STOCK UP! Who had their stock rise at the state tournament? With this article we gave ourselves a few parameters. The first is that it couldn’t be a wrestler who won a state title. The second was that it couldn’t be a senior. We could have chosen multiple kids per weight. However, we decided to pick one wrestler per weight who had an impressive showing in Greensboro and their “stock is now up”! 

 

106: Jackson D’Ettore, Charlotte Catholic 

 

The freshman from Charlotte Catholic took out two super stud freshmen back-to-back when he beat Luke Richards in the quarters and Feliciano in the semis. These wins were huge and insert D’Ettore near the top of the prospects of the 2028 class. 

 

113: Brayden Reid, Hibriten 

 

Reid was someone who we should have been talking about more coming into the tournament. We won’t make that mistake again. The 3A 113 state runner-up had a signature win over Diouf in the semis. 

 

120: Patrick Cook, Eastern Guilford 

 

Cook spent most of the year down at 113 and that makes his 5th place finish at 3A 120 all the more impressive. He won a 5-4 decision over Caleb Edwards to put him in the semis.

 

126: Jake Amiott, Topsail 

 

The Topsail freshman was already a known commodity coming into the tournament. He lived up to the hype by finishing 5th at 4A 126. He defeated Cody Bui and Brennan Ferguson on his backside run. 

 

132: Tiaj Thao, Davie 

 

Don’t pick bottom. This kid is a monster on top and is great in all types of weird positions. He finished second to Hickey and beat Tyton Kostoff in the semis. 

 

138: Alexander May, Hendersonville 

 

The Hendersonville kid dropped a wild quarter to Michael Fischer but then avenged this loss for 3rd. He has been on the cusp of placing for the past two years and finally punched through this year. Now that he has the monkey off his back, I have a feeling he is going to jump levels again. 

 

144: Hayden Smith, White Oak 

 

A freshman state finalist and at a middle weight at 3A. That should speak volumes to you already. His win over Evan Thompson in the semifinals was gritty and showed veteran composure. We are pumped to have three more years of this kid. 

 

150: Chris Aparicio, Lincoln Charter 

 

Did y’all watch this kid wrestle? You should have. He is fun to watch and is going to tough to stop over the next two years. His run to the state finals included wins over Adams and Howard. 

 

157: Gavin Yow, AL Brown 

 

Yow dropped a tough 4-2 decision to Gore in the semis but rebounded with a 3rd place finish. He did all this with a banged up shoulder. Beating Teeter in the consolation semis was his signature win of the tournament.  

 

165: Brieon Mayfield, Jack Britt 

 

Mayfield avenged his only loss of the tournament when he beat Mac Kopelman for 3rd. Beating Gabe Sadler in the consolation quarters was a really good win.

 

175: Jacob Hillis, Oak Grove

 

Only losing to Dom Blue and finishing 3rd was quite the run for Hillis. He beat Curva and Geoghegan back-to-back to earn that 3rd place finish. 

 

190: Devin Cotton, Dudley 

 

The Dudley team was on fire and Cotton was no exception. He finished 3rd at 3A 190 with wins over Vargas and Jones. 

 

215: Sam Harper, South Iredell 

 

After spending much of the year at 190, Harper elected to go 215 for the state series. It paid off with a runner-up finish at 4A 215. He looked crisp as ever beating Estes and Patterson. 

 

285: Donovan Willis, East Wake 

 

We have been saying all year how stacked 3A 285 was. The bracket lived up to the hype and Willis impressed. After losing to the eventual state champ, Gary, he rattled off three straight victories to place, including one over Hebenstreit. Willis was the only non-senior to place at this weight. 

 

100: Morgan Carpenter, Pine Forest 

 

Carpenter made the semifinals and finished 4th in a very good 100lb bracket. 

 

107: Olyvia Brown, West Rowan 

 

After losing in the quarterfinals Brown wrestled back to a 4th place finish. 

 

114: Lisa-Jean Foley, Millbrook

 

After upsetting Sydney Mark in the first round, Foley followed that up by beating Bumgardner and making the semifinals. She would ultimately finish 6th, an impressive feat for the sophomore in a stacked 114 bracket. 

 

120: Hannah Carty, Willow Spring
 

Carty finished in 4th place in one of the best brackets of the girl’s division. The only three wrestlers to finish ahead of her were Simpson, Vindigni and Ready. 

 

126: Waylon Collins, West Rowan 

 

Collins avenged her only loss of the tournament when she beat Riley for 3rd place. 

 

132: Kierra Rush, Hoke 

 

After being upset in the first round, Rush rattled off 4 straight wins before finishing 4th. That takes grit. 

 

138: Mackenzie Shaver, Union Pines 

 

The freshman from Union Pines wrestled back from a first-round loss to place 6th. Her backside run included a win over Eliza Cagle. 

 

145: Kate Vazquez, AL Brown 

 

A freshman, Vazquez, placed 6th at 145. 

 

152: Kaylah Evans, Bandys 

 

The Cowgirl herself. She finished 2nd at 152 taking out returning state champion Elian Pollock along the way. Her style makes her a fan favorite. 

 

165: Noelia Hipolito, Hoke 

 

Hipolito finished 3rd at 165 and as just a sophomore, she will continue to improve. 

 

185: LaNesha Gause, Laney 

 

Gause finished 3rd and only lost to the state champ, Keziah. The sophomore has a bright future. 

 

235: Kahmali Fondinka, Jack Britt 

 

The Junior fell in round one to the eventual state champion, Marshall. Her backside run included wins over Barden and Christainsen.