A Fan's Guide to the North Carolina 1A State Tournament
Welcome to the Fan’s Guide for the North Carolina 1A State Tournament … a collaboration with Carolina Takedown Talk
The Fan’s Guide is a look at the tournament as a whole and each individual weight class … from a fan’s perspective. But it is not a prediction of who will win or who will make the podium. In fact, a Fan’s Guide is a little different. It is a look at a few individual pieces from each bracket … they include:
Favorite: the wrestler that enters the tournament as a region champ and has the best shot to claim the top step.
Contenders: a wrestler that finishes 1st or 2nd at regions has a decent chance to make the podium.
Bracketbuster: a wrestler that finished 3rd or 4th in their region, but could make a run for the podium.
Isn’t that kind of a prediction?
Yes and no. I do identify the favorite, but beyond that I have no idea of who will march through the bracket and claim a title (don’t get me wrong - I’ve watched a lot of wrestling this season so I have an idea of what will happen). I could give you an educated guess about a possible finals match and who will make the podium, but in the world of high school wrestling that is dangerous territory. Few wrestlers (if any) are unbeatable … but we do have past results and past accomplishments on which to make a guess or two. As I read recently, “Confidence in a predictable future, therefore, is the providence of charlatans and fools.” In reality, I am as much of a fan as any of you and like to talk wrestling. I hope each athlete goes out and performs to their ability and we, as fans, get an opportunity to watch some great wrestling.
Remember the sole purpose of the website, twitter, instagram, fan’s guides, pictures, etc. is to promote the sport in the Southeast. Have a great time this weekend, enjoy the wrestling, and best of luck to everyone competing.
NOTE: ALL INFORMATION BELOW IS ASSUMING THAT THE INFORMATION INPUTTED INTO TRACKWRESTLING EITHER BY THE EVENT DIRECTOR OR THE COACHES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON IS CORRECT.
A Look Back to 2023
There were actually 36 teams that had a qualifier in 2023. Here are a few takeaways (and they inform in what we talk about in other parts of the Fan’s Guide):
The correlation between # of qualifiers and team points is quite strong at 0.89. We could draw a scatterplot and determine whether the 0.89 is statistically significant or not, but that is getting in the weeds a bit. The basic way to look at a correlation is whether there is a linear relationship between the two variables (# of qualifiers and team points) … and at 0.89 it is considered by many to be a strong correlation (and a stronger correlation than we saw in either 3A or 4A). So what does that mean … well typically the more qualifiers you have the more likely you are to score a lot of points. Sure outliers exist, but they do not exist very often in 1A where there is a clear relationship between qualifiers and points at the state tournament (the landscape is muddier in the other classifications, but not in 1A). The takeaway … more qualifiers mean more opportunities, but they don’t guarantee anything.
Just 6 teams had State Champions. This is also fairly unusual as compared to the other classifications. No other team in Greensboro had nearly the number of individual State Champions that we saw Avery County put on the top step last year. 21 of the 36 teams had at least one state placer - which is fairly typical compared to the other classes.
A few other things that stood out include:
Just Six of 14 weights were won by Seniors in 2023 with 2 freshmen (Lorenzo Alston and Cael Dunn claiming titles) … Cooper Foster, a sophomore, also won a title.
Keep in mind that 1A has fewer placers than the other classes and the brackets are smaller as well. 25 of 56 (45%) Placers were Seniors (lower than one might expect). And just 4 of the placers were freshmen (Alston and Dunn as well as Loxston Hopper at 120 and Adair Panama at 106).
Returning State Champs are:
Cooper Foster of Avery County (106)
Alexis Panama of Robbinsville (113)
Ben Jordan of Avery County (120)
Grant Reece of Avery County (132)
Lorenzo Alston of Uwharrie Charter (145)
Cael Dunn of Avery County (170)
Kage Williams of Robbinsville (182)
Koleson Dooley of Robbinsville (220)
We include all of this background information simply to give you an idea of who to watch and how the team race might play out over the weekend.
