2 Graham County grapplers capture state gold
Fayetteville – Anywhere you look, the future of wrestling in Robbinsville is prosperous.
The Peak Wrestling Club took five Graham County wrestlers to the NCWay State Championship Tournament, which was held at Fayetteville’s Crown Coliseum on Feb. 29. When the dust settled on the event, Avery Phillips (middle school, 90 pounds) and Cainan Williams (representing Higher Calling Wrestling, 10U, 95 pounds) both toppled their opposition to win state titles.
Phillips scored a 90-second pin over Chatham Elite’s Coltrane Northington in the quarterfinals, N.C. Wrestling Factory’s Grant Dollar in the semifinals – a 16-second pin, which earned the distinction of being the quickest in the tournament – and UCA’s Gage Greene in a 39-second defeat to win the state title.
Elsewhere, Williams earned a 5-0 decision over Matthew Slusser in the championship semifinals, before completely dominating Ministry on the Mat’s Brayden Waniorek in a 20-2 technical fall to capture the gold.
Also competing at the tournament were Alexis Panama (second place, 100 pounds), Anjalo Fiero (160 pounds, middle school) and Kage Williams (second place, 195-pound high school bracket).