Cedar Ridge Wrestling

The term “dynasty” becomes more arbitrary from generation to generation.

In the 1990s, the Chicago Bulls earned the moniker after winning six NBA Championships in eight seasons. But could it really compare to Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics of the late 1950s-1960s, which won eleven world titles in 13 years?

The San Francisco 49ers was the first team to win five Super Bowls. They did it in a span of 14 years behind quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young from 1981-1995. For much of that period, the New England Patriots were as far away from a Super Bowl as Hillsborough is to the moon. No one knew that Tom Brady would take New England to six World Championships in 16 years in the 21 century.

By any definition of the term, Orange Middle School had a wrestling dynasty. More to the point, Stanford wrestling had a dynasty, long before the Orange County School Board changed its name.

The string of dominance started in the 1980s under Coach Lou Geary and continued under Aaron Carr into the new millennium. The Chargers won 20 consecutive Orange Person Athletic Conference Championships. They had 18 consecutive undefeated seasons and 12 straight years without losing a league match.

It all ended last month at the hands of the Stanback Bulldogs.

In a standard Hollywood script, the Bulldogs would have defeated its crosstown rivals with the entire dual match, conference championship and, well, dynasty boiling down to one final one-on-one individual bout.

In reality, Stanback’s win had all of the drama of a mid-1980s Super Bowl.

Stanback defeated the Chargers 73-18 to earn its first wrestling championship in school history. It was also the first time ever the Bulldogs defeated the Chargers on the wrestling mat.

“I think we had the advantage of a continuation of coaching,” said Stanback wrestling coach Jonah Hill. “We had a lot of sixth graders who were wrestling two years ago. They did a great job as 8th graders in getting a buzz about the program and talking to their friends. That created an advantage for us.”

Obviously, Stanback waited an eternity to beat OMS. The wait to simply compete, not just for Stanback but all local middle schools in all sports, was interminable after the pandemic.

While high school sports steadily returned to action in the 2020-2021 academic year, albeit with unorthodox schedules and curtailed attendance, there were no sports in middle schools across Orange County.

One of the last middle school events before the shutdown took place in front of a standing room only crowd on January 10, 2020. Stanback, under then-head coach Grant Gibson, and Stanford (under its former name) met on the mat in front of a packed grandstand at Bulldog Gymnasium. The Chargers squeezed out a 47-46 win, but not before Stanback started strong when Mason Pierce scored a pin in the opening match.

While the subsequent long, monotonous days without competition during the lockdown dragged on, that match never left the minds of Hill and Jose Hidalgo, who were assistants to Gibson at the time.

They thought they would end Stanford’s streak two years ago.

“That was a long of fun,” Hill said. “I think we got a lot of bad calls that night and I said as much to the (referee) booking agents. That was a one-point meet and I thought it could go either way. That was one of those nights where we were happy with the effort the kids put out. It was a clear indication that we were on the right track.”

This season, Stanback’s Ethan Montgomery went undefeated competing at 141 and 148 pounds. He was among four Bulldogs to win individual OPAC Championships.

“He wrestled the best kid in each of those weight classes against every school and beat them all,” Hill said. “He’s a very impressive kid. He was average as a 6th grader. I know that, as a student, he’s very smart. He has a good mind for wrestling and he surprised us all the way he developed this year. And he picks things up very quickly.”

Pierce won the OPAC 85-pound championship, ending a three-year run on the team.

“He got a lot of matches as a sixth grader because he wrestled in a smaller weight class,” Hill said. “That’s rare. But Mason worked extra hard this year. He was reliable. We asked so many kids on this team to do completely unreasonable things, and they still do it.”

Among those who transformed the most from the start of the season was Thalia Paterno, who finished 2nd in her weight class. Paterno spent most of the year as a backup until the waning days of the season. Then Hill had to juggle his lineup because of weight cuts and departures, and suddenly Paterno found herself competing against some of the top wrestlers in the league in the OPAC Tournament.

Paterno reached the semifinals at 92-pounds, where she prevailed in double overtime against a competitor from Northern Middle School despite suffering a neck injury in the third period. After escaping in the second :30 overtime period, Paterno won the match with a takedown.

