Roberts walks away after historic UCA career on mats

Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Grayson Roberts reacts after winning a Class 1-A individual state title at 160 pounds in February 2022 to cap his junior season. (Randolph Record file photo)

ASHEBORO – Grayson Roberts tends to downplay some of his accomplishments from high school wrestling.

But the recent Uwharrie Charter Academy graduate doesn’t dismiss the impact the sport had on his life.

“I love the sport. It definitely changed my life,” Roberts said. “Speaking on my younger self, I was a little bit of a wild child.”

Roberts is the only four-time state place finisher in UCA history. He placed third in Class 1-A as both a freshman and sophomore, won a state title as a junior and was a runner-up as a senior.

He credits Eagles coach Chris Waddell for pledging to his parents that there would be improved behavior. This came prior to his junior year at UCA.

“I was a little bit of a troublemaker,” Roberts said. “My parents were going to send me to military school. They spoke to Coach Waddell. I got it straightened out.”

And the result as it related to wrestling?

“Coach Waddell loves us all,” Roberts said. “If your coach vouches for you, that says something. That’s what really motivated me going into my junior year.”

By the end of his high school career, Roberts owned a 157-8 record with 90 pins. He was a three-time regional champion.

Waddell had been around Roberts since the youngster was a fifth grader and serving as a manager for a newly formed middle school program. He showed up a few years later prepared to jump right into a role on the varsity team.

“That’s probably what gave him a leg up,” Waddell said. “He had a lot of time on the mat.”

Yet it was a process in many ways.

“Grayson needed a lot of correction along the way,” Waddell said. “He had a lot of growing up to do. He used to have a temper program. To me, he has grown up a lot.”

Yet Roberts was hard on himself, never convinced that he had reached his potential.

“I’m very happy and grateful to compete the way I did all four years,” he said. “I’m never satisfied. Throughout my whole career, I feel I was somewhat successful. I say that because you can always do better. I saw stuff I could improve on even after I would win. That fire shows up when you lose.”

Roberts was an anchor in the middle of the UCA lineup on the 2023 Class 1-A dual team state champions. He said he felt his strength was from the top position earlier in his career, but he enjoyed going from the neutral position and racking up takedowns as a senior.

“That’s when you fall in love with the sport again,” he said.

After winning his individual state title in 2022, Roberts was right back on the mats grinding to get better. He said that was the only approach that would work for him. He placed second in the state at 170 pounds as a senior.

He also has held a part-time job at Dixie Express in Asheboro, appreciative that the store management allowed him to work around his wrestling activities.

This week, he heads to begin life as a college student at UNC Asheville. There’s no wrestling team there.

“That was probably the hardest decision I had to make,” Roberts said. “I’m done wrestling.”