The Breakdown - Episode 14 - Central Cabarrus claims the NC 3A title over Piedmont
Central Cabarrus was in a dogfight the entire day, but ended up on top when all was said and done. It would have been interesting to see how things might have been different had there been a full consolation bracket. But no matter … the 2021 North Carolina State Champs are Central Cabarrus after they scored 1.5 points more than runner-up Piedmont (71.5 vs. 70). Union Pines was 3rd, West Carteret 4th, and East Rowan 5th.
How Central Cabarrus got it done …
DH Conley came in with the most qualifiers, but quickly fell out of contention when 6 of their 8 qualifiers lost in the first round. That left Piedmont, Union Pines, Enka, and Fike battling it out after the first round - with Central Cabarrus, West Carteret, East Rowan, and North Henderson still lurking with 4 quarterfinalists. If you had told me at the beginning that Central Cabarrus would win it all without Marcus Jackson making the podium - I would have said you were crazy … it just looked like the Vikings would need those points. It really came down to the Baglio’s. Jackson Baglio led all scorers in 3A with 28 points … his brother Charleston claimed the 106 title and scored 26 points (tied for 3rd). Add in Luke Masterton taking 3rd and 13.5 points and Cabarrus would score just enough to hold off Piedmont.
106 lbs.
1st: Charleston Baglio (Central Cabarrus) 18-2 won by fall over Josh Miller (Northwood) 22-1 (Fall 1:54)
3rd: Christian Zickefoose (West Brunswick) 21-1 won by decision over Noah Cauble (Piedmont) 26-5 (Dec 9-3)
What Happened: Not many wrestled better than the younger Baglio. He certainly seemed to get better as we got to the post-season and really excelled over the last 2 weeks. He had 2 2nd period falls before downing Zickefoose in the semis 6-5. Baglio’s takedown in the 3rd was key to the one point win. He then pinned fellow freshman Josh Miller in the finals in the 1st period. Miller won a tough quarter vs. Matthew Vindigni before downing Noah Cauble 11-9 in the semis. Zickefoose beat Cauble 9-3 for 3rd.
113 lbs.
1st: Jackson Baglio (Central Cabarrus) 21-1 won by fall over Trevor Freeman (A.L. Brown) 27-3 (Fall 0:52)
3rd: Charlie Sly (Stuart Cramer HS) 23-2 won by fall over Lazaro Vasquez (North Henderson) 23-2 (Fall 4:00)
What Happened: Baglio continued his run from the NHSCA’s with 4 1st period falls on his way to the 113 lb. title. Baglio was one of just a handful of wrestlers in all 4 classifications to not surrender a single point on the day and finished with 28 points … huge in helping Central Cabarrus win the team title. The potential matchup with Vasquez never happened as Trevor Freeman - freshman from AL Brown - downed Vasquez 7-3 in the semis. Sly pinned Vasquez to finish 3rd.
120 lbs.
1st: Aldo Hernandez (Montgomery Central) 25-2 won by decision over Jake Cauble (Piedmont) 35-3 (Dec 5-3)
3rd: Henry Portela (North Henderson) 21-2 won by decision over Joey Bruscino (Southeast Guilford) 24-4 (Dec 2-0)
What Happened: Sophomore Aldo Hernandez looked superb on his way to the top step at 120. He had a 19-3 tech fall and a 2nd period fall before downing Henry Portela 10-2 in the semis. Senior Jake Cauble had a 13-3 major before downing Ethan Lenyszyn 7-3 in the quarters. Cauble then pinned Joey Bruscino of SE Guilford in the 2nd period to setup the matchup with Hernandez (Cauble had finished 3rd to Hernandez and Bruscino in the midwest region the weekend before). Hernandez got out to a 4-1 1st period lead and never let Cauble back in the match (giving up stalling calls in the 3rd) and securing a 4-3 win for the title.
126 lbs.
1st: Tripp Collins (Piedmont) 37-0 won by major decision over Chance Cottingham (North Gaston) 28-1 (MD 14-4)
3rd: Richard Williams (Gray`s Creek) 22-1 won by decision over Christian Coto (Terry Sanford) 20-5 (Dec 7-2)
What Happened: Easily the best quarterfinal match in the entire state happened in 3A 126. Cottingham downed Marcus Jackson 6-4 SV1 to advance in an outstanding comeback win for Cottingham (who was down 4-1 at one point). Collins handled things up top with relative ease … getting a fall before downing Christian Coto 14-9 in the semis. Collins downed Cottingham 14-4 to claim another title. Williams, who lost to Cottingham in the semis 1-0, bounced back to finish 3rd. Hats off to Collins for claiming another title and to Cottingham who had one of the most difficult paths to the finals … wins over Jackson and Williams.
