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By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

The Davie wrestling team beat the snot out of its first four opponents. The defending state champion’s 18-match winning ended against Northwest Guilford, but the four-point setback is not a major concern since the War Eagles were not at full strength.
When the War Eagles opened the season at North Iredell on Nov. 12, there were two demolitions – 63-16 over Cox Mill and 77-0 over N. Iredell.
The pinners against Cox Mill were Walker Matthews (215), Ryder Strickland (285), Cayden Glass (132), Tiaj Thao (138), Carter Hoots (144), Elliott Gould (150) and Davis Jones (157). Luke Hannah won by disqualification and Garrett Whitaker won a decision.
The pins against North came from Matthews, Stephen Jacobs (113), Hannah, Whitaker, Glass, Thao, Hoots, Gould and Jaden Dillard (165). Jones won by technical fall.
It was a fantastic night for the freshmen and young guys.
“The story was the younger guys, getting them some confidence and throwing them into varsity matches,” coach Josh Stanley said. “It was very cool for them. They were excited and they were wanting to celebrate. I was having to get on them. It was good.”
Matthews is a sophomore who saw little varsity time as a freshman. He roared out of the gate with back-to-back pins.
“He is deceiving because he’s short and he’s light for 215,” Stanley said. “But he is lifting guys in the air. He had a guy over his head and I was worried they were going to call it a slam. He’s an explosive guy.”
Whitaker is a freshman who started 2-0.
“He got some mat time that he was not expecting,” Stanley said. “We have so many down low that we can plug young guys in and get them some exposure. We are excited about Garrett . He is pushing for a starting spot; him and Leighton Reavis are going at it.”
Hoots is a freshman who has been absolutely spectacular. He opened his career with a pair of pins.
“He is going to be an animal,” Stanley said. “He is doing everything we want. He’s been a wrestler since he was young. He is a gamer.”
Dillard is another prized freshman. He lost his first match but made up for it with a pin.
“His first varsity match, he was a little gunshy,” Stanley said. “In the second match, he really turned it on. I am wrestling him wherever I can. I bumped him up a weight class. He’s technically a 157-pounder and I put him up at 165.”
Stanley marveled at Jones, a junior who did not adopt the sport until his sophomore year. His first varsity action featured a pin and tech fall.
“He is my favorite story this year,” Stanley said. “He came in last year really new to wrestling, and then he made the decision to commit wholeheartedly. He busted his butt the whole offseason. We took him to national duals and he wrestled more than anybody. I think we put him in 12 matches. He is wrestling his butt off. He weighs 150 but Elliott is there, so he is going up and doing whatever he can for the team. So he is the type of kid we want on the team.”
•••
Davie hosted the second-annual Buddy Lowery Duals on Nov. 16. The first victim was West Iredell, which watched Davie win 13 of 14 weight classes.
Glass, Thao, Jamarius Pelote (175) and Maddox Creason (190) had pins in the 76-6 win. Gould had a major decision. Davie received eight forfeits from the Warriors.
Then Davie dealt a 72-12 beating to Page. The Pirates were pinned by Jack Bost (126), Glass, Thao, Hoots, Gould, Jones, Dillard, Pelote, Creason and Strickland.
But after outscoring Cox Mill, North Iredell, West Iredell and Page 288-34, Northwest Guilford stopped Davie’s longest winning streak in six years, 40-36. There was no shame in that. The Vikings have been a high-powered program for years, Davie forfeited all day at 215 and Aidan Szewczyk, who was fifth in the state at 113 as a freshman, was not able to make his sophomore debut until this week.
The War Eagles trailed throughout, the biggest deficit reaching 28-12 after the seventh weight class. Creason’s pin pulled Davie within 28-24, and Northwest’s forfeit to Strickland cut the War Eagles’ deficit to 34-30 with two matches left.
But they didn’t have quite enough oomph; Northwest clinched the decision in the second-to-last match at 106.
Davie’s three pins included Pelote and Jacobs. Gould won by tech fall. Hoots won a major. Glass won a decision.
Notes: Eighteen was Davie’s longest winning streak since a 23-matcher in 2018-19, when Lowery was in his 43rd and final year at the helm. … Davie has five guys sporting 5-0 records. The lost includes Jacobs, Glass, Hoots, Gould and Strickland.