Wheatmore duo repeats as wrestling state champs

Ayden Sumners (NCHSAA photo)

GREENSBORO — Wheatmore teammates Dominic Hittepole and Ayden Sumners each racked up their second wrestling state championships with victories in Saturday night’s finals at First Horizon Coliseum.

Hittepole, a senior, won at 190 pounds, and Sumners, a junior, held off Eastern Randolph’s David Lambright to win at 126 in Class 3A.

The Sumners/Lambright match involved a pair of 2025 state titlists, with Sumners notching a 1-0 decision for his third victory of the season against the Eastern Randolph grappler.

“It definitely felt more pressure this year,” Sumners said. “Coming in as a state champion, everybody wants to beat me. Coming in undefeated, I felt confident, but I still always have the feeling that I could lose.”

Sumners scored his point with an escape to begin the second period. He worked from top for the third period, with Lambright unable to get out.

“Ayden is really good and rode him out,” Eastern Randolph coach Josh Coble said.

Sumners, who was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler for Class 3A, completed a 45-0 season. Lambright ended with a 43-3 record for his senior season.

Sumners scored a 9-0 victory against Carson Griffin of North Wilkes in the quarterfinals and used a takedown that led to a pin of Pasquotank County’s Elijah Sylvester in 1:06 in the semifinals. Lambright advanced with an 8-5 quarterfinal decision against Trinity’s Edgar Vasquez and a second-period pin of East Surry’s Gabriel Jones.

Hittepole won 6-3 in the final against Polk County’s Styler Blackwell in a first-time meeting between the wrestlers. Hittepole took a 3-1 lead with a second-period takedown and later extended the margin with a third-period reversal.

“I got the job so that’s probably the memory,” Hittepole said.

Hittepole finished with 201 career victories, the most in a Wheatmore singlet in school history.

Hittepole’s tournament path began with a first-period pin of Shelby’s Jimon Leach before a second-period semifinal pin of Trinity’s Grayson Carroll.