“She was a sixth grader who hadn’t started any matches all season,” Hill said. “She wrestled so well. During one of the breaks in the match, I noticed her neck was hurting. I asked if she wanted to go out, but she wrestled for the championship.”

Durvin Lopez claimed the championship at 170 pounds, which surprised Hill, who labeled him a “darkhorse.” Lopez may have been a surprise, but he was also studious.

“He told us at the end of his championship match that he studied every single one of his opponents,” Hidalgo said. “In his last match, Durvin said every time his opponent had a tendency to bring his arm up. Every time he brought his arm up, he went in for a takedown. And it worked. I didn’t know that Durvin studied his opponents that way.”

Diego Vera Palma won an individual championship, though Hill said it was a journey that could have ended at any point during the season.

“He tried to quit about four or five times,” Hill said. “He doubts himself sometimes. I’m so happy that he gave himself to chance to perform to his ability. I think towards the end of the season he realized he had a talent for the sport and should stick with it. Once he got past that stuff, he performed at his best.”

Stanback had 13 8th graders overall. it was a journey that ended with a championship the school waited a lifetime for.

“I think every year we have a chance and every year we train as if it is a possibility,” Hill said. “It’s never been about the championship, honestly. It’s been about the idea of doing something very difficult. We’ve always been motivated by this idea that we believe it’s possible and there’s a lot of wisdom in approaching a goal like you can achieve it. Whether you actually achieve the goal matters very little. It’s about the growth you make when you work for your goal.”

Like Orange Middle did, Hidalgo hopes the middle school wrestling dynasty will now shift to the southern end of town.

“They have more motivation to continue in the right path,” Hidalgo said. “I think we’re going to gather more students to join our team. I hope next year we’ll have a bigger players.”

Since he started as a freshman at Cedar Ridge at 106-pounds, Fernando Martinez has always had a goal of wrestling inside the Greensboro Coliseum for the state championships.

Last week, he finally got there–possibly two years overdue.

In 2020 as a freshman, Martinez reached the semifinals of the Mideast Regionals at Cape Fear High School in Fayetteville. He was one win away from qualifying for the state championships, but was injured against Chapel Hill’s Lucas Daily in the championship round. He was forced to forfeit his consolation semifinal match against Southern Durham’s Ashton O’Neal.

Last year, the pandemic forced major changes. For starters, the NCHSAA moved the season to June, leading to sweltering conditions in gyms across the state. Also, Eastern Guilford High School in Gibsonville hosted both the Mideast Regionals and the state championships. Martinez got a highly questionable draw at 120 pounds and lost in the quarterfinals to Southern Durham’s ShyHeem Davis. With no consolation bracket to fall back on, Martinez was eliminated and his dream of wrestling in Greensboro was dashed for a few more months.

After winning the 113-pound Mideast Regional Championship at Union Pines High School in Cameron last week, Martinez made his first trip to the Greensboro Coliseum one to remember.

On Saturday, Martinez pinned West Carteret’s Skylar Oxford in 3:57 to finish 5th in the state at 113 pounds. It is the best-ever result by a Cedar Ridge wrestler in a 3A Tournament. The only other Red Wolf to place in a 3A Tournament is Colin Davis, who finished sixth in the 2018 State Championships at 182 pounds.

Martinez became the first Cedar Ridge wrestler to place in the top five of the state Wrestling Championships since Adam Howard finished 5th in the 2013 2A Tournament at 152 ponds. Josh Collins is the only Red Wolf to win a state championship, taking the 189-pound title in the 2005 2A/1A Tournament.

Martinez ends his junior season 42-10. He will enter his senior season with 97 wins and is line to become the first Red Wolf with 100 career wins since Ethan Knapp won 107 matches from 2003-2007.

This season, Martinez competed in weight classes ranging from 113-to-126 pounds in hopes of becoming more well-rounded. He says what made the difference in placing in the state championships was improved conditioning.

“I put in more work this year than past years,” Martinez said in the week leading up to regionals. “I haven’t been able to pin as many people this season so I had to go longer in matches. Conditioning has been a part of my daily routine this year.”

After a victory over South Brunswick’s Ethan McCullough on Thursday in the opening round, Martinez led Caleb Haynes of North Gaston 2-0 at the end of the first period in the state quarterfinals on Friday morning. Haynes started from the top in the second period, quickly gained an advantage and pinned Martinez in 2:38.

