Cary, the defending N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A dual-team wrestling champion, marched through the first two rounds of the 2010 tournament Tuesday night, defeating Green Hope 73-6 and New Bern 64-6.
In the dual-team format, squads advance as teams. The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Thursday, and the state championship is set for Saturday.
"We won by some good scores," Cary coach Jerry Winterton said. "The guys wrestled well in both matches."
The Imps won 13 of 14 individual bouts against Tri-Nine league rival Green Hope, the Falcons' only win coming via injury default. Cary's C.J. Bean hurt his leg and could not continue in the match.
Against the Bears, the Imps were nearly as dominant picking up victories in all but two weight classes. According to Winterton, Cary's experience was just too much for a normally strong New Bern team.
"New Bern's always good," Winterton said. "And the team they have this year is good, but it's young. Where we have seniors, they have freshmen and sophomores. That's the difference."
The Bears reached the second round by disposing of Northern Durham 40-30 in the first round.
Panther Creek moves on: Panther Creek, 27-1 and the No. 2 seed from the Tri-Nine, blasted Greater Neuse River champion West Johnston 42-24 in the first round and earned a third-round berth with a 46-20 win over Fayetteville Britt.
Britt had advanced by defeating Leesville Road.
Panther Creek could have a rematch against Cary, the only team to beat the Catamounts this season, if both teams win third-round matches Thursday night.
Topsail advances: Hampstead Topsail (19-4 and the No. 2 seed from the East Central Conference) defeated Louisburg 45-33 and Cedar Ridge 53-25 to advance to the 2-A third round.
Cedar Ridge had beaten North Johnston 51-27 in its first round match.
Croatan rolls: Croatan lost only one weight class in its 60-2 second round 2-A victory over Franklinton. Smiley Mueller was the only winner for the Rams, who had one team point deducted for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Undefeated Croatan beat Pasquotank in the first round 49-21 while Franklinton slipped past Kill Devil Hills First Flight 37-32.
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It was hard for second-year Cary wrestling coach Taylor Cummings to come to terms with his team's performance. 
The box score shows only that Nitin Reddy was one of eight seniors to score in Green Hope's win over Cary on Tuesday night. But his 3-pointer in the final minute was the most memorable shot of the game. 
Even if it not for a 3-pointer in the final minute, Green Hope's boys basketball team had put together a powerful performance on its senior night. But team manager Nitin Reddy, who has autism-like special needs, made one of his six 3-point attempts as Green Hope routed Cary 61-34. Watch the video here. 
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Cary cruises in dual-team wrestling | 02.09.10 (0 images)
The Imps best Green Hope and New Bern in first two rounds of tournament.
