Robbinsville quintet lays claim to state championships
Asheboro – It was a night to remember.
Seven Robbinsville wrestlers made the 264-mile trek to Uwharrie Charter Academy in Asheboro on Saturday – a last-minute host for the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s 1A Men’s Invitational.
In the end, five Black Knights brought gold back to “The Ville”: Luke Wilson (106 pounds), Jayden Nowell (126), Kage Williams (182), Kyle Fink (195) and Ben Wachacha (220).
Carlos Wesley (285) placed third, while Aynsley Fink (113) competed in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Robbinsville’s strong showing at the invitational amassed 121 team points, which meant the Knights finished as state runner-up. Avery County tallied 186 points to win the 1A team championship.
Kage Williams
A freshman, Williams has had a dominant start to his varsity career.
Much touted while working through the middle school ranks, Williams compiled a 29-0 record during his first year in high school, capping the run through Saturday’s tournament with an 8-0 decision victory against Avery County’s Dalton Towe (26-3). Williams quickly pinned Granville Central’s Jayden Ramirez and East Surry’s Eli Becker in respective quarterfinal and semifinal bouts.
“I love this sport. It’s fun and tough,” Williams said. “I knew I had to come in here today and get it done.”
Kyle Fink
A successful defense of the 1A, 195-pound title and a career benchmark added to an already-decorated resume for junior Kyle Fink.
Kyle (25-3 this season) pinned Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Jaden Maness in the quarterfinals to attain his 100th career victory, before reaching the mountaintop again with an 8-4 decision win over Bishop McGuinness’ Daniel Cancro in the
semifinals and a decisive pinfall against North Stanly’s Meliek Bryant (16-2) in the finals.
“It’s exciting to get 100 wins,” Fink said. “I’ve put in a lot of work to get here. I just thank my drilling partners: Kage and Ben. They’ve put me through a lot of adversity in practice. It’s really taught me how to react to certain things and allowed me to win 100 different matches.”
Admittedly, Cancro proved to be one of the toughest opponents Fink has faced,
“This feels great. It is very rewarding,” Fink said. “That semifinal match was the hardest one I’ve had all year. He had a nasty head throw and I almost got put on my back on three separate occasions. It was very close.
Ben Wachacha
Another junior Black Knight, Wachacha rallied late in the third period to edge the defending 220-pound champion, Avery County’s Zach Vance (25-2).
Wachacha (22-2) had pinned Pamlico County’s Tyler Stevens and South Stanly’s Tony Rogers in respective quarterfinal and semifinal bouts to reach the deciding bout.
“Last year, I went to the (Greensboro) Coliseum (for the 2020 tournament),” Wachacha recalled. “I saw how big it was. I saw how exciting it was for everyone to win a state championship. I’ve always dreamed of winning a state championship and now that I am one, it feels amazing.
“I was nervous in the finals, but when I hit the mat, everything came back to me. I knew he (Vance) was quick, but that didn’t really catch me off-guard; what caught me off-guard was right after we would get back up, he would come right at me and take a shot. In our last match, he never really did that. After he got his two (points), I knew I had to get my hips up and get back behind him.”
Luke Wilson
A lot was at stake for senior Luke Wilson.
In his final performance for Robbinsville, Wilson (23-3) pinned Manteo’s Thalia Aquirre Gomez, before squaring off in a rematch of last year’s 106-pound finals against Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Heaven Fitch (22-3). Wilson notched a measure of revenge against the wrestler that cost him the championship in 2020, besting Fitch 6-4 in overtime.
Rosewood’s Jason Kennedy (29-1) then made Wilson earn the title in the finale, with the Knights’ eldest wrestler ending Kennedy’s undefeated season in a 7-4 decision.
“You have to really work at this, especially during the offseason,” Wilson said. “You can’t expect this to be handed to you. I’m so grateful. I worked my hind-end off. I beat the defending state champion in overtime. Everything has a way of working itself out.
“It’s very exciting. It’s a whole different experience winning this, because you know you’ve done this yourself. The best feeling is getting your hand raised at the end.”
Jayden Nowell
Another Robbinsville wrestler that broke the 100 career-wins mark this season, Nowell ended his junior season 28-0.
Arguably the most dominant showing from the Knights came by way of Nowell, who scored technical falls against Rosewood’s William Kimball and Mount Airy’s Alex Cox in respective quarterfinal and semifinal bouts. Nowell then pinned South Davidson’s Timmy Freeze (21-1) in the second period of the finals.
“This has definitely been a strange year, but it’s good that all the time and effort I’ve put in has paid off,” Nowell said. “(Freeze) was definitely good. Strong. I just had to rely on my strength and conditioning.
“There’s nothing better than ‘The Ville.’”
Wesley (19-5) pinned Pender’s Da’Rjon Smith in the quarterfinals, but fell to Avery County’s Levi Andrews in the semifinals. Andrews (28-0) went on to win the state championship, while Wesley finished third after pinning Albemarle’s Naquian Carpenter.
Competing for the first time in the men’s invitational, Aynsley Fink (19-3) dropped her quarterfinal bout to South Davidson’s Tristan Hale. Hale (22-0) would later win the 113-pound state title.