132 lbs.
1st: Will Lewis (Western Harnett) 27-0 won by tech fall over Antonio Caldwell (Statesville) 27-6 (TF-1.5 4:14 (16-0))
3rd: Andrew Clark (Union Pines) 24-6 won by forfeit over Stephen Cotton (Southern Guilford) 13-2 (For.)
What Happened: Was there a more dominant wrestler in 3A? You can make the argument for Jackson Baglio, but 132 lb. Champ Will Lewis would also need to be in the conversation. Lewis had a 15-0 tech fall, a 23 second fall, a 33 second fall, and a 16-0 tech fall to claim the title (he was one of just a handful of wrestlers to run through his bracket without yielding a point). Statesville’s Antonio Caldwell was 4th in last weekend’s West Region, but wrestled lights out to make the finals … he pinned Omar Tucker and Kessel Summers before downing Andrew Clark 9-4 to make the finals. Clark took 3rd on a forfeit over Cotton of Southern Guilford.
138 lbs.
1st: Rex Howard (Crest) 27-0 won by major decision over Jacob Bennett (West Carteret) 23-3 (MD 13-0)
3rd: Dominick Molinari (Southern Alamance) 23-2 won by decision over Patrick McCullen (Fike) 26-6 (Dec 10-4)
What Happened: Crest’s Rex Howard wrestled superbly all day en route to the 145 lb. title. Howard had a 12-0 major, a 6-0 decision before giving up his first pints of the day to Patrick McCullen in a 7-2 win in the semis. Howard downed Jacob Bennett 13-0 in the finals to claim the title. Howard outscored his opponents 33-2 in his 4 matches. Bennett had a fall in the first round before grinding out a tough 8-6 win over Grant Kahlenberg in the quarters. He downed Molinari 8-1 in the semis before falling to Howard. Molinari was 3rd and McCullen was 4th.
145 lbs.
1st: Zack Karagias (Stuart Cramer HS) 26-0 won by fall over Hunter Campbell (North Brunswick) 20-1 (Fall 1:57)
3rd: Calan Staub (Cape Fear) 25-1 won by fall over Colby Locklear (Piedmont) 31-5 (Fall 4:43)
What Happened: Karagias and Staub both cruised on the bottom side of the bracket … Karagias with a fall and a major, Staub with a fall and a 22-7 tech fall. Their semifinal was lights out with Karagias getting the 12-8 win in sudden victory (a takedown and 2 nearfall) to punch his ticket to the finals. North Brunswick’s Hunter Campbell easily handled the top side … with a 15-0 tech fall, a 10-4 decision of Trevon Hill before pinning Colby Locklear in the semis. Karagias got the fall at the end of the 1st period in the finals to claim the 145 lb. title. Staub rebounded to down Locklear for 3rd.
152 lbs.
1st: Aaron Faison (Union Pines) 24-2 won by decision over Nicholas Williams (Triton) 20-3 (Dec 8-4)
3rd: Luke Masterton (Central Cabarrus) 21-1 won by decision over Greyson Harris (Enka) 25-2 (Dec 6-0)
What Happened: Faison did an outstanding job on his way to the 152 lb. top step. He easily handled the bottom side of the bracket - including a superb 9-1 decision over a very tough Luke Masteron in the semis. Nicholas Williams of Triton had one helluva tournament … pinning Garrett Benfield before downing Franklin Melton 11-6 and Greyson Harris 12-6 to make the finals. Faison was simply better in the finals and won the bracket with an 8-4 decision. Masterton rebounded from his loss to Faison to downed Harris 6-0 for 3rd.
160 lbs.
1st: Oren Bost (East Rowan) 26-1 won by decision over Alexander Gunning (Chapel Hill) 27-2 (Dec 7-1)
3rd: Tony Torres (Enka) 26-1 won by decision over Yoel Del Rio (North Brunswick) 20-4 (Dec 5-2)
What Happened: Bost was outstanding on his way to the 160 lb. title. He had a 17-1 tech fall and a 10-0 major before his semifinal showdown with Tony Torres of Enka. The match ended up being all Bost as he controlled the match on his feet and downed Torres 7-1. Chapel Hill’s Gunning took care of business on the bottom side. He had a 15-0 tech fall and a fall of John Lewis in the quarters before having to grind out a tough 3-2 win over Yoel Del Rio 3-2 in the semis. Bost once again controlled the action on the feet and downed Gunning 7-1 to claim the top step. Torres bounced back from his loss to Bost to down Del Rio for 3rd.
