Four Trinity wrestlers claim titles at state tournament

GREENSBORO — With four state champions, Trinity racked up the most individual titles in a single season in school history.

The Bulldogs, who also claimed the Class 3A team crown, had finalists in seven of the 14 weight classes.

Aiden Burkholder was a repeat champion by winning at 113 pounds, while Omega Edge (132 pounds), Hezekyah Matson (138) and Joseph Trahan (285) also secured titles.

“A really good day, two days,” coach Brandon Coggins said of the state tournament Friday and Saturday at First Horizon Coliseum. “This is the best showing that we’ve ever had.”

Burkholder notches second title

Burkholder earned the championship with a 12-3 decision against Mount Airy’s Angel Olalde. After a scoreless first period, Burkholder went up 7-0 in the second.

Burkholder, a junior, was dominant in the states with a third-period technical fall against North Wilkes’ Ethan Goins and an 8-1 decision against West Caldwell’s Ellis Whisnant.

“The work paying off,” Burkholder said of the best part of his latest experience. “It has been a long season. I just had to figure things out.”

Trinity’s Joseph Trahan had to put in some real work to earn a state championship in the final bout of his high school career.

The winning Edge

Edge exceeded his expectations.

“I was hoping to place top-three in states,” he said.

But as the postseason progressed, there was more to accomplish. He defeated Madison’s Alexander Cecil 7-3 in the title bout.

“You keep winning, the layers keep happening,” Edge said, then expressing his thoughts as the title match wound down. “I’m going to do it, be state champ.”

Edge opened the tournament with a 16-second pin before never trailing in a 6-4 semifinal decision against Mount Airy’s Justice Collins.

Don’t doubt Matson

Matson said he battled nerves and doubt about whether he’d win. Perhaps that was complicated with the 138 division the last weight class in the finals lineup.

Matson never allowed Black Mountain Owen’s John Bryson Perkins to score in the title bout. Then he turned a second-period reversal into a pin at 3:48.

“I didn’t think I was pinning him,” Matson said.

It was quite a conclusion for Matson, who dealt with a torn shoulder growth plate last summer.

Matson came back from a four-point deficit in the semifinals to defeat Ayden-Grifton’s Chayton Oxendine 7-5, going ahead with a third-period reversal.

Trahan wins tussle vs. Carson

Trinity’s Joseph Trahan won the Class 3A heavyweight title in a intra-county matchup with Eastern Randolph’s Maddox Carson in the final. Trahan’s 4-2 decision completed an undefeated season.

“I’m beyond excited,” Trahan said. “All the blood, sweat and tears.”

The match was tied 1-1 until Trahan’s takedown with 1:03 remaining. Carson escaped with 37 seconds left, but couldn’t secure a go-ahead takedown.

It was a rare time when Trahan didn’t make short work of a foe.

“By far the toughest one I’ve had all year,” Trahan said. “There’s not many matches I’ve had that have gone the whole six minutes.”

Trahan, who also defeated Carson in the East Region final a week earlier, began states by flattening Madison’s Peyton Jessup in 1:52 before sticking Ayden-Grifton’s Jorge Medina in 1:22.

Carson, a 2025 state titlist, reached the final by earning a 13-6 decision against East Rutherford’s Colby Pack and claiming a 2-1 decision against Mount Airy’s Aiden Frank.

More place finishers

Trinity’s runners-up were Jeven Palmeri (106), Stephen Cross (120) and Simeon Hammett (144).

The most excruciating of those defeats was dealt to Cross, who rallied from a deficits of 4-0 and 9-5 to force overtime at 10-10 against Surry Central’s Jose Trejo. Cross’ takedown in the waning seconds forced overtime.

From there, the drama heightened as the overtime session extended to ultimate tiebreakers. Trejo escaped with three seconds to spare when he started in the down position. When Cross started on bottom, he scored on reversal, but Trejo’s escape followed by a penalty point award gave him a 13-12 victory. There were a series of protests lodged from both sides.

“It just went his way,” Cross said. “I tried my best. It just wasn’t enough.”

Coggins said: “He did handle it well. A lot better than I did.”

Cross reached the final with a technical fall in the quarterfinals and then defeated Providence Grove’s Jeremiah Payne 4-1 in the semifinals.

“Just the opportunity to show everybody what I got,” Cross said.

Palmeri won by a decision and a technical fall before encountering North Wilkes’ Hunter Dancy, who built a lead before a pin at the 4:31 mark.

Hammett never led in dropping a 5-4 decision to Mt. Airy’s Michael Fisher in the final. Earlier, Hammett won by decision in the quarterfinals before handling Eastern Randolph’s Jamie Crabtree for a 10-0 decision in the semifinals.

Taking fourth place were Trinity teammates Edgar Vasquez (126), Haris Idrees (165) and Grayson Carroll (190).

Third place went to Providence Grove’s Payne (120) and Eastern Randolph’s Crabtree (144).