Advertisement

Pisgah wrestling topples Fred T. Foard

tyler auffhammer, the mountaineer, waynesville, n.c.
·4 min read

Dec. 19—Pisgah wrestling climbed a proverbial mountain in its program's history this past week, defeating perennial wrestling powerhouse Fred T. Foard in the finals of THE NATION Call Out Duals on Dec. 9 in Canton.

"The mountain has been Fred T. Foard," said Pisgah head coach Ryan Gibson. "That's the mountain, that's the pinnacle. That's what everybody in the state of North Carolina, 3A wise, has been chasing."

Thanks to wins from Black Bear wrestlers like Tytus Bridges and Kane Bryson — both of whom notched their 100th career victory — Pisgah defeated Foard 42-22 on Saturday.

"To have guys out of the lineup and beat them by that much is a huge momentum booster for the team. To be able to compete with them is big, but to beat them was huge," Gibson said.

All in all, Pisgah went 5-0 over the course of the day, defeating Mountain Heritage 78-6, Chapman 68-9, rival Tuscola 79-0 and Swain County 58-12.

"It was electric that day. We wrestled really well," Gibson said, who added that the momentum within the program is at fever-pitch at the moment.

Gibson said Bridges and Bryson, who have been staples in the lineup since they started wrestling for the Bears, reached a huge milestone by tallying win No. 100.

"That is a huge milestone that a lot of kids never have the opportunity to get. To get 100 wins, you have to be a starter all four years," he said.

Each did it in their own way, too. Bryson is only a junior, which gives him the opportunity to tack on even more wins next season. And Bridges accomplished his feat after not starting as a freshman.

"He was a bigger kid, and a lot of times, it's harder for guys coming in the lineup as a freshman in those upper weights," Gibson said. "For him to be able to bounce back from a freshman year where he wanted to do better and to reach 100 wins is huge."

Gibson said some of the team's top guys had been out over the first month of the season but that the drop-off hasn't been much. The Black Bears are undefeated so far this season.

"The kids behind the starters work hard, and when it's their turn to step up and step in and don't fall off at all, that's huge," he said. "When you know your lineup is tough from top to bottom, and you have kids who can step up or in, it's a pretty cool thing as a coach to have that problem."

Gibson said that when injured starters return, it will make for an interesting time in the practice room.

"The beautiful thing about wrestling, and this is why I love the sport so much, is the kids determine the lineup," he said. "They do a wrestle-off, and whoever is the best that week gets the spot."

Gibson said that the program's success comes down to having kids who are used to high expectations.

"That's a huge testament to our youth program — having those kids that have wrestled since they were five years old here," he said. "Nothing gets too big at that point because they're used to pressure situations and the big stage."

The Pisgah girls' team also had a solid day, finishing third with a 3-2 record on the day with wins over Robbinsville 54-12, Cherokee 54-0 and Travelers Rest (South Carolina) 54-6.

Full results against Fred T. Foard:

* Pisgah 106-Pounder Walker Henline won via forfeit

* Pisgah 113-Pounder Christian Gibson def. Giovanni Reyes (Fall 1:00)

* Foard 120-Pounder George Coleman def. Kail Burnette (Decision 4-0)

* Pisgah 126-Pounder Kane Bryson def. Austin Laws (Decision 6-4)

* Pisgah 132-Pounder Jacob Cruz-Reyes def. Toby Bowman (Decision 4-2)

* Pisgah 138-Pounder Turner Robb def. Hayden Smith (Fall 2:54)

* Foard 144-Pounder Parker Johns def. Jonathan Chapman (Major Decision 9-0)

* Pisgah 150-Pounder Tyson Silver def. Dawson Mace (2:27)

* Pisgah 157-Pounder Xander Hill def. Hunter Clark (Decision 5-4)

* Foard 165-Pounder Brayden Mejia def. Levi Early (Fall 2:41)

* Foard 175-Pounder Logan Mumy def. Cameron King (Decision 13-10)

* Foard 190-Pounder Matthew Whalen def. Hunter Nelson (Fall 3:13)

* Pisgah 215-pounder Tytus Bridges def. Jackson Dentel (Decision 3-0)

* Pisgah 285-pounder Eli Frizzell def. Aiden Alesi (Fall 4:27)