Cary finds measure of revenge with title

MOCKSVILLE -- When the Cary wrestling team learned its destination for the NCHSAA 4-A dual team state championship match, the significance was lost on no one in the Imps' practice room.

Cary returned to Davie County on Saturday for the first time since the 2006 dual team final, when the War Eagles dusted the Imps 41-23 for the title.

It marked the last time Cary lost a dual match. Two seasons later, that remains the case.

Cary steamrolled Davie 40-27 on Saturday night, running its dual match win streak to 67 and claiming the dual team title for the second straight year.

"It feels great," said Cary senior 140-pounder Justin Koren, who was named the match's MVP. "It's the best feeling."

Cary (30-0) caught a break when it was notified the match would begin with the 130-pound weight class, where the heart of the Imps' lineup resides.

Lawrence White got things going for Cary from the get-go when he pinned Davie's Shelton Sales 55 seconds into the second period.

After Davie's Zach Vernon earned a 7-4 decision at 135, the Imps won the next three matches and led 19-3. Koren won by pin at 140, Brendon Parker-Risk won a 7-1 decision at 145, and Gabe Brotzman notched an 18-8 major decision at 152.

The War Eagles (28-3) won three straight decisions at 160, 171 and 189 to trim Cary's lead to 22-9.

Cary's Alec Snow, who usually wrestles at 189, was moved up in the lineup to 215. It was a gamble that paid off. After falling behind 2-0, Snow managed to roll Davie's Ricky Bell on his back and get a pin midway through the second period.

"We weren't sure how it was going to go, especially after the first 30 seconds of the match," Koren said. "When Alec rolled him over, that was it. That was the climax of the night."

Cary heavyweight Eloheim Palma then clinched the title for Cary when he pinned Aaron Peoples with 24 seconds remaining in the second period.

"Right before the match, Coach looked me in the eye and said, 'We need six,' " Palma said. "So I was like, 'I'll get you six.' "

Cary was appearing in the dual team final for the 13th time in the tournament's 19-year history, and Saturday marked the Imps' eighth straight appearance in the championship match. After losing four straight years, the Imps have come away with the title in three of the last four seasons.

"Ever since I've been at Cary, we've always had a good, balanced team," said Cary coach Jerry Winterton, now in his 27th season. "And some years, there's teams out there that are just better than you. And then sometimes it comes down to breaks, and sometimes we get them and win."