In the consolation bracket, Martinez defeated South Johnston’s Ethan Brownlee 8-1. Martinez pinned Elkin’s Devean Huskey in 3:55 to move into the consolation semifinals.

Martinez’s top-5 finish capped an overall solid year for Cedar Ridge wrestling. The Red Wolves finished 3rd in the Central Carolina Conference, their best as a 3A team.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Kaden Tatro won two matches in the consolation round. After falling to Salif Conneh of Eastern Guilford in the opening round, Tatro pinned Crotan’s Blake McCabe in 2:20. Tatro scored a 13-1 major decision over Triton’s Nathan Williams in the next round.

Orange had nine wrestlers qualify for the state championships. Sophomore Jared Hutchins came closest to placing at 132 pounds. Hutchins defeated Christian Klutz of Jimmy Carson in the consolation round in 3:49. Hutchins edged Western Harnett’s Cameron Curva, the Mideast Regional Champion, 8-7 in the next round. Hibriten’s Ross Watts, who finished fifth, eliminated Hutchins.

Orange senior Brendon Worsham pinned North Brunswick’s Tristan Marks in the opening round of the 182-pound tournament. Central Academy’s Brady Ross, the eventual state champion, defeated Worsham in 5:29. Hiroki Cruz of Western Carteret, the Eastern Regional Champion, defeated Worsham in the consolation round 7-5. Worsham ends the year 29-8. He qualified for the state championships three times in his career.

At 220 pound, Orange’s Elijah Acosta earned his 30th win of the season with a pinfall victory over Jeffrey Klugh of Currituck in 4:06 of a consolation round. Acosta ends his junior season with a 30-6 record and individual championships in the Jim King/Orange Invitational and the Quentin Crosby Invitational in Greensboro.

Orange’s Acoya Isley, who claimed three individual tournament championships this year, won a consolation round match. He ends his first varsity season 23-8.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is freshman wrestler Leo Oguntoyinbo. This season in his first year at the varsity level, Oguntoyinbo qualified for the 3A Mideast Wrestling Regionals at 138 pounds. Oguntoyinbo immediately made a statement in his first night at the varsity level. On November 17, Oguntoyinbo won three matches in Cedar Ridge’s opening dual matches of the year. He pinned Panther Creek’s Nasir Henderson in 3:18 in his first high school match. Also that same night, he pinned Jordan’s Joshua Zacharias in 1:43. In his first Central Carolina Conference meet, Oguntoyinbo got a forfeit win over Person. Against Orange on December 8, Oguntoyinbo defeated the Panthers’ Miles Adams via pinfall in 5:56. Oguntoyinbo hasn’t even started in his best sport yet at Cedar Ridge. After the Mideast Regionals last week, Oguntoyinbo has started workouts with the Cedar Ridge lacrosse team, where he is expected to start as goalkeeper under new head coach Cole Churchill. Leo’s older brother, Roman, was the leading scorer for Cedar Ridge last season as the Red Wolves made the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs. Cedar Ridge lacrosse will start its season at Jordan on March 1.

After winning his first regional championship, Cedar Ridge’s Fernando Martinez has advanced to the state quarterfinals in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A State Wrestling Championships.

Competing inside the famed Greensboro Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon, Martinez defeated Ethan McCullough of South Brunswick 13-3 in the opening round of the 113-pound tournament. It was the first time that a Cedar Ridge wrestler advanced to the state quarterfinals since Darius McLeod defeated Zach Winterstein of Clayton in the 2019 tournament at 132-pounds.

Also on the opening day of the state championships, Orange senior Brendon Worsham pinned Tristan Marks of North Brunswick in 5:29. Worsham, who is making his third consecutive appearance in the state tournament, is now 29-6 on the season. This is the first time that Worsham has advanced to the state quarterfinals.

Overall, there were nine wrestlers from Orange who qualified for the state championships. In addition, Cedar Ridge sophomore Kaden Tatro made his first state tournament appearance at 170 pounds.

Coming off the regional championship, Martinez needed only nine seconds to get McCullough’s back for the opening takedown. After a restart, Martinez got a back cradle and earned three near fall points before McCullough got to his side. Martinez led 5-0 at the end of the first period.

