North Gaston captures Big South title

GASTONIA — No matter what happened Tuesday, North Gaston was assured a share of the Big South 3A/4A Conference wrestling title.

The Wildcats weren’t in a sharing mood.

“Nobody on the team wanted to tie for the conference championship,” junior Cody Wooten said. “I know I didn’t.”

North Gaston took care of business at Ashbrook on Tuesday, beating the Green Wave 52-27 to wrap up an undefeated run through the conference and win their first regular-season league title since 2001.

“We set a goal back in October at our preseason meeting that anything less than a conference championship would be a disappointment,” North Gaston coach Beau Norwood said.

The Wildcats didn’t let themselves down.

North Gaston (11-9, 6-0 Big South) won nine of the 14 matches at Larry Rhodes Gymnasium and never trailed in the prelude to Saturday’s conference tournament.

The Wildcats set the tone early with a dominating opening match at 160. Jordan Potter pinned Jordan Ray in 18 seconds and the Wildcats kept up the intensity throughout the rest of the match.

“Come out with a quick win and it just builds momentum really fast,” Potter said. “It starts a snowball effect.”

Ashbrook’s Stephon Simpson pinned Luke Saylors at 171 to tie the score at six, but North Gaston picked up forfeits in the next two weight classes to take a lead it never relinquished.

Chase Gamble pinned Quincy Teasley at the heavyweight class for a 24-6 North Gaston lead. Ashbrook picked up six points with a forfeit at 103 before North Gaston’s Cameron Russell gave his team four points with a 10-2 win over Chris Williams at 112.

Aron Jenkins gave Ashbrook another win at 119 by pinning C.J. Ferguson, but North Gaston poured it on in the middle weights. Josh Weaver (125), Wooten (130), Levi Moody (135) and Will Clemmer (140) pinned their opponents as North Gaston turned it into a rout.

Weaver was credited with a pin when Ashbrook’s Travis Poteat actually pinned himself trying to make a move. North Gaston was leading by 10 points at the time and Poteat was in position to record possibly four points for the Green Wave.

In the end, it didn’t matter as Ashbrook (4-2) finished third in the Big South for the second consecutive year. East Gaston finished second with a 5-1 league mark.

“We’ve had a really good season,” Ashbrook coach Jake Eccles said. “I’m really proud of our guys.”

The conference championship was yet another accomplishment for this North Gaston team, which defeated East Gaston for the first time since before the Big South Conference’s 2001 inception.

Big South wrestlers now turn their attention to Saturday’ tournament at Crest, which will begin around 9:30 or 10 a.m. Eccles considers North Gaston the favorite considering what he saw Tuesday.

“If they wrestle Saturday like they wrestled tonight, it ought to be no contest,” Eccles said. “They wrestled lights out tonight.”

Individual results

103 — Josh Smith (Ash) won by forfeit

112 — Cameron Russell (NG) d. Chris Williams by major decision, 10-2

119 — Aron Jenkins (Ash) pinned C.J. Ferguson

125 — Josh Weaver (NG) pinned Travis Poteat

130 — Cody Wooten (NG) pinned Jamal Shropshire

135 — Levi Moody (NG) pinned Ali Charles

140 — Will Clemmer (NG) pinned Terry Peters

145 — Zac Chantrenne (Ash) d. Jimmy Moody by decision, 11-7

152 — Ryan Fuller (Ash) won by forfeit

160 — Jordan Potter (NG) pinned Jordan Ray

171 — Stephon Simpson (Ash) pinned Luke Saylors

189 — Matt Norman (NG) won by forfeit

215 — Lee Pasour (NG) won by forfeit

289 — Chase Gamble (NG) pinned Quincy Teasley