The Rams boasted four individual champions, three runners-up and three more consolation champions in what amounted to the program's best performance at a conference finale in years.
Only Wilkes Central, which won the regular season title, compiled more points on the day, but Starmount gave them a good run at the end by placing so many grapplers onto the medals podium.
Logan Nixon (103-pound weight class), Shannon Humphries (130), Austin Sloan (145) and Matthew Walker (189) won titles. Bryan Gray (152), Caleb Swaim (215) and Wayne McCracken (285) placed second, while Austin Cook (112), Ben O'Donnell (119) and Roger Hurd (135) won consolation titles (third place). Russell O'Donnell was fourth at 140 to round out the day.
"It couldn't have gone any better for us," said Rams coach Ryan Crater, voted the league's coach of the year before the tournament. "I couldn't have asked for any better kids as far as commitment and dedication to this team. They are a hard-working group, and hard work pays off."
Nixon began the gold-medal parade for Starmount, beating North Surry's Colby Bowman 3-2 in triple overtime in the first finals match. The junior fell behind 2-1 in the third period but earned the tying point just before the final buzzer after Bowman was whistled for stalling.
Neither wrestler scored until the third OT, when Nixon engineered an escape.
The championship triumph marks an amazing turnaround for a wrestler who never even tasted victory his freshman season and had a "bad taste" after placing third in the conference a year ago. Bowman beat Nixon 9-0 last year and 6-4 earlier this season.
"Coming into this match, I knew that he was strong and that I needed to take him down," Nixon said. "It feels good to win."
Crater said he issued Nixon a challenge before he took the mat.
"I told him before he went out there, 'Don't be satisfied with second. Let's go ahead and finish this the right way.'" the coach recalled. "He said, 'Yes coach I'm ready.' That got us started in the finals. It really jump-started the team him winning in triple overtime."
Two years ago, while Nixon was going through his winless season, Humphries wasn't anywhere near the wrestling mat. He just started the sport last winter at the urging of Gray.
It didn't take long for Humphries to realize his talents in the sport. He placed fourth in the MVAC tourney a year ago at 119 pounds and rallied from a 4-1 deficit to pin Blake East of North Surry in the second period in this year's championship.
Humphries couldn't shake the big smile from his face the rest of the day.
"Thanks to Bryan Gray. He convinced me to wrestle," Humphries said. "He said it was better than football. I was like, 'OK, yeah I'll try it.' I'm glad that I did. I've had time to shine."
Sloan, a freshman, has been wrestling since first grade in a youth program that feeds Starmount's high school team. He beat North Wilkes' Zack Eller 10-1 in Saturday's final. Sloan pinned two foes on the way to the championship round.
"I missed a lot of the first of the season with a football injury," Sloan said. "When I came out, I knew I really had to help my team. I knew I could win conference; I knew I had the potential. i just had to get my mind right and wrestle my way, and not worry about anything else."
Gray took a 41-0 record into his championship bout, breaking the school record for wins in a season earlier in the day. He wrestled in what many consider the most exciting match Saturday, an 8-7 loss to Wyatt Edsel of Wilkes Central.
Gray got a takedown right out of the gate for a 2-0 lead. He fell behind 3-2 in the second period and seemed in trouble when Edsel locked his leg in an awkward position. But Gray, showing obvious pain for several seconds, managed to work out of it, eventually standing up and then tying the score 3-3 in the third period.
The final two minutes proved a flurry of activity, with the lead changing hands four times. Edsel, who improved to 39-1 and finished second in the tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler voting, got in the last word.
Gray, the runner-up to Forbush's Christian Harris a year ago, was frantically working on a scoring move when time ran out.
Gray and Edsel did not meet in the regular season. Edsel was bumped to a different weight class when Wilkes Central competed against Starmount. But they could see each other again at the individual regional tournament, where both should be high seeds.
"He's good, but I'd rather lose right now than the regionals or state," Gray said. "This will help me get refocused. I'm not glad how it ended but it will help me later on.