The only danger that Martinez faced came early in the second period. Starting from the bottom, Martinez attempted an escape, but McCullough bodied up and drove Martinez’s back to the canvas, nearly getting his shoulders down. Martinez immediately escaped to go ahead 6-2. With 53 seconds remaining in the second period, Martinez was poked in the eye. After restarting from a neutral position, Martinez engaged in a collar-and-elbow tie-up and scored a reversal to go ahead 8-2.

In the third period, Martinez was penalized a point for stalling, but gained McCullough’s back again shortly afterwards. McCullough had both of his arms tied up by Martinez, which led to three more near fall points in the final minute.

Martinez, a junior, now has 93 career wins. He will face North Gaston’s Caleb Haynes in the state quarterfinals on Thursday.

Worsham, who was knocked out in the opening round of the 3A State Tournament at 182 pounds last June, will face Brady Ross of Central Academy in the state quarterfinals.

Of the nine wrestlers for Orange competing in the state championships on Wednesday, seven appeared for the first time. Only Worsham and junior Dillon Heffernan returned from last year. Heffernan, competing at 126 pounds, dropped his opening match to Asheboro’s Diego Gutierrez 11-4. Heffernan is now 26-8.

Orange freshman Braden Crawford (120 pounds), sophomore Jared Hutchins (132), senior Avery Clark (145), sophomore Andre Hill (160), junior Acoya Isley (182), junior Elijah Acosta (22) and junior Hugo Vazquez (heavyweight) all made their first appearance in the state tournament.

Acosta, who leads Orange this season with 29 wins, lost an 8-3 decision to Ledford’s Cory Cranford.

The consolation round will start on Thursday morning. Last season, Orange only had one wrestler place in the top five. Hayden Horne finished fourth at 220 pounds. Because of the pandemic, there were no consolation rounds contested in the 2021 3A State Tournament, which was moved to Eastern Guilford High School in Gibsonville.

Since he was a freshman at Cedar Ridge wrestling at 106 pounds, Fernando Martinez has always had a goal of wrestling in the state championships at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Now, he’s going to Greensboro as a regional champion.

After being under-seeded last summer at 120 pounds, Martinez claimed the 113-pound regional championship at the Mideast Regional Championships at Union Pines High School in Cameron on Saturday. In the semifinals, Martinez defeated the #1 seed, Person’s Christian Lemaire, via an 8-2 decision to reach the final. Martinez needed only 23 seconds to record his first takedown against Lemaire. In the second period, Martinez scored two near fall points and was never taken down in the match.

In the regional final, Martinez defeated Union Pines’ Jayden Crawford 9-7 to take the championship. Crawford registered two takedowns in the opening period to take a 4-1 lead. Martinez battled back in the second period with two separate sequences where he nearly scored a pin. He earned six total near fall points to lead 7-4. Martinez got the only takedown of the final period and survived two penalty points in the final minute for the win.

Martinez, who is 37-8, now has 92 career wins as a junior. If it wasn’t for the pandemic, he would certainly be over 100 career victories by now, becoming only the fifth wrestler in school history to reach that plateau. Martinez would be the first Red Wolf grappler to record 100 wins since Chandler Collins, who won a school record 166 matches from 2003-2007.

In addition to Martinez, Cedar Ridge’s Kaden Tatro also qualified for the state championships at 170 pounds. Tatro finished 4th. He sewed up a spot in Greensboro after beating Northwood’s Cliff Davis 7-0 in the consolation semifinals. Though Cedar Ridge and Northwood are both from the Central Carolina Conference, Davis and Tatro didn’t square off during the dual match between the two schools on December 1. Tatro, who is 35-10 with 26 pins this season, qualified for the state championships for the first time.

In the team standings, Union Pines finished first. Orange came in second place with 170 points. The Vikings wound up with 197. Cedar Ridge finished 5th at 76.5 points.

Out of 13 competitors, no less than eight Orange wrestlers qualified for the 3A State Championships. At 126 pounds, junior Dillon Heffernan received a #1 seed and finished in second place. After receiving a bye into the second round, Heffernan reached the semifinals with a major decision over Justin Richardson of Douglas Byrd 16-3 Friday night. Heffernan opened action on Saturday by beating Luc Young of Terry Sanford 10-7 to move into the championship round. It was Heffernan’s 30th win of the season. Southern Durham’s Shyne Wharry defeated Heffernan 6-2 for the championship.

