Trinity, UCA chase title dreams

The Trinity and Uwharrie Charter high school wrestling teams have the same goal for each of their respective classifications and both started their treks toward that goal with positive results last weekend.

Trinity captured the first two rounds of the state 2-A dual meet state championships by beating Reidsville 69-12 and then topping Burns 60-21 after Burns advanced with a win over Lincoln Charter.

Trinity, now 35-0 in dual meet competition, will compete in the third and fourth rounds of the West Regional Wednesday, Jan. 31. Trinity will meet Lincolnton and West Lincoln will meet Madison at a site still to be determined.

On Saturday, Aiden Burkholder, Edgar Vasquez, Brayden Hall, Baron Justice, Zane Schloemer, Lawson Coltrane, Xavier Horton, Gavin Hardister and Joseph Trahan all went 2-0. Spencer May, Jaden Allred, Charles Schaefer and Kendall Miles went 1-0.

“Everyone is healthy and we’re still on track,” THS coach Brandon Coggins said. “This first match Wednesday will be a good, tough match. We lost to them last year, but we were missing some people. I feel good about it.”

In the 1-A East Regional, UCA rolled to wins of 60-24 over North Rowan and 53-30 over NE Carolina Prep. NE Carolina Prep registered a 40-33 win over Eastern Randolph in its first-round match.

UCA’s Brennan Worrell, Brandon Jordan, Jack McArthur, Aiden Foster, Lorenzo Alston, Carson Robinson, Alek Millikan and Caden Bond all went 2-0 and Caleb Saldana, Jair Ulloa and Michael Shropshire won once.

UCA will meet Albemarle Wednesday, Jan. 31, with Thomasville and Rosewood making up the final two teams in that pod. 

“Yesterday was the first time we had everybody where we needed,” UCA coach Chris Waddell said after the Eagles improved to 31-1 in dual meet action. “Either due to injury, illness or not making weight, it was the first time we had all our starters in the lineup.”

And the Eagles won every match a varsity wrestler wrestled, forfeiting a number of weight classes after earning a win while allowing jayvee wrestlers to fill in the lineup.

Waddell pointed to the effort of Worrell, who earned a fall over a NE Carolina Prep wrestler who was moved specifically to wrestle Worrell. That provided plenty of momentum, momentum both teams hope to continue this week.