Wheatmore, UCA will be sites for dual team wrestling regionals, state finals

Wheatmore and Uwharrie Charter Academy will be host sites for dual team wrestling state finals Tuesday.

The reconfigured tournament shifted the format for the regional semifinals and finals and the state finals, putting them all at one site in each classification on the same day.

Eight teams will converge on most sites, with two teams at each location competing in three duals that culminate with the state finals.

In Class 3A at Wheatmore, Trinity will face Ayden-Grifton while Eastern Randolph will take on Wheatmore in the East Region semifinals, with winners meeting next.

Lincolnton, West Lincoln, Polk County and Mount Airy will arrive from the West Region.

In Class 4A at UCA, the host Eagles match up against North Pitt while Central Davidson and Eden Morehead clash in the East Region semifinals. The West Region’s teams will be Pisgah, Bandys, Maiden and Rutherfordton-Spindale Central.

Other sites for Tuesday are Northwest Guilford (Class 8A), Athens Drive (Class 7A, hosted by Cardinal Gibbons), Union Pines (Class 6A), Cedar Ridge (Class 5A), East Wilkes (Class 2A) and South Davidson (Class 1A). The Class 1A and Class 8A sites will involve only regional finals and state finals.

The dates and format were adjusted after wintry weather resulted in school closings across much of a two-week period in late January and early February.

In recent years, the state finals were held on the same day in Greensboro in early February.

How they advanced …

Teams advanced by winning first and second round duals earlier this week.

Here’s a look at how teams from Randolph County advanced (and some teams that didn’t):

Class 3A

Host Trinity handled No. 16 seed Farmville Central 77-0 and ninth-seeded Heide Trash 74-6.

Wheatmore, also a host, bounced No. 15 seed Bartlett Yancey and then turned back seventh-seeded East Davidson 59-20.

Eastern Randolph won in the first two rounds at home by defeating No. 14 seed Pender 48-36 and No. 11 seed Spring Creek 52-30.

Providence Grove won 45-32 against North Moore in the first round at McMichael. Then the Patriots fell 39-29 to No. 13 seed Ayden-Grifton.

Class 4A

UCA posted a 59-24 victory against No. 16 seed Salisbury and beat ninth-seeded Bunn 50-30.

Southwestern Randolph fell 54-24 to host and third-seeded Central Davidson.

Randleman lost to host and second-seeded Eden Morehead 61-12.

Class 6A

No. 13 seed Asheboro fell to fourth-seeded and host Piedmont by 64-18 in the first round.