For the third year in a row, Orange’s Brendon Worsham reached the regional final at 182 pounds. Worsham, who also played linebacker for the Orange football team the past three years, reached the finals after pinning the #2 seed, Demontrious Ratliff of Fayetteville 71st, in 1:12. It was Worsham’s third pin of the tournament. Cape Fear’s Jaden Paul, seeded fifth, defeated Worsham 15-2 in the regional championship match.

The biggest surprise of the weekend came from Orange’s Andre Hill, who stunned top-seeded Wade Johnson of Harnett Central in the quarterfinals at 160 pounds. In the semifinals, Hill polished off Samaj Jones of Vance County 10-2 to reach his first regional final. In the championship match, Union Pines’ Brock Sullivan pinned Hill, who is now 24-16 in his first year as a starter.

At heavyweight, Orange’s Hugo Vazquez also had a runner-up finish. Vazquez defeated Major Phillips of Northern Nash 2-1 in the semifinals when Phillips received a penalty point for stalling in the third period. In the quarterfinals, Vazquez earned another 2-1 decision, this time over Franklinton’s Landon Michael. Person’s Trevquan Gary pinned Vazquez in the finals.

Another Panther who earned a top-seed, Elijah Acosta, faced Northwood’s Jake Dunning for the fourth time this season in the semifinals. This time, Dunning managed to upset Acosta 5-2. In the consolation semifinals, Acosta pinned Fayetteville 71st’s Jamieson Alston in 2:49. Acosta held off Triton’s Malachi Nettles 3-1 in the consolation final. It was Acosta’s 31st win of the season, which is tied for the team lead.

Junior Acoya Isley also finished third at 195 pounds. Isley, 26-6 on the season, was sent to the consolation bracket after losing to top-seeded Michael Locklear 7-3 in the semifinals. Locklear eventually claimed the regional title, and Isley was the only opponent he didn’t pin. In the consolation semifinals, Isley pinned Western Alamance’s Chandler Baysdon in 48 seconds. Isley clinched third place after pinning Walter Williams Jeremiah Lumpkin in 43 seconds.

Another surprised occurred at 145 pounds. Avery Clark, seeded #7, finished in 3rd place. Clark lost in the second round on Friday, but weaved through the consolation gauntlet on Saturday to earn a trip to Greensboro. Clark started a day of four matches with an 11-5 decision over Dylan Stewart of Lee County. In the next round, Clark pinned Janson Tyndall of Triton in 1:45. Clark earned a technical fall over Edward Lopez of Harnett Central 16-1. Finally, Clark was awarded the consolation match over #2 seeded Jackson Lusk of Franklinton, who was injured in his preceding match.

Orange’s Jared Hutchins registered a 3rd place finish at 132 pounds. On Friday, Hutchins won his opening two matches, but lost a heartbreaker to Western Harnett’s Cameron Curva 12-11 when Curva escaped out of a near fall with four seconds remaining, vaulting him ahead after Hutchins had nearly scored a pin in the waining seconds. Curva would go on to win the regional title. Hutchins defeated top-seeded Ivan Benitez 10-6 in the consolation semifinals, then scored a decision over Union Pines Finnius McCafferty 10-6. Last year, Benitez qualified for the state championships.

At 120 pounds, Orange’s Braden Crawford finished 4th. In the semifinals on Saturday afternoon, Crawford had a thrilling match against Dakota Little of Westover, which went into overtime. Crawford scored an escape with three seconds remaining to even the match 13-13 at the end of regulation. Little notched a takedown with nine second remaining in the first sudden victory period to secure the win.

In the consolation semifinals, Crawford defeated Person’s Derrick Laycock 16-4 to reach the consolation final and his first trip to the state championships.

In the midst of exam break, the Cedar Ridge wrestling team finished up its Central Carolina Conference regular season schedule with its highest league finish since jumping to 3A in 2012.

Behind pins from freshman Lee Oguntoyinbo and Shea Spiller, the Red Wolves defeated Williams 45-27 on Wednesday at Red Wolves Arena. It was the final CCC match of the season for Cedar Ridge, who ensured a 3rd place finish with a 4-2 record.

