Falcon wrestling went all in again this season after winning the Class 5 State Championships. This is their second consecutive state win in as many seasons. In addition, several wrestlers won individual championships or were place winners.
“It truly was a team effort top to bottom! We placed 11 out of 12 state qualifiers earning the Falcons a decisive victory; we won by 50 points,” Head Coach Dalton Head said. “The coaching staff is extremely proud of what the entire team was able to accomplish these last couple of weeks and we cannot wait until next year.”
The state championship was originally scheduled for the last weekend in February, to be held at the school over two days. However, snowstorm Kingston dropped between six and eight inches of snow a few days before, canceling school and all extra-curricular activities. The make-up state championship, also held at the school, consisted of a packed schedule on Saturday, March 1.
Falcon wrestlers didn’t disappoint, placing first out of 43 teams with a total of 212 team points. The team out-placed Kellam and Great Bridge High Schools, who tied for 2nd place with 162 points each.
According to Head, they also led the tournament in all categories, earning the most total pins (21), the most tech falls (6), and the most total match points (420). Falcons also had the largest seed-place difference, at 65, meaning the boys wrestled exceptionally well compared to the brackets they were drawn into.
Falcon winning wrestlers include:
106 Aiden Dougherty (3-1) placed 2nd
113 Seth Pringle (3-2) placed 5th
120 Carson Miller (4-1) placed 3rd
132 Caleb Rafal (5-1) placed 3rd
138 Landon Cahill (3-2) placed 5th
144 Grayson Cahill (5-1) placed 3rd
150 Karl Ludwig II (4-0) placed 1st
157 Vicente Granada (4-2) placed 5th
175 Ethan Merullo (1-2)
190 Rudy Wagner (4-0) placed 1st
215 James Cornelius (2-3) placed 6th
HWT Izaque Tomaz (3-1) placed 2nd
