A NEW 6 Wrestling Reunion
January 14, 2009 Rocky Mount High School
By Geoff Neville
Nashville Graphic
RED OAK -- After a pair of round-robin meets, the NEW-6 Conference was supposed to have its pecking order intact for the upcoming Class 3-A State Wrestling Playoffs.
That's not exactly the way things have turned out as the league currently boasts one of its most balanced lineups, including co-leaders Rocky Mount and Nash Central.
Under the NEW-6 format, the conference's mat squads met on a Saturday in December, with all teams wrestling each other for a total of five matches.
Rocky Mount dominated that event, going 5-0 to appear to take control of the standings -- along with earning a top seed for the state duals.
But the Gryphons couldn't maintain their lead during last Saturday's second and final conference showdown at the Northern Nash Gymnasium in Stanhope.
Instead, Nash Central went 5-0 overall, scoring clutch wins over Rocky Mount and Northern Nash to claim the day's top spot.
And when RM went 3-2, including a loss to Northern Nash, the Gryphons fell back to 8-2 overall, which put them in a tie for the No. 1 slot in the conference.
Because of that, a to-be-determined tie-breaker -- quite possibly the outcome of the conference's individual tournament at the end of the month -- will be needed to determine the league's seedings for the postseason.
There is also a tie at third place, as Northern Nash and Southern Nash both hold 6-4 records. The Knights could have wrapped up that position, but were defeated 37-36 by Coach Eddie Coble's Firebirds.
Central won enough swing matches to defeat Northern Nash 39-31 last Saturday, while the Bulldogs stopped Rocky Mount 35-31.
"We were fortunate because Rocky Mount didn't have a full squad,'' Culpepper said. "But we won all of the matches that we needed to.
"It definitely looks like everybody in the conference is getting better. The level of skill is getting higher.
"Teams like us, Rocky Mount, Northern and Southern, it's a toss-up given the day. It happened to be our day last Saturday, and that was very exciting.''
Nash Central has an interesting mix of potential-rich newcomers and veteran standouts, including the likes of long-time varsity stalwarts Donny Wacenske, Steven Luper and Jacob Robinson.
Wacenske is now 29-3 overall at 171 pounds, while Robinson is solid at 22-3 at 125 pounds. Luper claimed a huge decision over Northern Nash's Ryan Sweet to help swing the team match in the Bulldogs' favor.
Northern Nash did enjoy its share of success at the event, including a 36-33 conquest against backyard rival Rocky Mount.
Northern Nash also defeated SouthWest Edgecombe (54-21) and Wilson Fike (44-23). But the Knights lost a tough eight-point match to Nash Central and were also edged by a single point versus Southern Nash -- an outcome that sent the conference standings into a tizzy.
"Things are pretty spread out right now (in the NEW-6),'' said NNHS coach Corey Mercer. "There are a lot of close matches, and that's why I love this sport. It's one-on-one, and there are no excuses. I'm proud of what our guys were able to do.''
Joe Young has been a standout for Northern Nash this season, posting a quality 29-2 ledger in the 215-pound weight class. Young is 9-1 in NEW-6 action, though he dropped his first league event last Saturday.
Corey Johnson is 25-3 in the 103-pound weight class for the Knights, while teammate Tavis Richardson is enjoying a standout campaign at 140 pounds with a sterling 26-6 mark.
Nash County's wrestling teams will be in action this weekend as part of the annual Thomas Cowles Invitational Tournament at Southern Nash High School.
The event pays tribute to Cowles, a former Southern Nash mat coach who died unexpectedly in the late 1990s.
The NEW-6 Conference Individual Tournament will be held Jan. 31 beginning at 10 a.m. at the NNHS Gymnasium in Red Oak.
The league's individual champs will be crowned, along with a possible tie-breaker to determine how the NEW-6 teams will be seeded for consideration into the Class 3-A State Playoffs. |
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