EAST vs. WEST
One conversation that is always interesting to have is which region is strongest … well if we simply look at # of state placers from 2023 (and honestly a true look would be going back several years, but we will stick with just last year for this conversation):
11 Champs came from the West Region compared to just 3 from the East
From there it was identical … with 21 placers (2nd, 3rd, and 4th) coming from each region (some weights the West was “stronger” and others the East was “stronger”. Just one weight (285) had all 4 placers from the same region - the west (and they finished exactly like they did at regionals the weekend before).
Sectional Placing Predicts State Place
Again this seems like a no duh statement. 13 of the 14 champions won their region the weekend before the state tournament. The other champ was a very unusual occurance. Suhaib Hatamleh of Bradford Prep finished 4th in the West Region the weekened before and then proceeded to win 3 in a row to claim the 160 lb. State Title.
Eli Thomas of Alleghany (126), Willie Riddle of Robbinsville (145), and Turner Jackson of Robbinsville (160) also finished higher at the state tournament than they did at regionals … all finished 2024 as State Runners-up after taking 3rd at their regional the weekend before. All are good examples of what we call a Bracketbuster (as described above).
The 2024 Team Race
The table below is a list of every qualifier by school, along with their place. So we could talk about a number of different teams, but in reality there are just a handful that have enough to really make a run for a team title. They are discussed below the table.
Uwharrie, Robbinsville, and Avery … If you’ve been around North Carolina 1A long enough those names should be very familiar. There are other programs in the mix like Rosewood, Mt airy, and Northeast Carolina Prep, but none has the numbers to really stay with the top 3. Uwharrie has 11 qualifiers - 3 more than Avery and 2 more than Robbinsville. Four of the 7 finished 3rd or 4th at sectionals so they will need them to score points or Uwharrie could be bag at the same level as everyone else. Robbinsville is in the same boat with 9 qualifiers, but 5 that took 3rd or 4th … they must get a few placers from that group if they are going to have a shot at the team title. Avery has 8 qualifiers, but all 8 were either region champs of runners-up … assuming they put all 8 on the podium - Avery could be the team to beat.
106 lbs.
Favorite: Holton Quincy (North East Carolina Prep School) East 1st
Contenders:
Ethan Hines (Uwharrie Charter Academy) East 2nd
Angel Olade (Mt Airy) West 1st
Alexandero Ical Tuil (Avery County) West 2nd
Bracketbuster: Skylar Anderson (Robbinsville) West 3rd
Thoughts: Quincy or Olade? Quincy is 49-1 with his only loss coming to Mac Johnson. Olade is 38-3 and won the west in overtime over Ical Tuil 5-4. The fact that Quincy beat Hines, who was 2nd last year, puts him as our favorite. Olade will likely need to beat Hines in order to get a shot at Quincy and a title.
113 lbs.
Favorite: Cooper Foster (Avery County) West 1st
Contenders:
Colton Lewis (North East Carolina Prep School) East 1st
Adair Panama (Robbinsville) West 2nd
Kolton Hunter (Rosewood) East 2nd
Bracketbuster: Caleb Saldana (Uwharrie Charter Academy) East 3rd
Thoughts: Cooper Foster is the returning 106 lb. State Champ and downed Adair Panama (returning placer) by 9-0 in the West final … he is the favorite. Colton Lewis won the East with a fall of Hunter … keep an eye on a potential semi between Panama and Lewis (I don’t think they have crossed paths this year).
120 lbs.
Favorite: Alexis Panama (Robbinsville) West 1st
Contenders:
Josue Gomez (Thomasville) East 1st
Christian Harris (Albemarle) East 2nd
Bryson Mcfalls (Mitchell) West 2nd
Bracketbuster: Ian Jones (Starmount) West 4th
Thoughts: Will we get a rematch of last year 113 lb. final this weekend at 120? Both Panama and Gomez won their regions and the rematch looks possible. Panama won the match a year ago, but both will need to watch out along the way … particularly Gomez who pulls a solid Ian Jones, 3rd last year at 106, right off the scale. Panama will likely have to beat last year’s 113 lb 3rd place finisher and East Runner-up Christian Harris to get to the finals.
126 lbs.
