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2012-2013 NCHSAA 3A State Championships - Your Vikings

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The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) State Wrestling Tournament is easily the most emotional event we compete in every season. If you have an ounce of empathy within, you cannot help but be touched by the raw emotion expressed by the student-athletes as they realize they have achieved their goal or recognize that their goal can no longer be realized. The 2013 State Championship was no exception to this as the Vikings' six state qualifiers and their teammates, fans, parents, and families experienced.

Throughout the latter half of this season, we have heard how this team has overachieved. We heard it this weekend as well. However, for those that know the team best, they recognize that we did not overachieve. We merely improved every day, rose to meet adversity, wrestled to our potential, and strove to meet our goals, just as our coaches demanded.

After back-to-back state runner-up finishes, we are proud again to finish in the top five in the state. Some teams place in the top five, even win, and then drop dramatically, their placement in the state tournament inconsistent and sporadic. This year we proved once again that this is a program with high goals and high expectations and a culture that demands its wrestlers commit to competing within that rules of that culture.

Junior Michael Fedowitz wrestled Varsity 113lbs this year for us, earning his spot on the Varsity roster for the first time, and earned a berth to the state championship as the 3A Mideast Regional Champion. Michael competed well this weekend but fell short of placing in a weight class that was dominated by the Midwest region who claimed 4 of the top 6 spots in the weight class. Michael will be fueled this off-season with the knowledge that he left something unfinished in Greensboro and has a debt to repay the team. Two years ago, we had a wrestler in the exact same position that Michael is in now. He worked hard, came back, went undefeated - repaying his debt along the way, and became our team's first state champion. We expect nothing less from Michael and we are certain he expects nothing less from himself.

Senior Ian Burch wrestled Varsity 160lbs this year. A second year wrestler and two-time Varsity wrestler Ian had a fantastic year with a record of 34-10. Ian fell short of some of his goals but accomplished the vast majority of them, the most important was qualifying for the state tournament as it was an intermediate goal that had to be reached in order to achieve others. We are very proud of Ian and wish him the best as he graduates and goes on to the next phase in his life. We know that while wrestling was just a short piece of his life thus far, that the lessons he learned about life and himself will help him stay strong and overcome adversity throughout his lifetime.

Both Michael and Ian can be very proud that they were instrumental in this team again setting new records. This was the first time in school history that we had all six state qualifiers score points at the tournament. Previously we have had a single state qualifier score and five state qualifiers score. All six wrestlers won their first match to gain spots in the quarterfinals and without Michael and Ian's wins we would not have finished in the top five. Having every state qualifier win in the first round is another record for the team as well. 

Back to overachieving, that word may be used to describe Dylan Barber's 106lb state tournament experience as he narrowly missed a spot in the championship finals. However, it would be inappropriate use of the word. For you see, Dylan simply focused and wrestled to his potential. While his fourth place finish made him the school's first freshman place winner, his teammates and coaches expected him to earn a spot on the podium. Dylan earned a spot in the tournament semifinals, making him the first Viking freshman to do so. After the tournament, Dylan's teammates teased him about new pressure to perform, to break the 'Viking Freshman Curse', and to start doing squats…as in now, right now in the hallway of the coliseum. The look in Dylan's eyes showed that he knew it was good-natured ribbing, but that it was also coated with seriousness and expectation, and you could see that Dylan was already accepting the challenge. Before we move on to our next state placer, it is appropriate to discuss another wrestler and another team because his actions speak volumes about our sport. After the 106lb semifinals, Joe Scott of Orange caught up with Dylan in the hallway, shook his hand, and told him that despite the official outcome, he felt Dylan had him beat during the match. We share this with you not to make you think that Dylan was robbed or to point out mistakes by officials, because in life, these things happen. Rather we share this with you to point out the integrity, sportsmanship, and honor that are indicative of the Orange wrestling program, top to bottom. When Coach Bartram learned of Joe's actions he had to share them with Coach Shriner. He congratulated Coach Shriner on their team winning the state championship, told him that Joe's actions were a tribute to his team and program, and was a big reason why we love to compete with the Orange High School Wrestling Team. Joe's actions are not just a tribute to his team but also a testimony to why this sport is so great.

