Cary News | Imps' 14th title is consolation prize

As Cary High wrestlers and coaches returned to Winston-Salem's Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday morning, they did so knowing the second day of the NCHSAA 4-A Individual Wrestling Tournament could be especially long for all of the wrong reasons.

Having arrived with a tournament-high 12 qualifiers, the reigning champion Imps advanced only eight from Friday's opening day. Of the eight, five had advanced to the morning's semifinal rounds. Still, Cary was in second place behind a surprising Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor High that qualified seven wrestlers and advanced six to the semifinals.

"Going in with 12 qualifiers, I thought we had a good chance of winning," Imps coach Jerry Winterton said. "But when we lost four guys the first day without points, we were thrown into the pack with all the other teams."

And when the Imps advanced just two of their five semifinalists, and Mt. Tabor three of its semifinalists, "I put my head down and thought it was over," Winterton said.

With many of the Imps having to work their way back through the consolation brackets, where one more loss before the placement round means elimination, Cary rallied with a vengeance.

The Imps overtook the Spartans in the consolation semifinals and put the final touches on the school's 14th state title when Nick Koren at 135 pounds and Thomas Ferguson at 140 pounds won state titles.

When the totals were announced, Cary had amassed 122 points -- an overwhelming 48 points through the consolation brackets -- and won by seven over Mt. Tabor, which produced two individual champions. Boone Watauga High was third with 83 points, followed by East Gaston High with 79 and Davie County High, this year's 4-A dual team champion, with 73.

"I knew what Mt. Tabor was capable of, but I guess I didn't realize exactly what my guys were," Winterton said. "They were just unbelievable."

Locally, Green Hope High tied for 45th with five points, while Athens Drive High and Middle Creek High both did not score.

"I have never had a team that responded like this one did in the consolations," said Winterton, who has guided the Imps to eight individual tournament titles. "We just tore through them."

The Imps won 14 of 22 consolation matches as Joey Farnsworth (103 pounds), Justin Koren (125) and James Abbott (145) placed third, Trevor Dixon (215) placed fourth and Gabe Brotzman (130) placed sixth.

While all individual wins provided necessary points to the Imps' narrow victory, Winterton estimated that the title hinged on six or seven unlikely wins.

-- There was Farnsworth, a junior, pinning Durham Riverside High's Shane Wilder in the consolation finals and then earning a 4-2 decision over Davie County's Kyle Smith for third place. Wilder had beaten Farnsworth three times this season, while Smith had pinned him in the 4-A dual team championship.

-- There was Justin Koren having to overcome the disappointment of a semifinal loss to win the season against Northern Durham High's Demario Leathers for third place. The wrestlers had split their previous two matches.

"Justin worked so hard to win a state title that when he lost, it was pretty disappointing," Winterton said. "So I had to tell him there were other important things here."

-- There was senior Abbott pinning Wakefield senior Grant Harris in the consolation semifinals and then Mt. Tabor's Craig Brown also for a third-place finish. Harris had beaten Abbott twice this season and had not been pinned since his sophomore season.

"And if he loses to Brown, that would be like turning four or five points right there," Winterton said.

Three weeks ago, Winterton had addressed his team in no uncertain terms, telling them the postseason was time when champions stepped up.

"James knew he wasn't going to wrestle at the next level, so he took that to heart and really finished his career strong," Winterton said.

-- Then there was junior Trevor Dixon, who entered with the second most losses in the 16-wrestler 215-pound bracket (17) and bum knees.

Dixon lost his first-round match and then had to win four straight matches before taking fourth place. Along the way, Dixon major-decisioned Fuquay-Varina High's Chad McDuffie, whom Dixon had lost to three times earlier this season, and Mt. Tabor's Michael Cooper in the consolation semifinals.

"He was like a whole other person in that body," said Winterton of Dixon. "I would like to know what got into him the last couple of weeks. I'm sure he was disappointed to have such high expectations for the season and then to have the record he did coming in, and injuries to his knees didn't help. But something turned around."

The points that Brotzman and 275-pounder Eloheim Palma earned along the way also helped put the Imps in position to win a title, but ultimately the deciding points were scored by reigning champion Nick Koren and Ferguson, a twosome that combined for a 136-2 record this season.

Koren pinned his first three opponents before winning an 8-5 decision over Fayetteville 71st High's Ryan Morris.

"That was my goal coming in, to pin all four guys," said Koren, who became the program's fourth two-time state champion. "But I ended up with three; I'm still happy with what I did."

Though a marked man for most of the season, Koren admitted to feeling less pressure this year.

"I was second [in the state] as a freshman and had to forfeit a match as a sophomore, so last year I really felt the pressure to finally get the state championship," Koren said.

Though reigning champion Colton Palmer of Durham Riverside High had suffered a season-ending injury to Ferguson in the Mideast Regional a week earlier, the path to a state title was no easier for Ferguson, who beat a couple of No. 2 seeds and then Hope Mills South View's Luke Cameron 8-2 for the title.

Koren may have pinned his way to the championship, but Ferguson was a bit more methodical, especially in the final.

"Once I got my hips over his when he went low, I knew I was in control," he said. "If I get on top of you, with my feet, there's no question I'm in control. My feeling is, when I get you on the bottom, it's like quicksand for you. I've got that much confidence in my feet and my ability."

So for a team that on paper appeared to be an overwhelming favorite, the Imps took an unusual route to winning the title -- a route that even surprised their coach.

"If you had told me beforehand that we would win the title and that's the way we would win it, I probably would have said 'No way,'" Winterton said.

Contact Stuart Hall at 460-2606 or stuarth@nando.com.

Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem

Friday-Saturday, Feb. 24-25
Championship First Round

Consolation First Round

Championship Quarterfinals

Championship Quarterfinals Standings

Consolations Second Round

Consolation Second Round Standings

Championship Semifinals

Championship Semifinals Standings

Consolation Third Round

Consolation Third Round Standings

Consolation Semifinals

Consolation Semifinals Standings

Consolation Third Place

Consolation Fifth Place

Consolation Third/Fifth Place Standings

Championships

Final Standings

NCHSAA 4-A Dual Team Tournament

Championship -- Saturday, Feb. 11

NCHSAA 4-A Dual Team Tournament

Eastern Regional -- Thursday, Feb. 9

NCHSAA 4-A Dual Team Tournament

Eastern Regional -- Tuesday, Feb. 7

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Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem Friday-Saturday, Feb. 24-25 Championship First Round