Walker gave Starmount its fourth conference title, and he did it by wrestling up a weight class. He's normally a 171-pounder but Crater chose to bump him to 189, which held the potential for more sure points.
The 171-pound weight class featured Surry Central's Jed Martin (top-ranked in the state) and was supposed to feature Forbush's Harris (ranked second in the state). Harris the tournament due to illness.
Walker had no problems earning the gold in the heavier division, pinning one foe and beating two by decision. He topped Wilkes Central's Vincent Beam 8-5 in the finals, avenging an earlier loss to him.
"I had a good ankle this time," Walker said.
Walker said he plans to wrestle at 171 in the region and state tournaments.
Swaim pinned his first foe at 215 and beat the next 5-2 to advance to the finals. He fought hard but lost 5-0 in the title bout to Surry Central's Will Lawrence.
McCracken had a bye in his first round at heavyweight, then pinned Surry Central's Stephen Maynard to get to the final. He was pinned by Colton Williams of Wilkes Central in the first period of the title match.
Starmount will have little time to celebrate. The Rams travel to Hibriten on Tuesday for the dual-team state playoffs. The Rams will grapple Madison first, and either Hibriten or Pisgah in round two if they advance. Two wins on Tuesday will send Starmount on to Thursday's third round where a home four-way could await.
MVAC tournament Saturday * at Forbush High
Team Finish: 1. Wilkes Central, 2. Starmount, 3. North Surry, 4. Surry Central, 5. Forbush, 6. North Wilkes, 7. Ashe County
Championship Finals
103 - Logan Nixon (S) dec. Colby Bowman (NS) 3-2; 112 - Justin Jones (NS) dec. Scotty Royal (WC) 9-2; 119 - Michael Prouty (NW) p. Zach Gentry (NS); 125 - Logan Orr (A) dec. Grayson Cohn (WC) 4-3; 130 - Shannon Humphries (S) p. Blake East (NS) 3:24; 135 - Aaron Scott (A) dec. Matt Mitchell (WC) 7-1; 140 -Joel Caudill (WC) dec. Austin Groce (F) 9-8; 145 -Austin Sloan (S) maj. dec. Zack Eller (NW) 10-1; 152 -Wyatt Edsel (WC) dec. Bryan Gray (S) 8-7; 160 -Mike Lawson (F) p. Dylan Adams (WC) 3:55; 171 - Jed Martin (SC) dec. Leo Guevera (WC) 3-1; 189 -Matt Walker (S) dec. Vincent Beam (WC) 8-5; 215 - Will Lawrence (SC) dec. Caleb Swain (S) 5-0; 285 - Colton Williams (WC) p. Wayne McCracken (S) :53.
Consolation Finals
103 - Cole Johnson (WC) p. Jacob Longworth (SC) 3:32; 112 - Austin Cook (S) inj. default Gray Watts (F); 119 - Ben O'Donnell (S) dec. Cody Tranter (F) 5-0; 125 - Casey Felts (SC) p. Devon Gwyn (NS) 1:51; 130 - Logan Huffman (NW) dec. Luke Gragg (WC) 3-2; 135 -Roger Hurd (S) p. Dustin Reynolds (NS) 2:46; 140 -Austin Oakley (SC) p. Russell O'Donnell (S) 3:20; 145 -Tyler Simmons (NS) p. Brett Baity (F) 2:21; 152 - Juan Chavez (SC) dec. Ethan Hazzard (NS) 5-3; 160 - Mike Morgan (NS) tech. fall Jonathan Scott (A) 17-2; 171 - Rafael Rodriquez (A) p. Zach Claxton (NS) 1:36; 189 -Tommy McMillan (NS) p. Dakota Holder (SC) 1:38; 215 - Will Spicer (NW) maj. dec. Ethan Goings (NS) 14-1; 285 - Stephen Maynard (SC) maj. dec. Josh Howard (F) 12-2.
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