By Thomas Smith
The Mount Airy News

DOBSON — As wrestlers from Surry Central, North Surry, Mount Airy and East Wilkes gathered Tuesday to practice together for today’s opening round of the NCHSAA wrestling tournament, the feeling was of looseness and fun.

Today and tomorrow, however, the demeanor of both coaches and wrestlers will almost certainly be different.

The NCHSAA wrestling tournament, held this year at the Greensboro Coliseum, is a spectacle to behold for any high school athlete.

A hurricane of excitement, the eight-mat format and constant flow and ebb of wrestlers and their coaches can distract even the most veteran grappler.

Once on the mat most is forgotten, but as North Surry coach Eric Jessup, Surry Central coach Stephen Priddy and Mount Airy coach Tom Wunderle watched their wrestlers go head-to-head Tuesday, they pondered whether or not there is any way to prepare for the initial shock of walking onto the tournament floor.

“You can’t tell them,” North Surry’s Jessup said of the whirlwind atmosphere.

“You can warn them,” Priddy chimed in. “It’s just an experience they’ve got to see to believe.”

“That’s why it’s important for them to qualify before their senior year a lot of times, so it’s not their first time being there, because it’s tough,” Jessup added.

For North Surry’s Colby Bowman, the top ranked 103-pound wrestler in the western region, today will mark his second trip to the state meet. Bowman said he firmly believes his experience a year ago will help him as he goes for a title in his senior season.

“Last year when they brought us out there’s a big opening about half the size of a gym,” Bowman said. “It doesn’t feel like much in there, you are just around a bunch of wrestlers. But as soon as you step out under the spotlights, you’ve got like eight mats and thousands of people watching you. It’s nerve wracking. There’s a lot of pressure.”

Surry County will be well represented at this season’s tournament, with five wrestlers from Surry Central, four from North Surry, three from East Surry, one from Elkin and one from Mount Airy making the trek to Greensboro.

Representing the Golden Eagles will be Casey Felts (125 pounds), Cesar Pena (130 pounds), Josh Stover (160 pounds), Jared Salyers (215 pounds) and Wes Brown (Heavyweight). Colby Bowman (103 pounds), Austin McMillian (112 pounds), Josh Thomas (140 pounds) and Ethan Hazzard (145 pounds) will hit the mats for the Greyhounds.

East Surry will take three wrestlers to Greensboro, with Jacob Fegia (171 pounds), Markus Brown (189) and Ryan Lynch (215) qualifying for the finals.

Elkin’s Aaron Rabin (160) returns to state after qualifying a year ago. Glenn Lynch, a 125-pounder from Mount Airy, is the Granite Bears’ only representative in Greensboro this season.

Also heading to the state tournament from The Tribune coverage area are Starmount’s Austin Sloan (160) and Clay Renegar (189) and East Wilkes’s Zach Prevette (112) and Cale Bartley (140).

Several of these participants have legitimate chances to contend for state titles in their respective weight classes. Rabin and Prevette were runners-up in the 1A West Region meet.

Bowman and Brown are two of the wrestlers who have a solid chance of not only placing, but bringing home a title. Brown nearly walked through his regional bracket a week ago and is the odds on favorite to win in Greensboro.

Surry Central senior Casey Felts, another 125-pound wrestler, will make his first trip to the state finals after a couple of narrow misses.

“Relief,” Felts said of his initial feeling after securing a spot at states. “Finally the hard work has paid off. Everything finally worked out in my favor this year, so I’m happy for that. I’m glad I’ve got an experience of my own instead of just going to watch.”

Coaches said, with most of the final representatives from the area, along with two-time 103-pound state champion Justin Jones (North Surry), working to help each other improve, Tuesday is a valuable asset in preparation for this weekend’s tournament.

“I think they all have a lot of respect for each other,” Jessup said of the group. “It’s great for them to come together and see different styles of wrestling. It’s fun for us coaches, because we know each other and have a lot of respect for each other and we can sit and talk about wrestling and watch these guys go at it pretty hard.”

Priddy agreed with his rival’s comment.

“They all know each other, we hang out at the tournaments and stay at the same hotel at regionals and for them it’s just kind of like a bonus week,” he said. “They get to come in and roll around with these guys they don’t normally get to see. You can just tell by watching them they are having fun.”

From the wrestlers’ perspective, the practice was both entertaining and a good venture into uncharted territory, which might prepare them better for the competition ahead.

“Wrestling different people you get different looks and you find out what you need to work on,” Felts said. “I think it’s a good experience.”

“This is going to help me a lot,” Bowman said. “Wrestling with Casey (Felts) and defending his shots, if I can defend his shots I can defend anybody, because those are mean shots coming in. I’ve wrestled with a 112-pounder and a 119-pounder and the more weight they put on me in practice my opponents don’t feel as heavy as my practice partners do.”

From watching the top wrestlers in Surry County go at it, one might not be able to tell a season’s worth of competition is in its final throws. For those lucky enough to make it Greensboro, the road is long and hard, and at the end of the season, the bottom line is easy to read — “put up or shut up.”

“Everybody’s hurt now,” Priddy said. “Everybody’s got some type of ding or bruise. Now it’s just pretty much guts.”

Upward Soccer

Registration for Upward Soccer will continue through March 1.

The league is open to boys and girls in grades K-6.

Games and practices will be held at the North Elkin School field in March, April and May. Players must attend one evaluation session. The next is Saturday, Feb. 27.

For more information, contact Elkin Valley Baptist Church at 835-3808 or send email to luskmedia@yahoo.com.