Junior Paul Ambrose had an outstanding weekend as he competed at 120lbs. Paul fought a bug all weekend, fighting through the distraction of having to blow his nose before, during, after every match. This may seem like a small thing, but it is not and it is a testimony to Paul's mental toughness that he remained focused on the immediate matters on hand. Paul went 3-2 this weekend, winning all his matches by decision in route to a 4^th place finish. Paul will return next season as one of three returning state placers and one of four returning state qualifiers. As a rising senior, the team is already looking to Paul to provide leadership through word and action as we prepare for the National High School Coaches' Association Nationals in Virginia Beach, attend camp this summer, and work hard throughout the entire off-season to prepare to meet our team and individual goals next year.

"A ton of adversity" is how Coach Vondruska describes sophomore 126lb wrestler Samuel Bartram's season. A two-time state qualifier that fought through serious illness, which almost hospitalized him late last season, Samuel definitely had unfinished business in Greensboro from last year. After being concussed on December 21^st 2012, Samuel only competed once between that date and the 3A Mideast Regional Tournament on February 22^nd and 23^rd. Sam stepped on the mat this past Thursday projected not to place in the tournament by the state rankings. However, nobody on the Vikings squad or staff was buying into that and neither was Samuel. In his first match Sam pinned the number 3 ranked wrestler in the state and followed that up with a decisive 10-4 victory over the 4^th ranked wrestler in the state. Losing to Tyler Ross, who would go on to win his second state championship, Samuel then majored the 8^th ranked wrestler in the state in the consolation semi-finals before earning a 3^rd place finish with a 6-3 victory. His third place finish ties a school record for the highest finish by a sophomore in the state tournament.

Senior captain Ryan Hull continued his leadership on and off the mat this past week. His leadership in the locker room was instrumental in maintaining cohesion and his leadership on the mat resulted in significant contributions to our team score. Ryan led the team all year by scoring the most team points (over 220) and continued this trend with two pins at the state tournament. Ryan remained focused in the final (and perhaps longest) match of his high school career to 'finish the day with his hand raised' and place third with a 5-1 victory. Ryan finishes his career as a three time state qualifier, placing the highest this season. Ryan battled injuries the latter half of the season, putting off hand surgery to achieve his and the team's goals. His teammates and coaches will miss his leadership and commitment as he graduates and we all know that he will be successful in everything he attempts to achieve in the future.

Six to State

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Friday evening fourteen Union Pines High School wrestlers weighed in at the 3A Mideast Regional Tournament with the goal of placing in the top four of their respective weight classes and earning a berth in the NCHSAA 3A State Championships. Saturday morning, after three rounds of completion on Friday night, all fourteen still had the opportunity to achieve their goals.

The finals began at 132 pounds, with first place contested on mat 1 and third place contested on mat 2. Senior Ryan Hull (pictured left) started the Vikings off with a major decision victory over conference opponent Nathan Zak of Western Harnett to earn his first regional championship. The Vikings celebrated and then had to wait until the 160 pound match for Senior Ian Burch to clinch third place with a convincing pin over Omar Powell of Webb in just 3 minutes and 30 seconds. As Burch hugged his coaches and teammates, certainly remembering the feeling of coming up a match short last year, the Vikings had to wait until the 106 pound match to see their next teammate in action.

Freshman Dylan Barber wrestled an exciting match on mat 2 at 106 pounds losing 9-3 to William Pryor of Morehead. The Vikings waiting was over as the next three matches would see team members competing. At 113 pounds Junior Mike Fedowitz, pinned Jamir Hart of Northern Guilford to earn his first regional championship and his first trip to the state championship. Junior Paul Ambrose would follow suit with a decision win over Michael Jones of Morehead 3-2, earning the title regional champion and his first trip to the state championships. In the final bout of the evening, Sophomore Samuel Bartram earned his second trip to the big dance with a decision win over Benjamin Bullins of Morehead, 7-2.

The NCHSAA State Championships begin this Thursday and conclude on Saturday evening. All post season brackets are available at: http://nchsaa.escapesports.com/2013NCHSAAResults.htm

Team Standings at the Regional Tournament

1 228.5 Orange - - 10 qualifiers
2 158.5 Morehead - - 9 qualifiers
3 142.5 Union Pines - - 6 qualifiers
4 90 Grays Creek
5 87 Western Harnett
6 75.5 Eastern Guilford
7 63 Southern Vance
8 62 Chapel Hill
9 61 Northern Guilford
10 59 Douglas Byrd
11 56 McMichael
12 52 Westover
13 45 Overhills
14 38 Eastern Alamance
15 32 Northern Vance
16 31 Western Alamance
17 26.5 Southern Lee
18 25.5 Cardinal Gibbons
19 21.5 Rockingham County
20 19 Webb
21 16 Williams