Zack Martin, Dominique Ware, Neil Perez and Gabe Musser all earned state qualifier titles at last weekend’s Eastern Regional competition in Wilmington.
Musser, a 160-pound junior took top honors, winning the regional title in a three-match march to the top that started with a three-minute pin over Terry Sanford’s Derrick Guggenbergger in the quarterfinals.
The climb got a little steeper in the semifinals against Pine Forest’s James Parker where Musser fell into a four-point hole after a pair of early takedowns.
Musser toughed his way back to a tie in the third period then worked the pin on Parker with less than a minute to go, to advance into the finals.
In the finals, Musser faced off with New Hanover’s James Campbell, ranked 11th in the state. Neither wrestler could gain an advantage in a scoreless first period. Campbell edged ahead in the second on a reversal from the referee’s position.
Trailing 2-0 going into the final round, Musser pulled out all the stops with an equalizing takedown that set up a two-point nearfall to seal the match and the regional championship.
Senior 135-pounder Dominique Ware had his sights set on repeating last year’s qualifying run, and came into the tournament ready to roll. In the first round, 12th-ranked Ware bulldozed Purnell Swett’s Benjamin McMillan flat to the mat in 2:10.
Ware shifted gears in the quarterfinals, with four takedowns to cap a 13-4 major decision over Tommy Daughtry of Terry Sanford.
Takedowns did it again for Ware in the semifinals. This time Ware only needed a pair to lock up a 4-2 decision over Cape Fear’s Jerrod Ballenger and land in the championship match.
The engine stalled in the finals against Jack Britt’s seventh-ranked Michael Keefer with Ware falling short in an 18-2 tech fall and second place in the tournament.
Neil Perez, ranked ninth in the state, entered the tournament as one of the favorites in the 152-pound class along with Pine Forest’s seventh-ranked Lamar Williams. With Williams and Perez seeded first and second, respectively, the bracket set up a collision course for a close final.
In the first round, Aaron Rusk of New Hanover was no match for Perez, who worked a couple of takedowns and nearfalls on Rusk before slamming the door with a pin midway through the second round.
Perez collected a freebie in the quarterfinals when South View’s Mitchell Porter failed to make weight, forcing a forfeit to the Pinecrest wrestler.
In the semifinals, Hoggard’s Lorenzo Hall challenged Perez, but was no match for the Pinecrest junior’s takedown talents. Perez overwhelmed Hall with three takedowns en route to an 8-3 decision that set up the championship bout with Williams.
Williams, a state qualifier from last season, struck quickly in the final, jumping to a 5-1 lead early in the match. Perez held the line through the second round but was unable to close the gap. In the final period, Perez got caught in a couple of nearfalls that put the final score at 10-2 and put the Pinecrest wrestler in the books in second place.
Zack Martin worked his way into the Pinecrest history book as the school’s first freshman state qualifier. On a 119-pound roll into the postseason, Martin had already notched the conference title and a win in the team playoffs.
Martin showed some freshman jitters in the opening round, giving up the initial takedown to Scotland County’s Mitchell Johnson. The hesitation was only momentary as Martin snapped back with a quick reversal and pinning combination that left Johnson wondering how he got pinned in 1:59.
Martin was matched with Pine Forest’s Anthony Maerten in the quarterfinal round. Maerten had taken a 7-4 decision over Martin in December, but this meeting would be different. Two escapes gave Martin the 4-2 edge that moved him into the semifinals.
E. E. Smith’s fourth-ranked Brandon Wallace detoured Martin into the consolation round with a tech fall in the semis. Martin worked his way back into the consolation finals that set up a rematch with Maerten.
With the third-place position on the line, the match ended regulation deadlocked at 2-2. Maerten had scored the first points to get choice of position in the overtime period and opted for the bottom spot. An escape or reversal in the 30-second time frame would give the Pine Forest wrestler the win.
But 30 seconds was not enough time to shake Martin, who locked up the win, third place, and a state qualifier’s slot in that half-minute.
Pinecrest coach Tim Nocton was proud of his quartet of qualifiers. “They wrestled well and they are all legitimate contenders for state titles” said Nocton.
The Pinecrest team effort was a factor in the competition as well.
Nocton observed “the atmosphere in the mat room has really helped this season. This weekend showed a lot of what this team is about. They pull for each other. Win or lose, they do it together.”
Next stop on the road to the top for the four state qualifiers is the NCHSAA 4-A State Championship. The four qualifiers from the four state regions go head-to-head in a 16-man tournament where the winner claims the state title.
In the first round of the state competition, Martin will face 13th-ranked Ryan Cato from Freedom High School. Ware, at 27-6, goes against 35-10 Jeremy Gardin of McDowell. Perez takes on third-place western region finalist Brad Smith (36-7) of Central Cabarrus.
Musser, at 32-7, will challenge ninth-ranked Theo Smith from Athens Drive. Smith is 30-8 and finished fourth in the mideast.
First-round action starts Friday in the Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, with the finals set for Saturday.
