Going for third title in a row

ASHEBORO — Hayden Waddell said he remembers well while competing as a wrestler for Uwharrie Charter Academy and participating for the UCA wrestling club how a young elementary-schooler would often come to practice and compete against older members of the team.

That was when Waddell, who is now the head coach of the UCA wrestling team, was capturing three straight NCHSAA state 1-A championships. 

Now that elementary-schooler is older and although there’s still plenty of work to do, that kid has an opportunity to match what his coach accomplished.

Lorenzo Alston, now a junior, is looking for his third straight NCHSAA state championship this season as the Eagles make their way through a non-league gauntlet as they prepare for the upcoming Piedmont Athletic Conference season.

“I can relate to the way he carries himself in the wrestling room and how he competes, but when it comes to wrestling and talent, he is way more talented than I ever was,” said Waddell, a state champion in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and who is in his first year as head coach. “He has a ceiling I can’t even comprehend. He is a special, special athlete and a special person.”

Alston said he remembers those days.

“I played football and would then go to wrestling practice and I had to choose one and I went against the norm,” Alston said. “(The club) was a mixture of older and younger kids and I would practice with older kids, mainly wrestling with the middle school and sometimes work with some of the older kids.”

One of those was Waddell.

“You could tell back then he was going to be special,” Waddell said.

Alston has certainly been special as he competes in his junior season. As a freshman, he finished 59-2 in winning the state 145-pound championship before going his entire sophomore season undefeated, finishing at 48-0 while winning the 150-pound state title. He’s currently wrestling at 157.

Heading into action this week, Alston was undefeated on the season while battling some of the toughest competition in the state. UCA has wrestled Robbinsville, Lumberton and Seaforth so far this season and the Eagles are headed to Fort Mill, S.C., this weekend. 

As Alston continues his journey for a third state title, he said having a coach who achieved that monumental accomplishment definitely helps.

“It’s a blessing we have a coach who is a three-time state champion,” Alston said. “We know he knows what he’s talking about. We know everything he’s teaching has a reason.”

The admiration is very much mutual.

“He’s intense, he’s just leagues above everyone in North Carolina,” Waddell said of Alston.

And Alston has matured quite a lot over the past few seasons.

“I have a way better attitude,” he said. “I am a captain this year and need to be a leader and show them what it takes to compete at a high level.”

Alston, of course, had a number of colleges in pursuit and his recruitment has already come to an end as he verbally committed to N.C. State.

“They seem more like a family,” Alston said of picking the Wolfpack over schools like Virginia Tech and North Carolina. “Everyone cares about everyone there. That’s the type of person I am.”

There are long-range goals as well. There’s still a long way to go, but Alston is attempting to become the 15th wrestler in NCHSAA wrestling history to win four state championships. The feat was accomplished twice last year with Robbinsville’s Kage Williams and Mallard Creek’s Cameron Stinson.

“I have thought about it, but I’m more worried about right now,” Alston said. “Whatever I do this year will determine next year.”

And there is every indication it’s going to be another great one.