Oguntoyinbo, competing at 132 pounds, pinned Xiomara Hernandez-Morales in 1:25. Oguntoyinbo improved to 17-9 with ten pins on the season. It was one of only five matches the entire evening that were contested. The other eleven were forfeits, including a double forfeit at 106 pounds.

At 152 pounds, Shea Spiller pinned Alex Solari in 3:30. It was Spiller’s fifth win of the season.

Edward Hernandez-Huerta, wrestling at 160 pounds, outlasted Jackson Goforth 13-10. Hernandesz-Huerta also has five wins this season.

Cedar Ridge junior Fernando Martinez earned a forfeit victory at 120 pounds, his 82nd career win. This season, Martinez is 27-7 with ten pins. Martinez is on track to become the first Cedar Ridge wrestler to record 100 career wins since Colin Davis, who graduated in 2018.

Jaylen Williams (113), Ryan Rakouskas (138), Justin Hartsell (145) and James Este Wittinger (182) also claimed forfeit wins for Cedar Ridge. The Red Wolves have an overall record of 14-14 on the season.

This weekend, Cedar Ridge will journey to Montgomery Central High School in Troy, NC for the Montgomery Duals. The Red Wolves will compete against Trinity, Thomasville, Richmond County and West Wilkes. Last week, Trinity faced off against the Red Wolves during a twi-match that also included Western Alamance. The Bulldogs defeated the Red Wolves 65-9.

Cedar Ridge put themselves in position to finish 3rd in the Central Carolina Conference with a 60-24 victory over Western Alamance at Red Wolves Arena on January 5.

Against the Warriors, Oguntoyinbo pinned Connor Soliz at 132 pounds. Spiller earned another pinfall win at 160 pounds over Kaine Bryant.

At 170 pounds, sophomore Kaden Tatro pinned Chaz May. Tatro currently leads the team with 29 wins on the season against only eight losses. Tatro, who also started on Cedar Ridge’s men’s lacrosse team last season, also leads the team with 22 pins.

James Este Wittinger earned a victory by disqualification over Dylan Teague at 182 pounds. At 195 pounds, Joe O’Melia pinned the Warriors’ Logan Barnes. O’Melia has 17 wins this season, eleven via pinfall.

At heavyweight, Louis Tedder pinned David Day. Tedder has 12 wins this season with seven pins.

Pierce Prescod (113), Martinez (120), Rakouskas (138), and Hartsell (152) all had forfeit wins for the Red Wolves against the Warriors.

While the Williams match was the final conference match of the season for Cedar Ridge, the Red Wolves will have another home meet. On Wednesday, the Red Wolves will face Dan River High School out of Ringgold, VA. On Janaury 22, the Red Wolves will compete in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament meet.

The 3A Mideast Regionals will be held at Union Pines High School in Cameron. Last season, Daina Pritchard of Cedar Ridge qualified for the 3A State Championships.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore wrestling Kaden Tatro. This season, Tatro leads the Cedar Ridge wrestling team in wins and pinfalls. He has a 29-8 record with 22 pins. That includes a strong showing in the WRAL Invitational in Knightdale on December 17 and 18, where Tatro finished 2nd at 170 pounds. In the event, which included 48 teams from three states, Tatro pinned Cape Fear’s Garland Thompson in 4:54 to reach the championship math. Tatro pinned Ian Troan of the North Carolina School of Science and Math in the quarterfinals in 3:39. Last spring, Tatro was a member of the Cedar Ridge men’s lacrosse team, which qualified for the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs. Tatro was a starter for Coach Scott Metcalf on the Cedar Ridge wrestling team in his freshman year. The Red Wolves will host Walter Williams at Red Wolves Arena on Wednesday in its final Central Carolina Conference dual match of the year. With a win, Cedar Ridge will wrap up 3rd place in the conference going into the CCC Tournament on January 22.

Even with the omicron variant spreading doubt across the sports landscape once again, it’s still a time for high school wrestling teams to live again.

Traditional holiday tournament are back, at least for now, and it’s giving some of Cedar Ridge’s youngest grapplers a chance to shine on a big stage for the first time.

On Saturday in Knightdale, that person was Kaden Tatro.

Tatro, a sophomore, finished second at 170 pounds in the WRAL Invitational, a two-day tournament at Knightdale High School. Tatro reached the final after pinning Cape Fear’s Gatlan Thompson in the semifinal at 4:54.