Favorite: Loxston Hooper (Robbinsville) West 1st
Contenders:
Jason Kennedy (Rosewood) East 1st
Ikey Holt (South Stanly) East 2nd
Haydin Puskar (Bradford Preparatory School) West 2nd
Bracketbuster: Kale Stephenson (Swain County) West 3rd
Thoughts: Kennedy or Hooper? Those are your two region champs and have to be considered the favorites to take care of their sides of the bracket. Loxston Hooper won the West with a forfeit of Puskar. Kennedy won the East with a 14-8 decision of Holt. Hooper was 3rd last year at 120 and Hooper and Kennedy haven’t seen one another this season from what I can find. Kennedy has wrestled much of the year up at 132 with his only loss at 126 coming to Auden Goodman of Swansboro. Hooper has been at 126 all season and is 50-3. Both Holt and Puskar are returning SQ’s, but it looks like this one might come down to Hooper and Kennedy. Keep an eye on Stephenson who was 4th last year at 113 - he vs. Holt in the opening round is probably the best 1st round matchup.
132 lbs.
Favorite: Benjamin Jordan (Avery County) West 1st
Contenders:
James Campos (Lejeune) East 1st
Lucas Ellis (Bradford Preparatory School) West 2nd
Jack McArthur (Uwharrie Charter Academy) East 2nd
Bracketbuster: Carson Worrick (Alleghany) West 3rd
Thoughts: Jordan is the defending 120 lb. State Champ and is the favorite at 47-1. He beat Ellis 4-0 last weekend, but has yet to face Campos, the East Champ, this season. Jordan making a run to the top step is very important for Avery County and their quest for the team title. Same is true for Avery Phillips of Robbinsville and Jack McArthur of Uwharrie … neither is likely to make a run for the top step, but making the podium could be huge in the team race.
138 lbs.
Favorite: Ryan Mann (North East Carolina Prep School) East 1st
Contenders:
Cameron Worrick (Alleghany) West 1st
Grant Reece (Avery County) West 2nd
Jair Ulloa (Uwharrie Charter Academy) East 2nd
Bracketbuster: Gavin Mann (Bradford Preparatory School) West 3rd
Thoughts: One of the best weights in 1A. Mann was 2nd last year to Grant Reece at 132 - and Reece sits on his side of the bracket after taking a medical forfeit to Worrick in the West finals (Reece beat Worrick earlier in the year). Worrick was 2nd last year at this weight will likely get Ulloa who took second to Mann in the East after he was injured. Keep an eye on Gavin Mann who was 3rd last year at 132 … he vs. Ulloa in the opening round should be a good one.
144 lbs.
Favorite: Kenneth Pritz (Avery County) West 1st
Contenders:
Stephen Ribustello (Tarboro) East 1st
Ariam Estrada (Rosewood) East 2nd
Laith Hatamleh (Bradford Preparatory School) West 2nd
Bracketbuster: Cole Anderson (North East Carolina Prep School) East 3rd
Thoughts: Pritz is 49-0 and Ribustello is 40-1. Ribustello’s only loss came to Karl Ludwig of Cox (VA) in early January. He has some solid wins, but hasn’t faced Prtiz or Hatamleh this season. The same could be said for Prtiz … he beat Hatmleh 9-2 last weekend but hasn’t faced Ribustello or Estrada.
150 lbs.
Favorite: Lorenzo Alston (Uwharrie Charter Academy) East 1st
Contenders:
Mason Bentley (Avery County) West 1st
Fabian Sabillion (Rosewood) East 2nd
Alejandro Lopez (Elkin) West 2nd
Bracketbuster: Isaiah Mewborn (Pamlico County) East 3rd
Thoughts: Alston is the returning 145 lb. State Champion. Bentley is a returning SQ. Alston and Bentley did not meet at state duals - Bentley wrestled 144 against Jack McArthur. Alston is the real deal - not just one of the best 150’s in NC, but around the SE and nationally. From a team perspective the more interesting matchup might be Sabillion vs. Bentley (possibly) in the quarters … Avery County would like to get those finals points if they can.
157 lbs.
