The Rocky Mount wrestling team landed a spot in the Team State Duals Tournament by way of their surprising second place finish at the Conference Duals Tournament last week. Coach Jermaine Jones has now guided his fourth consecutive team into the NCHAA State playoffs.
Unfortunately for the Gryphons, that success did not spill over into this weekend's matches against C.B. Aycock, Southern Vance, Cary and Southern Nash at the Thomas Cowles Duals.
The Gryphons had already lost their regular 119 and 145 pounders for the remainder of the season before making the trip to Southern Nash High School on Saturday. They were also going into the matches without their regular 112 and Heavyweight, due to injuries. The remaining team tightened their collective belts and headed into battle short-handed.
The results were not what the team would have liked to see, as the Gryphs went 1-3, dropping their team dual record to 13-10.
Southern Nash hosted a dozen teams, including 4-time defending 4-A State Champion Cary High and traditionally strong 3-A power Havelock. Also wrestling were Northern Nash, Millbrook, Franklinton, Louisburg, Rosewood, and Tarboro.
ROCKY MOUNT 25 - CB AYCOCK 48
This match could have been much closer than the final score, if not for the 12 uncontested points the Gryphs gave to the Falcons on forfeits at 119 and 145.
The teams traded pins over the first four matches, with Nathan Barbour (215) and Mason Holt (103) scoring wins for Rocky Mount. The score was tied at 12 when the Gryphs forfeited at 119 and Nick Wescott retired during his match with a shoulder injury, putting the Falcons up 24-12. Wescott would gut out the rest of the day, wrestling with the sore shoulder.
Alex Knight fought to a slim 3-2 decision win at 130 and Chandler Phillips took four points for the Gryphons with a 9-1 major decision in the 135 contest. The Gryphons had cut the Aycock lead down to five at 24-19.
A heartbreaking overtime loss at 140, a Rocky Mount forfeit at 145, and a Falcon win by pin at 152 clinched the match for Aycock.
J.K. Williamson took a win at 171 with a second period pin to round out the Gryphon scoring.
ROCKY MOUNT 65 - SOUTHERN VANCE 6
Southern Vance had only three wrestlers. Rocky Mount's Williamson and Wescott each won by pin, while SV took the 130 match for their only score.
ROCKY MOUNT 3 - CARY 69
As easy a victory as the Southern Vance win was, the Gryphons were on the other side of the coin against the 4-time-running State 4A team champions. Eight Gryphons were pinned in the first period.
It took nine matches before a Gryphon stayed on the mat with a Cary wrestler. Justin Atkinson fell by close decision, 3-2, in a battle at 160.
J.K. Williamson won Rocky Mount's only points, taking a 7-0 decision to keep the Gryphons from being shut out.
ROCKY MOUNT 34 - SOUTHERN NASH 36
Nowhere did Rocky Mount's missing wrestlers show up bigger than the match against the Firebirds. The Gryphons easily handled Southern just a week before, winning 48-21. The host team got it's revenge with this one.
The two teams traded forfeits at 112 (Sidorayan Petway) and 119 to start the match tied at six.
Wescott (125) won by decision 9-5, followed by a Knight decision win, 9-2 to put the Gryphons up 12-6. Phillips followed with a major decision victory, 14-1, to extend Rocky Mount's lead to 16-6.
A Firebird pin at 140 and forfeit win at 145 quickly put Southern ahead on the scoreboard, 18-17.
Damien Smith took a 6-0 decision win at 152, followed by an Atkinson pin at 160, and the Gryphons looked to be in control, leading 29-18.
The Firebirds retaliated with pins at 189, 215 and Heavyweight to clinch the match.
With Southern Nash up 36-29, Holt put an end to the Firebird pin streak with a pin victory of his own for Rocky Mount's final tally.
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Unless Jones comes up with another match or two for his grapplers, the Rocky Mount team will be on the practice mat until Saturday, February 6th when they compete at the Conference Individual Tournament at Northern Nash High School. Following the conference individual, the team will travel to an undetermined location to compete in the first and second rounds of the NCHSAA Team State Tournament on Monday, February 8.
GRYPHON GRAPPLER NOTES:
Congratulations go out to Coach Jones for his fourth consecutive berth in the State Team Tournament.
Chandler Phillips may be the first Gryphon to compete at the NCHSAA Team Duals in each of his four years at Rocky Mount.
Some notable season milestones have been reached both individually and by the team that should get some notice:
** Janicento Williamson surpassed the twenty win mark for the second consecutive season. He continues to be on pace to reach 100 sometime during his senior season.
** Mason Holt follows teammates Williamson and Chandler Phillips as a 20+ win freshman. Mason will be gunning to be the first freshman to reach 30 wins since Phillips did it in 2007.
** Alex Knight surpassed 15 wins at the Cowles Duals on Saturday. He will be gunning to join Holt as another 20-win first year wrestler.
** Nick Wescott has come on strong as of late, surpassing the 10 win plateau. Nick is standing on 12 victories for the season.
** Adam McRae danced his way past the 10 win mark at the Conference Duals, landing on 13 wins for the year.
** Damien Smith wrestled his way past the 10 win mark at Southern. He now stands at 12 for the season.
** The Gryphon team went over 1,000 team points for the year during the Conference Duals. Unofficially, they stand at 1,204. (Unofficially, they have given up 902)
** Rocky Mount also surpassed 100 pins as a team during the Conference Duals. Unofficially, they have now tallied 115.
(photo - Nick Phillips)
Coach J.J. Jones has guided the Gryphons to four straight playoff appearances.
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