From the very beginning of the semifinal, Tatro was in an uphill battle. Thompson scored three takedowns in the opening period, the first only 15 seconds into the match. Trailing 6-4 going into the second period, Tatro earned a quick escape point, but was down 8-5 midway through the match after Thompson scored a leg sweep for another two points.

“It was such an amazing feeling to see Kaden punch his ticket to the finals,” said Cedar Ridge wrestling coach Scott Metcalf. “Especially after he was losing early in his semi-final match then came back and pinned the kid. Shows something about his character and grit. The kid has a lot of ability and continues to get better and better as the season goes along. The future is awfully bright for him.”

In a field of 22 competitors, Tatro lost only to Wilmington Laney’s Alex Hopper in the championship match. It was the best finish for Tatro in a high school tournament. Last month during the Red Wolf Invitational at Red Wolves Arena, Tatro came in fourth place at 170 pounds.

Tatro opened with a 10-8 decision over Samuel Leguizamo of Corinth Holders in the second round. In the quarterfinals, Tatro pinned Ian Troan of the North Carolina School of Science and Math in 3:39 to punch his ticket to Saturday’s semifinals.

It was only the second high school tournament for Tatro, who was a starter for Cedar Ridge as a freshman. Last spring, wrestling season was reduced to only dual matches, individual regional and state tournaments. Traditional holiday tournaments were canceled, as were the consolation rounds of the few individual events that were allowed to continue.

As a sophomore, Tatro has a record of 21-6 with 15 pins. He leads the team in wins and pinfall victories.

Cedar Ridge junior Fernando Martinez earned a eighth place finish in the 120 pound division. As was the case in the Mideast Regionals last summer, Martinez earned a tough draw. Lucas Cotto Jr of Laney, who eventually reached the semifinals and finished third at 120, edged Martinez 7-6 in the opening round.

In the consolation round, Martinez defeated First Flight’s Jacob Kresicki 7-4. He decisioned Havelock’s Seth Bliss 4-2. Martinez is now 19-5 with nine pins this season. He has 74 career wins.

“I was also really proud of Fernando,” Metcalf said. “In his last two wins of the tournament I finally saw the switch turn on for him and things start to click on the mat. It reminded me of one of our former wrestlers Darius McLeod. There was one tournament where things finally clicked for him his senior year. And he went from a good wrestler to great wrestler.”

Cedar Ridge heavyweight Louis Tedder won his opening round match with a pin over South Brunswick’s Eli Hedblom in 3:51. At 195 pounds, Red Wolves sophomore Joe O’Melia pinned Green Hope’s David Preis in 55 seconds. In the consolation round, O’Melia pinned Apex Friendship’s John Marinaccio in :24. O’Melia defeated New Bern’s Vincent Grist via forfeit to advance to the next consolation round, where he lost to Clayton’s Tynell Streeter.

Laney dominated the tournament and won the team championship with 282.5 points. Cape Fear finished seconds with 132.5 points, barely holding off Ocean Lakes, Virginia for third. Ocean Lakes had 132 points. Cedar Ridge finished with 55 points, 20th in a 48-team field.

The first Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week for the winter sports season is sophomore wrestler Joe O’Melia. On November 17, O’Melia scored three pins as the Red Wolves wrestling team defeated Jordan, Person and Panther Creek to open the season. O’Melia pinned Jordan’s Daniel Maxwell in 1:38 as the Red Wolves defeated Jordan 60-24. O’Melia pinned Panther Creek’s John Dube in 59 seconds as the Red Wolves defeated the Catamounts 52-25. Against Person in the Red Wolves’ Central Carolina Conference opener, O’Melia pinned Victor Rodriguez in 5:44 which led to the Red Wolves beating the Rockets 42-33. Last week in Raleigh during a tri-match at Wakefield High School, O’Melia pinned Thomas Kenner of Sanderson. He also pinned Wakefield’s Frankie Nehilia in 3:18. Thus far on the season, O’Melia has won eleven matches with seven pins. Starting on Friday, O’Melia and the rest of the Red Wolves wrestling team will compete in the WRAL Invitational at Knightdale High School. It will be a two-day event featuring over 40 other schools.