Salisbury’s Dwayne Coward and East Rowan teammates Steve Fox and Danny Misenheimer are the newest honorees. Each was awarded a first-place ribbon Saturday night during the state championship meet at Independence Arena.

“This is absolutely wonderful,” said Misenheimer, who captured the 3A heavyweight crown and wrote his name in the North Carolina record book with a 6-2 final-round win over Winston-Salem Carver’s Jamel Hatton.

“To be the first East Rowan heavyweight to win a state title — that’s what’s really special.”

Misenheimer (51-0) capped a remarkable career with a 173-13 record after breezing through the two-day tournament. It more than made up for his near-miss last year, when he lost in double-overtime in the finals.

“I was on a mission,” he said. “There’s no way I was going to beat myself this time. Last year, people blamed the officials and made all kinds of excuses, but the bottom line is I didn’t do what I needed to do.”

Misenheimer limped off the mat after bruising his right knee late in the match. “When two big boys get together, nobody’s there to play chess,” he said.

“It’s long overdue,” said Mustangs’ coach Barry Justus. “But that’s all right. He should have been a three-time champion, but he’ll take this one.”

Misenheimer became East’s seventh state champion, earning the distinction barely an hour after Fox garnered the 3A 152-pound title. The senior closed his exemplary reign by pinning Wilson-Fike sophomore Charles Jones in 58 seconds. A four-time place-winner, it provided Fox’s second state championship in three years.

“This is just as good as the first time,” he beamed after receiving congratulations from family members and friends. “I didn’t think it would be, but yes, it definitely is.”

Fox (51-2, 166-15 lifetime) found a window of opportunity when Jones fell into a cradle and was placed on his back.

“All I knew is that he was tall and lanky and rode legs a lot,” said Fox. “I wanted to pick him apart on his feet. Then I ended up getting the cradle, locked it up and went with him.”

“Steve caught the guy hanging his head and rolled through,” Justus said after Fox became East’s first two-time champ. “Then he put him on his back.”

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The surprise of the night was Coward’s reaction after he stopped Shelby’s Warren Gheen, 9-3, to win the 1A/2A 140-pound title. The Salisbury junior stormed off the mat angrier than Britney Spears on Grammy night.

“It was supposed to have been a pin,” he complained after finishing the season unbeaten in 36 matches. “But the boy kept backing up and I couldn’t put any moves on him.”

Coward made his best moves in the third period, when he erased a 3-2 deficit. After tying it with an escape and moving ahead when Gheen was penalized a point for stalling, Coward used a last-minute takedown and a near fall as time expired to win handily.

“He wrestled not to lose,” noted Salisbury coach Durwood Bynum. “He didn’t go out aggressive and do typical Dwayne stuff. That’s why he was upset.”

Coward became the Hornets’ first state champion since Bynum captured the 105 crown in 1987.

“Now I can laugh at him,” Coward smiled after cooling off.

That’s was fine with Bynum. “Yeah, he can laugh,” he said. “It’s a good feeling to be a state champ. But I told him I’ll always be the greatest.”

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A total of 10 area wrestlers placed in the meet, including Davie County senior Brad Pack, who finished second in the 4A 125-pound competition.

Third-place ribbons went to North Stanly’s Torrie Brown (1A/2A 119), Salisbury’s Willie Hosch (130) and teammate Chris Chinaka (160), and Davie’s Patrick Lowery (189). Fourth-place finishers included North Rowan’s Brian Hall (119) and West Rowan’s Chris Jackson (145).