WRESTLING: Eastern Wayne matmen dominate Nash Central

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 18, 2016 9:57 AM

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Emmanuel Harper's shoulder blades inched closer to the match as Nash Central's Cameron Parker applied the pressure during their 113-pound match Thursday evening.

The ref dove to the mat and slid a hand underneath to check the distance between Harper and defeat.

He started his count.

1-Mississippi.

2-Mississippi.

3-Mississippi.

"Base!" yelled the Eastern Wayne coaching staff.

Two seconds later, Harper wiggled and rolled onto his stomach. Parker worked to turn him onto his back again as time expired. Parker gained the advantage in the second period, but Harper turned the tide.

Just 37 seconds into the third period, Harper held his ground and earned the pin. While the individual victory didn't affect the overall outcome which had been decided earlier, Harper's effort pleased second-year EW head coach Aaron Lynch.

"Emmanuel really turned it around. I was very proud him," Lynch said of the 66-12 romp.

"I'm very proud of Nate Matthews, too. He was really setting up his takedowns good, single leg switching it over to double leg and he hit it several times."

Matthews recorded seven takedowns and eventually pinned the Bulldogs' Brittain Marks at the 3:17 mark of their 170-pound bout.

Eastern Wayne (1-0 overall) emerged victorious in five of seven contested individual matches. The short-handed Bulldogs (0-1) yielded six forfeits and both teams double forfeited at 126 pounds.

The Warriors' Billy Bryant pinned NC's Keyeyian King-Johnson with 11 seconds remaining in the third period at 145 pounds. Teammates Victor Skinner (160 pounds) and Mario Harper (103) each pinned their respective opponent.

Christian Torres, Anthony Ackee, Dillissus Council, Joseph Scofield, Terrance Dawson and Mekhi Levins-Williams each drew a forfeit.

Lynch put seven returning starters on the mat. Just 12 wrestlers suited up against the Bulldogs, but he said he expects a few football players to join the team once their season ends.

"It was our first match," Lynch said. "We've been teaching the basic moves at practice, and really getting the kids looking forward to this first match. They came out and wrestled real well.

"They met all of my expectations."