Members of the Trinity wrestling team took the top prizes in the Class 4A dual team state playoffs. (Courtesy photo)
TRINITY — When members of the Trinity wrestling team reached the dual team state finals, it was business as usual.
That meant a second championship in three seasons with a dominating performance Tuesday night at Wheatmore.
The Bulldogs overwhelmed three opponents.
“The best thing for me was how confident we were,” said 120-pounder Stephen Cross, who began the finals against West Lincoln with a technical fall.
And rightly so, by the time teammate Anees Khan claimed a decision at 190 pounds, Trinity had built a 42-9 lead and clinched the Class 3A championship with four matches to spare.
The final score goes down as 42-33, but that masked how dominant the Bulldogs were.
“I thought we were peaking,” said coach Brandon Coggins, whose team completed the dual team portion of the season with a 33-0 record.
The Most Valuable Performer of the finals was Edgar Vasquez, who recorded at pin in 1:02 at 126 pounds.
“Winning as a team,” Vasquez said. “We had expectations.”
There were pins and technical falls at nearly every turn for the Bulldogs.
“It was a part of it, a big part of it,” said Vasquez, one of four seniors in the lineup.
Omega Edge (132 pounds) followed Vasquez with a pin that came one second faster than his teammate. Hezekyah Matson (144) notched a second-period pin and Simeon Hammett (152) supplied a technical fall before 157-pounder Addam Bernal took his turn in what seemed like a defining bout.
Bernal trailed 5-0 before getting cranked up, zapping any hope West Lincoln might have sensed and finishing with a second-period pin.
“I always know I’m going to get it done,” said Bernal, a North Davidson transfer.
With a technical fall at 165, Haris Idrees put the Bulldogs on the cusp of the title before Khan’s finishing touch.
The celebratory mood was far different for Trinity from a couple of occasions since last winter. When the Bulldogs lost to Rutherford-Spindale Central in the 2025 West Region final, it was a jarring outcome.
“I never want to feel like that again,” Cross said. “We train too hard not to (win).”
Then there was a regular-season dual meet in December at Wheatmore. Trinity racked up a comfortable victory, but Coggins wasn’t satisfied as he stormed out of gym, calling for a team practice when the team returned to its campus.
The coach departed the same gym in a much better mood Tuesday night.
“It’s a testament to the hard work they put in,” Coggins said.
Bulldogs bounce regional foes
Because the dual team playoffs had been postponed multiple times, the final day resulted in eight teams gathering at one site for two regional rounds and the state final – held at school locations rather than a neutral-site in Greensboro.
Class 3A teams were sent to Wheatmore. Trinity hammered Ayden-Grifton 71-6 in the East Region semifinal in competition that barely lasted a half-hour.
Next came Trinity’s 56-21 victory in the regional final against Wheatmore with pins from Aiden Burkholder, Cross, Vasquez, Edge, Matson, Khan, Joseph Trajan and Jeven Palmeri and a technical fall from Bernal.
Wheatmore’s points came from pins by Ayden Sumners (132) and Andrew Fayne (215), a decision from Spencer Moore (150) and a forfeit. The Warriors didn’t have enough promising sequences.
“We wrestled solid,” Wheatmore coach Kyle Spencer said. “They moved some things around (in the lineup) … would liked to have been better, but I think we learned some things.”
In the West Region, West Lincoln defeated Lincolnton 33-32 and then survived Mount Airy 39-38. Mount Airy topped Polk County 42-28 in a semifinal.
Wheatmore eliminates Eastern Randolph
The Warriors started strong in the East Region semifinal, clinching the outcome with a couple of matches remaining in what became a 42-36 victory
Pins from Dylan Harris (106) and Terry Gillespie (113) set the tone, while Noah Moore 138) secured a 6-4 decision and Spencer Moore (150) notched a pin before Nolan Hammonds’ overtime victory. Wheatmore, which also received a couple of forfeits, opted to forfeit remaining matches with the team outcome secure.
Other than forfeits, Eastern Randolph’s winners were Lucas Kennedy (120), David Lambright (132) and Hayden Payne (175) with pins.
“We had a couple of swing matches we lost,” Eastern Randolph coach Josh Coble said. “They won the toss-ups. A tough pill to swallow.”
Still, the Wildcats finished with a 30-7 record in duals.
“We’ve really bought into having a dual team that’s able to compete,” Coble said.