170 lbs.
1st: River Carroll (West Carteret) 26-0 won in sudden victory - 1 over Aiden McCafferty (Union Pines) 24-2 (SV-1 6-4)
3rd: Louden Peters (Northern Guilford) 22-2 won by decision over Logan Lambeth (Asheboro) 22-3 (Dec 2-0)
What Happened: The best final in 3A? Both Carroll and McCafferty wrestled “lights out” on their way to the finals … Carroll had 3 falls (and didn’t give up a point in any of the 3 matches). McCafferty had a fall, an 8-4 decision and an 15-0 tech fall on his way to the finals. The finals match was a treat for anyone that likes good wrestling … Carroll controlled the action and took a 3-1 lead into the 3rd before McCafferty got an escape and a takedown to take the lead 4-3. Carroll escaped moments later to tie the score 4-4 and that’s where it would end at regulation. Carroll scored a takedown in overtime to claim the title in what was a superb finals match. Louden Peters downed Lambeth for 3rd.
182 lbs.
1st: Gavin Hartsell (A.L. Brown) 29-2 won by decision over Tayron Frost (East Rowan) 25-3 (Dec 9-4)
3rd: Samuel Cowher (Cox Mill) 22-4 won by decision over Zametrie Bagley (Fike) 23-8 (Dec 5-1)
What Happened: AL Brown’s Gavin Hartsell was just one (of two) state champs in 3A that did not claim a region title a week ago. In fact, Hartsell would get “revenge” on Tayron Frost in the finals … Frost won the Midwest region a week ago over Hartsell. Hartsell had a 10-5 win over Zambrano, a 12-2 major over Andre Britt before downing Sam Cowher 13-10 in the semis. Frost hammered the bottom side of the bracket with 3 1st period falls on his way to the finals. Hartsell sealed the deal in a close 6-4 match in the 3rd with an escape and a takedown to win the 182 lb. title wit ha 9-4 decision. Cowher was 3rd and Bagley of Fike was 4th.
195 lbs.
1st: Jayleen Bullock (Fike) 32-0 won by decision over Colby Maxwell (Enka) 25-3 (Dec 1-0)
3rd: Max Steele (Southeast Guilford) 28-2 won by fall over Perry Sharpe (Eastern Guilford) 21-4 (Fall 4:34)
What Happened: 1 point. It all came down to 1 escape in the finals between Jayleen Bullock and Colby Maxwell. Bullock got the escape to start the 3rd period and that is all the scoring he would need on his way to the 195 lb. title. Bullock dominated the bottom side of the bracket … winning by fall, a 14-3 major over Will Parker, and a 57 second fall of Perry Sharpe. Maxwell had a 13-0 major, a 6-1 decision before downing Max Steele 4-2 in the top semis. Steel bounced back from that semifinal loss to claim 3rd over Sharpe.
220 lbs.
1st: Triston Norris (North Henderson) 27-0 won by major decision over Elijah Hurt (North Iredell) 31-2 (MD 9-1)
3rd: Jacob Vickers (Eastern Guilford) 24-2 won by fall over Hayden Horne (Orange) 17-3 (Fall 0:49)
What Happened: Norris, the future App State heavyweight, came in a big favorite at 220 and he didn’t disappoint. Norris had a fall, a 14-2 decision of Whetzel, an 8-0 major of Jacob Vickers before capping off a perfect senior season with a 9-1 major decision over Elijah Hurt of North Iredell. Hurt, who was 2nd to Norris last weekend in the West, had a fall before taking an injury default over Andrew Macchiavello in the quarters. He then had a 12-3 major decision of Hayden Horne to setup the rematch vs. Norris. Vickers finished 3rd and Horne was 4th.
285 lbs.
1st: Cody Hardy (Parkwood) 25-1 won by decision over Jamier Ferere (Southern Guilford) 23-1 (Dec 3-2)
3rd: Terrence Raspberry (Southern Nash) 24-4 won by forfeit over Alex McCalop (Southeast Guilford) 25-5 (For.)
What Happened: Hardy was 2nd to Ferere in the Midwest region a week ago … this meeting, in the state finals, would be different. Hardy had a 3rd period fall and a 3-0 decision before having to go extra time against Alex McCalop in the semis (a 4-2 TB1 win). Ferere looked outstanding on the bottom side with a fall and a 9-1 major of Raspberry of Southern Nash. But it would be a Hardy comeback in the final that capped off our 285 lb. bracket. Ferere had a reversal in the 2nd period, but an escape and then a takedown with just seconds left on the clock would give Hardy the 3-2 win. Raspberry took a forfeit over McCalop to finish 3rd.