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By Brian Pitts
Davie Enterprise Record

Want to hear something amazing? Davie’s wrestling team watched Isaac O’Toole pound out three pins at Mooresville, and that was the first varsity action the freshman has seen all year.
That’s how deep Josh Stanley’s practice room is. He’s bringing dudes off the bench and plugging them in whenever they’re needed.
“He’s a really good wrestler,” the coach said of O’Toole. “I said: ‘Believe in our belief in you.’ He’s going to be a huge part of us. He gutted it out; it was really cool to see.”
The War Eagles are 13-1 as a dual team, they’re stomping everybody in the CPC and they’ve finished first, second, fifth and second in tournaments. That’s all the more impressive when you consider they’ve been shorthanded all season. Aidan Szewczyk has been out with an injury since Dec. 14, missing the Reagan match and the last two tournaments, and we’re talking about a guy who is 15-0 at 126.
“Aidan’s got some sort of knee issue going on,” Stanley said. “I’m hoping in a couple weeks he’ll be back.”
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Davie finished fifth out of 42 teams in the Tiger Holiday Classic at Chapel Hill on Dec. 27-28. The top five scores: Hough 206, Cardinal Gibbons 173.5, Union Pines 157.5, Signal Mountain (Tn.) 147, Davie 127.
Davie hung with the big dogs even though it had voids at 113, 175 and 215.
The top finishers were seniors Cayden Glass and Ryder Strickland and junior Andy Davis, all of whom placed third in their respective weight classes. Strickland went 5-1 at heavyweight, while Glass (132) and Davis (144) both went 4-1.
Next for Davie was junior Elliott Gould, who went 6-2 on the way to fourth at 150.
Senior Brett Foster went 5-2 at 138. Freshman Graylan Anderson and sophomore Jack Bost went 3-2 at 106 and 120, respectively. Going 2-2 were junior Jamarius Pelote (165) and sophomore Walker Matthews (190).
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Davie almost went stride for stride with Piedmont in the fourth-annual Gavin Sharpe Invitational at Mooresville on Jan. 4. Piedmont collected 197 points and Davie amassed 191.5 for runner-up out of 12 schools.
Junior Tiaj Thao, who went 17-4 when he was up at 138, went boa constrictor on his opponents at 132. He pinned all three to take first place.
“That’s his weight,” Stanley said. “We were log-jammed until the two pounds hit (in late December). When Cayden got down to 126, T was able to get to his real spot.”
Davie’s other champion was Strickland, who went 3-0 with two pins at 285. With a 27-1 record, it’s routine at this point, right?
Davis, Gould and Pelote all went 2-1 for second place. Glass and Foster went 3-1 for third.
The losses for Davis and Glass came against fierce competition. Davis lost in the finals to a guy who finished second in the state last year. In the semifinals, Glass lost by major decision to an incredible sophomore, Cape Fear’s Tye Johnson, who like Glass finished second in the state last year.
“Cayden could have stayed at 132 and probably pinned through it, but he went down and wrestled one of the best guys in the state,” Stanley said. “He went down for the team. That’s great leadership. He went toe to toe with a kid that is a freak.”
O’Toole came out of nowhere and went 3-2 at 157 in his varsity debut. Stephen Jacobs (113), Garrett Whitaker (126), Maddox Creason (190) and Matthews (215) had 2-2 showings.
Davie’s depth, especially in the lower and middle weights, is awesome, but it can also be heartbreaking. Carter Hoots is a special freshman who has a 17-3 record at 144. He moved down to 138 when Davis returned from injury, but Foster is also at 138. Right now the 138 starter is Foster, a senior who has a career record of 71-17.
“That’s super tough because of how Carter does and how he lives his life,” Stanley said. “He’s such a hard-working kid and we’re getting him all the reps we can. Those boys go at it in the room. Carter is everything that we want to see any kid be. He keeps everybody honest in there. He’s not going to let anybody have an easy day.”