Favorite: Carson Robinson (Uwharrie Charter Academy) East 1st
Contenders:
John Martin (Mt Airy) West 1st
Isaac Stoker (Alleghany) West 2nd
Eriberto Torres (Thomasville) East 2nd
Bracketbuster: Jake Whitley (Pamlico County) East 3rd
Thoughts: Toss up? Both Martin and Robinson claimed a region title last week. Both took care of business with relative ease and neither has seen the other this year. For that matter - Martin hasn’t wrestled Eriberto Torres and Robinson hasn’t wrestled Stoker either. So this one could be a surprise. As a result we lean to Carson Robinson who was 3rd a year ago at 160. But given that they haven’t seen one another it is hard to know how it will play out.
165 lbs.
Favorite: Andrew Meadows (Mt Airy) West 1st
Contenders:
Alek Millikan (Uwharrie Charter Academy) East 1st
Cohen Jennings (South Stokes) East 2nd
Clay Seagle (Swain County) West 2nd
Bracketbuster: Jacob Campos (Lejeune) East 3rd
Thoughts: Millikan was 4th last year at 152 and dominated the East - beating Jennings 16-3 in the finals. Meadows pinned Seagle to claim the West title. Meadows is 41-1, but hasn’t wrestled Millikan. He did pin Jennings in early January - so that’s your common opponent. Millikan is 38-4 with a pair of losses to Stoker of Alleghany. We have flip flopped on the favorite here throughout writing the preview … not sure anyone stops either and they will settle it on the mat for a title (in all likelihood).
175 lbs.
Favorite: Cael Dunn (Avery County) West 1st
Contenders:
Ryan Deloach (Rosewood) East 1st
Elijah Williams (Union Academy) East 2nd
Zalen McCraw (Polk County) West 2nd
Bracketbuster: Caden Bond (Uwharrie Charter Academy) East 3rd
Thoughts: Dunn could join some rare company if he finishes off his sophomore season unbeaten and with another state title. Deloach is 52-1 and beat Williams 11-7 to claim the east title last weekend. His only loss was to Ellison of Lumberton at WRAL earlier in the season. Deloach was 3rd last year at 182 so this could be an outstanding final - assuming they both get there. We took Caden Bond as the bracketbuster because Uwharrie will be counting on him to get a few wins and make the podium.
190 lbs.
Favorite: Kage Williams (Robbinsville) West 1st
Contenders:
Kaine Mclendon (Albemarle) East 1st
Eric Brantley (Pamlico County) East 2nd
Camron Cook (Mitchell) West 2nd
Bracketbuster: Jaylin Darden (Rosewood) East 3rd
Thoughts: Kage Williams is one of two wrestlers this weekend looking for a 4th state title. Not sure there is a bigger favorite in 1A than Kage as he looks to cap off an outstanding prep career. Mclendon won the East with a 6-3 decision of Brantley, but I can’t imagine anyone knocking off Williams in his final run.
215 lbs.
Favorite: Jaden Maness (Uwharrie Charter Academy) East 1st
Contenders:
Tyler Stevens (Pamlico County) East 2nd
Jadyn Virgil (Polk County) West 1st
Tristan Alkire (East Wilkes) West 2nd
Bracketbuster: Kellen Ensley (Robbinsville) West 3rd
Thoughts: Jaden Maness is the returning 195 lb. State Runner-up and after beating Tyler Stevens for the East title he is our favorite. Stevens was 2nd at 220 a year ago and it wouldn’t be a shock to see a Maness vs. Stevens rematch in the finals. Jadyn Virgil is 39-3 and won the west with a fall of Alkire. Three of Virgil’s losses are to Reese Meadows of North Henderson, but he and Stevens/Maness haven’t crossed paths. Look for a solid semi with a possible rematch in the finals. Ensley making the podium is important for Robbinsville in the team race.
285 lbs.
Favorite: Grayson Hoilman (Avery County) West 1st
Contenders:
Johnatan Argueta (Starmount) West 2nd
Tyler Foreman (South Stanly) East 1st
Miles Gregory (Albemarle) East 2nd
Bracketbuster: Koleson Dooley (Robbinsville) West 3rd
Thoughts: Hoilman beat returning 285 lb. Runner-up Argueta in the West final. And that was huge in putting Argueta and Foreman on the same side of the bracket. Koleson Dooley is the returning 220 lb. State Champion and was 3rd in the West … so no guarantees about Hoilman cruising to the final. This one could be one of the most interesting brackets to watch in 1A.