STATE CHAMPS -- Rosewood claims 1A dual-team wrestling crown

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 6, 2016 11:38 PM

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It's been a long time coming.

And no one would have imagined it happening this year after losing 15 seniors and eight state wrestling qualifiers to graduation.

Oh, but it did -- in emphatic fashion.

With ice water flowing through his veins and displaying a calm demeanor, a freshman -- yes freshman -- Timothy "The Tank" Decatur-Luker stepped onto the mat as silence blanketed the Rosewood High gym.

Barely 21/2 minutes later, the building exploded into mayhem as Decatur-Luker penned the final chapter of Rosewood's most-historical season Saturday evening. His second-period fall secured the Eagles' 33-24 victory and the 2016 N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A dual-team state championship.

Decatur-Luker was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler.

"That much pressure on a freshman and he steps up and sticks his guy. That was the exclamation point and a joy to see all of his talent and experience come into play," RHS head coach Bill Edmundson said. "I knew that once the adrenaline went out of both of those guys, his technique would take over."

It did.

Coltin Marlowe logged the initial takedown.

Decatur-Luker settled his nerves, escaped the hold and built a 5-2 lead after one period. He extended his advantage to 8-4 nearly 30 seconds into the second stanza.

Wrestling from a neutral position, Decatur-Luker patiently waited for his move. He caught Marlowe in a throw, popped him on his back, the whistle blew and history was made.

"I was very nervous and thought it was going to come down to me winning and I tried my hardest," Decatur-Luker said. "He got the first shot on me and I got a little scared, but I kept myself together."

Decatur-Luker's match-clinching triumph secured the first-ever team state title in RHS athletics history. Since the early 1970s, a total of 11 Carolina Conference schools have combined to win 14 state championships in seven different sports.

But this one was in doubt.

The Eagles' 18-point advantage turned in a 21-21 tie when they forfeited at 170 pounds. One of three seniors in the freshman-filled lineup, Dylan Melgar put his team ahead for good with a 5-1 decision over the Mountaineer's Josh Huggins.

Melgar collected career win No. 100.

"I was really kind of getting down (on myself) because I had lost the last three days, but I kept going," said Melgar, who received the team's sportsmanship award. "I just had to trust in God and knew that He had a plan for me, and this is what He had in mind.

"I give all the glory to Him."

Cameron Helt extended the Eagles' advantage to 27-21 with a physical, 15-10 decision over Trevor Self at 195 pounds. The Mountaineers prevailed at 220, which brought defending state champion Kaleb Taylor face-to-face with Todd Self at center circle.

The two met in last year's state final.

After a scoreless first period, Taylor -- who gave up 40 pounds to Self -- posted a second-period takedown. The Eagle faithful roared their approval, especially past teammates who were scattered throughout the crowd.

Self earned a third-period escape. Taylor executed a perfectly-timed takedown and eventually walked off the mat with a 5-1 win. The Eagles led 30-24 overall.

"I just approached it as 'beat him once, beat him again'," a grinning Taylor said. "(But) I honestly thought we'd have a bigger lead than we did."

Decatur-Luker pulled up his singlet straps, tightened his headgear, reported to the head table and hustled onto the mat. He put on the green anklet and eventually helped his team derail the two-time defending state champions.

"Timmy's pin -- I was completely blown away," Melgar said. "For him to be a freshman and step up in such a high-pressured situation and come through was big for us."

Rosewood raced to an 18-0 lead through four individual bouts. Chris Hill started the surge with a 5-3, sudden victory over the Mountaineers' Malachi Staton at 113 pounds. Reid Amodeo squeezed out an 8-6 decision at 120, while Louis Tortual pinned Josh Forbes with 69 seconds left in their 126-pound match.

Mitchell's Peyton Greene appeared poised to pin Rosewood's Jordan Todd at 132 pounds. But Todd shifted his weight and pulled off a stunning pin of Greene, who walked off the mat in utter amazement after the referee raised Todd's hand in victory.

"The weight class we started off at was probably a good thing because it allowed us to pick up some momentum," Melgar said. "The crowd got behind us and just helped propel us forward. Not giving up those pins really helped us."

But one did -- from a freshman, no less.