St. Stephens High remained unbeaten by beating Cape Fear on Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum to capture the state 3A dual-team championship, the first state wrestling team title in school history./NCHSAA PHOTO
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GREENSBORO – St. Stephens High’s wrestlers reached their goal on Saturday, beating Cape Fear 41-25 to capture the state 3A dual-team championship.
The unbeaten Indians (43-0) — in the most dominant season in school history — collected their school’s first dual-team title in their fourth trip to the state finals.
Coach Billy Baker’s team celebrated in the Greensboro Coliseum on the same day that Baker, a prep wrestler at West Lincoln, saw his prep head coach (Butch Ross) lead the Rebels to their second straight 2A dual-team crown.
St. Stephens had reached a state dual-team final in 2001, 2002 and 2006, falling to Fuquay Varina in 2001 (46-11) and to Eden Morehead the other two times (34-27, 41-22).
Here’s the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) press release on St. Stephens’ victory:
3A: St. Stephens holds off Cape Fear 41-25 for first Dual Team title
GREENSBORO – The St. Stephens Indians got a win by fall victory from Coy Reid in the 106-pound bout to clinch the school’s first dual team wrestling state championship.
Reid pinned Demetrius Oxendine from Cape Fear at the 1:20 mark, stretching the Indians’ lead to an insurmountable 35-25 with just one bout remaining.
Tariq Shuford set the tone early for St. Stephens with a win by technical fall in the first match of the dual at 120 pounds. Shuford hammered Carson Boisvert 16-1 to put the Indians up 5-0 early.
But Cape Fear, as it did almost the whole match, responded quickly, as Triston Chapman won a major decision 16-5 over Dalen Milligan to cut the St. Stephens lead to 5-4.
St. Stephens and Cape Fear traded pins in the next two matches as Graham Ormand from St. Stephens stapled Jose Paz at the 2:35 mark, and Jeremiah Smith nailed Garrett Bolling in 138-pounds at 3:40.
The Colts got their first lead of the day when Dallas Wilson knocked off Blake Baker 11-4 in the 145-pound division, putting the Colts in front 13-11. They added to that lead at 152 pounds as Woodson Young edged De’Untae Henry 5-4 and put Cape Fear up 16-11.
The lead swings continued the remainder of the dual, with Ivan Vergel putting St. Stephens up 17-16 after his win by pin at 160 pounds over Jaleel Parks.
Cape Fear answered right back with a pin at 170 pounds as Jared Barbour tacked Dorian Whitworth to the mat at 0:47 second mark, and the Colts led 22-17.
But St. Stephens won the next three weight classes with a 2-0 decision win by Jordan Bolling at 182 pounds, a 5-1 decision win by Dakota Metcalf at 195 pounds and a win by fall at 0:42 in the 220-pound division when Salvador Gilvaja pinned Nick Mincacapelli to give St. Stephens 29-22 advantage with just three matches to go.
Cape Fear’s Vincent Valentin gave the Colts a chance at a come-from-behind victory late as he downed Ryan Campbell in an 11-6 decision. That brought the Colts to within striking distance at 29-25, but ultimately Reid’s pin at 106 pounds for St. Stephens was a decisive blow.
ST. STEPHENS 41, CAPE FEAR 25
120: Tariq Shuford (SS) tf. Carson Boisver 16-1
126: Tristan Chapman (CF) maj. d. Dalen Milligan 16-5
132: Graham Ormand (SS) p. Jose Paz 2:32
138: Jeremiah Smith (CF) p. Garrett Bolling 3:37
145: Dallas Wilson (CF) d. Blake Baker 11-4
152: Woodson Young (CFER) d. De’Untae Henry 5-4
160: Ivan Vergel (SS) p. Jaleel Parks 2:26
170: Jared Barbour (CF) p. Dorian Whitworth 0:45
182: Jordan Bolling (SS) d. Kevin Pate 2-0
195: Dakota Metcalf (SS) d. Austin Hunt 5-1
220: Salvador Gilvaja (SS) p. Nick Minacapelli 0:45
285: Vincent Valentin (CF) d. Daniel Tellez 11-6
106: Coy Reid (SS) p. Demetrius Oxendine 1:22
113: Jovanny Urzua (SS) p. Collin Spell 0:55
Records: St. Stephens 43-0; Cape Fear 12-1.
