Orange’s Payton Wilson Finishes 3rd at Tiger Holiday Classic

Another impressive outing for Payton Wilson in a sophomore season that’s been full of them.

Wilson finished third at the Tiger Holiday Wrestling Classic on Wednesday. After dropping his initial match to eventual 220-pound tournament champion Evan Surgeon, Wilson responded with wins over South View’s Cade Smith (6-1) and Chapel Hill’s George McBurney (3-1) to take the consolation round.

Wilson is now 22-6 going into the heart of the dual match season. Five months removed from a broken ankle suffered on the first day of football practice, Wilson discusses how he prepared for the interminable first day of the Tiger.