WINSTON-SALEM — Jon Burns closed out the final match of his high school career the same way he’d finished the previous 126 — with a win.

Burns’ first-period pin of West Davidson’s Shawn Swing gave the Cardinal Gibbons’ senior the NCHSAA 1-A/2-A 145-pound state championship, his second in a row. Though it was Burns’ 127th straight win and his second state title, he was at a loss for words after collecting his first-place medal.

“I just can’t describe the feeling I have right now,” said Burns, who was 61-0 this year and was named the 1-A/2-A tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Burns steamrolled his way to the title. He pinned all four of his opponents — three of them in less than one minute — and wrestled a total of 2 minutes, 45 seconds over the course of the state tournament at Joel Coliseum on Friday and Saturday.

Burns, who will wrestle at the University of Nebraska next year, finished his high school career with a record of 182-6.

“I worked really hard every day in practice, running, lifting, wrestling, and it just paid off,” Burns said. “I have two state titles under my belt. That’s pretty nice.”

Athens Drive

Athens Drive coach Nathaniel Scott took three wrestlers to Joel Coliseum, and two of them left with medals around their necks.

Senior J.J. Greenstein finished the 4-A tournament fifth at 112 pounds, and senior Nathan Scott was third at 189 pounds. Junior 130-pounder Clifton Griffin lost his two matches and was eliminated Friday.

Greenstein lost his opening bout, but then won three in a row — an 11-2 major decision, a 3-0 decision and a pin — to reach the consolation semifinals. He lost that match 5-0 to New Bern’s Josh Bradley, but he bounced back and defeated Cameron Idol of Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor, 4-2 in the fifth-place match.

“He was successful because he was determined to work hard and have a successful finish,” Nathaniel Scott said.

Nathan Scott won his first two matches by pin and 6-4 overtime decision, but he was knocked out of championship contention after losing a 14-10 decision to East Mecklenburg’s Denison Paiva in the semifinals.

“I wanted first place or second place, but third place was the only place left for me to have, so I wanted that,” said Scott, who finished the season 35-1.

Scott won his last two matches, a pin in the consolation semifinals and an 8-2 decision in the third-place match, to close out his prep career on a high note. It was also the last match his father, who retired this year, will coach.

“I am overwhelmed,” Nathaniel Scott said. “I am so proud of him, J.J. and Clifton and all the guys for what they’ve done. But I’m extremely proud of my son, getting to go out with a win under his belt. That makes me feel good. We’re going to celebrate a little bit tonight.”

Green Hope

Of the eight state qualifiers Green Hope entered in the field, three emerged as placewinners. Scott Norris finished fourth at 130 pounds, Mikail Mannan was sixth at 125 pounds and Miles Shaw was sixth at 160 pounds.

Norris, the 125-pound runner-up in 2007, had his championship aspirations thwarted in the semifinals when he lost a 3-2 decision to Wilmington Laney’s John Wagner.

Shaw, the Mideast Regional champ, also had his title chances dashed in the semifinals when he lost a 13-3 major decision to Matthews Butler’s Travis Puckett.

As for the rest of the Falcons, Pedram Rahmatabadi went 2-1 before dropping a 14-4 major decision to Cary’s Matt Colvard and bowing out of the tournament in the consolation bracket’s third round. Brett Farina, at 140 pounds, and Joey Baird, at 145, each won one match before being knocked out in the consolation second round, as did 215-pounder Preston Mitchum. Scott LaChapelle, at 189 pounds, lost both his matches.

Panther Creek

At the Mideast Regional tournament on Feb. 16, Joe Morrison became Panther Creek’s first state qualifier.

At the state tournament, he became the second-year school’s first state placewinner. Morrison finished sixth in the 130-pound bracket.

Morrison opened the tournament with a 5-2 decision but was knocked down to the consolation bracket after a 6-0 loss in his second match. He scored a 5-1 decision to get to the consolation semis but lost his final two matches, a 6-3 decision in the semifinals and a 6-4 overtime decision in the fifth-place match.