Robbinsville adds state invitational team title to resume
Greensboro – After this weekend’s individual state tournament concluded, Robbinsville can safely remove the adverb “never” from in front of the phrase “won a state invitational team title.”
Leading up to the final tournament of the year, head coach David Haney told The Graham Star on Feb. 13 that the team championship is won in the consolation bracket.
His observation was prophetic.
Skyler Anderson (107 pounds, 50-4) and Lleyton Hooper (138, 39-15) both emerged atop the consolation brackets of their respective weight classes, collecting 12.5 team points each in the process.
Three overall state champions – Kage Williams (190, 37-0), Koleson Dooley (285, 37-4) and Alexis Panama (120, 50-3) – combined forces with state finalists Adair Panama (113, 50-3) and Loxston Hooper (126, 49-3) to shoulder the remainder of Robbinsville’s 96 team points.
The math did the rest. A back-and-forth race with Avery County (114.5 team points) and Uwharrie Charter Academy (109) throughout Friday and Saturday’s 1A competition soon faded to an insurmountable lead in the Black Knights’ rearview mirror, as Robbinsville posted 124.5 to win the only state crown that has eluded the program since its 1975 inception.
“At the top of the line is, ‘to God be the glory,’” head coach David Haney said. “When this program started over 40 years ago, there’s no way that somebody like me could have came in and coached, then left and did that three more times and still have won a state championship. That’s all Him.
“We may have not been the toughest team, because at times we weren’t as tough. We might have not been in the best shape, because at times we might not have been the best-looking kids in the third period. But every single time we stepped on the mat – wherever it was at – we were the most technically-sound team that wrestled.”
All three of Robbinsville’s individual champions are seniors.
Williams’ 4th state title is a feat only achieved 13 times in the history of North Carolina, across all classifications. His victory Saturday was at 190 pounds; the Appalachian State-commit won it all at 182 pounds during his freshman and junior campaigns and 195 in his sophomore effort.
Coaches voted Williams the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the invitational.
“I can sum him up like this: there were some people on Facebook complaining because people outside of North Carolina think the level of competition isn’t as high as it is in other states. I put on there, ‘Let them come wrestle Kage Williams,’” Haney touted. “Then they can see if North Carolina is weak. We took him to junior nationals last year and he came within one match of being an All-American.
“He is an elite wrestler. You could take the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the nation at 190 and have him come in and wrestle Kage; it’s going to be a tough match. That’s the way he’s been since he entered high school. It’s not just now; when he was a freshman, he was elite.
Dooley’s triumph was his second, after winning the 220-pound championship last season; Alexis Panama visited the top of the podium for the third time in his career; he won the 113-pound title as a sophomore and bumped up to 120 for his last two gold medals.
“Koleson is so smart at what he does,” Haney observed. “He doesn’t get in any trouble and if you’re going to beat Koleson, you have to beat him. You can’t play the heavyweight game with him. Koleson was so patient in the finals; he got the points and the rest is history.”
“Alexis wrestled a kid that dropped from 126 to 120 (Thomasville’s Josue Gomez), because he wanted to seek revenge from being pinned by Alexis last year. He’s a really, really good wrestler; other than Alexis, I don’t know if there’s anybody else that could handle him. Alexis didn’t have to go to another level; he was already there.
Nine total Black Knights made the trip to the Greensboro Coliseum for the tournament; in addition to the aforementioned seven, Avery Phillips (132, 39-13) and Kellen Ensley (215, 27-12) also competed in the event.
“We cannot call it ‘luck,’” Haney said. “It was talent plus technique, with a small sprinkle at times of toughness and condition. You put that together and you’ve got dynamite.”