10, the Wildcats made their way to Eden’s Morehead High School in Rockingham County for an appearance at the Sarah Wilkes Memorial Tournament. Owen and teammate Cole Shuster had huge days at this tournament, combining for 7 wins.
Owen, wrestling out of the 113-pound weight class in Eden, earned a second-round pin (2:22) over Brayden Porter of host Morehead High, an 18-2 technical fall victory early in the third round (4:13) over Camden Gillespie, and a third-round pin (4:46) over Jose Ciruentes. Owen’s only loss of the day was a late third-round pin (5:43) at the hands of Northwest Guilford’s John Belcher.
Shuster won four out of his five total matches in Eden, as he earned a hard-fought 1-0 decision over Waylon Pinnix of Northwest Guilford, a 4-1 decision over Jhi Roberson of Greensboro Dudley, a 44-second first-round pin of Western Alamance’s Gavin Smith, and a second-round pin (2:11) over Brady Smith of Oak Grove. Shuster’s only setback of the weekend was a 4-1 decision loss to James Paschal of Morehead.
On the evening of Thursday, Jan. 15, the Wildcats welcomed crosstown rival Chapel Hill to the ECHHS gymnasium for a hotly contested showdown. And while the Tigers came away with a 53-16 team victory over the Wildcats, a total of three East Chapel Hill wrestlers earned victories in the match. Owen pinned Eliel Villedo late in the first round (1:49) at 113 pounds, Cole Shuster earned an 18-3 technical fall in the third round (5:22) over Flynn Campbell, and Shane Shuster earned a 17-1 technical fall victory over Christian Garcia Mendez at 150 pounds.
East Chapel Hill didn’t have any time to feel sorry about themselves coming off the Chapel Hill setback, as they were scheduled to appear in the Coach T Memorial Classic – which honors former wrestling coach Walter Tolarchyk – on the campus of Durham’s Riverside High School on Friday, January 16 and Saturday, Jan. 17.
Adam Powell has been a correspondent for The Local Reporter since 2023. A 2001 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, Powell has served as managing editor of multiple local publications, including the News of Orange County, the Mebane Enterprise, the Caswell Messenger, and the ACC Sports Journal. The author of four books. Adam currently resides in Mebane with his wife Julie and children Colt and Jenna. This reporter can be reached at:Information@TheLocal Reporter.press
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