Knights win annual home showcase
Robbinsville – After all its travels, the Robbinsville wrestling team finally had a chance to show off its tournament dominance on its home turf.
Fans who turned out for the annual James Orr Invitational on Saturday were able to watch the Knights do what they do: carve through a field like a hot knife through butter.
The end result? A whopping 206 team points – which far outpaced the 145 put up by second-place Uwharrie Charter Academy – 10 grapplers that finished fourth or better in their bracket and four individual champions.
“I was really pleased with our performance,” Robbinsville head coach Todd Odom said. “I’ve said the hardest thing you’ll ever do is live up to expectations. We not only lived up to them; we exceeded them.”
Seven Knights reached the championship finals. Robbinsville started its finals appearances off on the right foot, with Kyle Fink (36-4, 182 pounds) scoring a 10-0 majority decision against Cherryville’s Mason Grindstaff. Fink pinned Smoky Mountain’s Elijah Hamilton in the quarterfinals and Swain County’s Carter Hayes in the semifinals.
Kage Williams (26-1) then captured the 195-pound gold medal, pinning Tuscola’s Jadon Mintz in the second period. To reach the finals, Williams muscled Swain County’s Blake Sain to the mat.
Ben Wachacha (31-6, 220) next earned a 9-2 decision against Swain County’s Carson Taylor to win the bracket. Wachacha knocked off Cherryville’s Jack Dellinger to reach the finals.
Carlos Wesley (19-7, 285) dropped a hard-fought 3-1 bout to Alcoa, Tenn.’s Lance Williams, before Alexis Panama (17-6, 106) pinned Rosman’s Kreed Smith to notch another Robbinsville championship.
Alexis Panama’s road to the finals went through West Oak, S.C.’s Abram Rogers and Swain County’s Kale Stephenson – both pinfall victories.
Aynsley Fink (32-9, 113) was then knocked off in the second period by West Oak’s Teague Strobel, before Jayden Nowell (31-4, 132) lost a tough 6-5 bout to Uwharrie Charter’s Aldo Hernandez.
Robbinsville wrestlers finishing third in their weight class were Avery Phillips (120), Zane Lucksavage (138) and Jacob Hall (160). Jaret Panama (152) placed fourth. Also competing in the varsity bracket were Logan Hyde (126), Juan Rios (145) and Murphy Shanahan (170).
In its fourth incarnation, the James Orr Invitational featured 14 teams from four states.
“We had a lot of our kids just wrestle tough, gritty matches,” Odom said. “We had several quality teams come in and we were actually not picked to win the tournament.
“Let it serve as a lesson to anyone and everyone who doubts ‘The Ville.’ Looking for a bunch of winners? You might wanna bet on black.”
A scheduled dual Tuesday between Robbinsville (18-1) and Hayesville was cancelled and will not be made up.
The Knights traveled to Swain County for a match to determine the 2021-22 Smoky Mountain Conference champion after press time Wednesday.