Robbinsville grapplers off to 6-1 start
Rosman – Robbinsville wrestling is widely known for its motto: “Representing The ‘Ville.”
And no matter what segment of North Carolina the Black Knights travel to, they live up to the credo.
Robbinsville (6-1) has hit the ground running, already logging seven dual matches in four counties over the last two weeks.
Following a home sweep of Franklin and East Henderson on April 29, the Knights traveled to Greensboro for a tri-match with Southeast Guilford and West Forsyth. Robbinsville knocked off Southeast Guilford 51-27, but suffered its first loss to West Forsyth 37-36 – a defeat only merited by tiebreaker rules.
The hectic schedule continued May 4, when the Knights got their first taste of conference action at Andrews. Robbinsville toppled the Wildcats 78-6.
The Knights then finished the run May 6, traveling to Rosman for a tri-match with the Tigers and the Pisgah Black Bears. Robbinsville took care of business, defeating Rosman 54-12 and Pisgah 39-34.
“We take a lot of pride in facing competition in any classification: anytime, anyplace,” Knights head coach Todd Odom said. “The only way that we’re going to get better is to wrestle the best people.”
The back-and-forth battle with Pisgah began with Aynsley Fink (113 pounds) pinning Clay Hatton. Alexis Panama (120) lost a hard-fought 2-1 decision, but Jayden Nowell (126) got six points in the next bout with a pin. Case Beasley (132) dropped his bout via pinfall, before a forfeit at 138 pounds pushed Pisgah ahead 15-12. The Bears widened their lead with a pair of pins and a 9-1 majority decision, before Robbinsville started its comeback bid with pinfall wins for Jacob Hall (170) and Kage Williams (182).
Kyle Fink (195) then posted a 6-3 decision win, before Ben Wachacha (220) won via pinfall. Carlos Wesley fell 2-1 in the heavyweight clash, but Luke Wilson’s pinfall triumph at 106 pounds pulled the Knights ahead for the five-point victory.
“Pisgah has a great program,” Odom added. “We had not been able to wrestle them head-to-head since 2008. They’re one of the best teams in the mountains this year, so when I found out they were going to be at Rosman, I was excited to put them on the schedule.
“Again, classification doesn’t matter. Name recognition doesn’t matter. The ‘Ville is going to wrestle the best that this state and other states have to offer, year in or year out.”