Staff report

GREENSBORO — West Rowan heavyweight Christian Hercules won the 3A state wrestling championship on Saturday.

Hercules (47-1) pinned all four of his opponents in the three-day event.

He beat Central Davidson’s Jackson Greene in Saturday’s final.

Hercules is West’s first state wrestling champ in 33 years. Steve Oliphant, the most recent West champ, prevailed at 171  pounds in 1990.

Hercules was coached by Jonathan Brown, who won a state championship wrestling for East Rowan in 1992.

A full story on Hercules is upcoming.

Hercules led West Rowan to a second-place finish in the 3A team scoring with 92.5 points.

West finished behind Fred T. Foard, the perennial power that also topped the Falcons for the regional dual team title.

West’s Kevin O’Brien placed third at 132 pounds. O’Brien (44-4) was 5-1 in the three-day event.

Jacob Perry was fifth at 138. Perry (40-9) was 3-2 in the event.

Stetson Collins (30-8) took sixth at 126, while Hunter Miller (34-6) was sixth at 195. They won three matches apiece.

O’Brien (6th), Perry (3rd) and  Hercules (4th) were placers in 2022 when the Falcons ended a dry spell for podium finishes.

Also winning matches and contributing points for the Falcons were Jathan Roby, Oliver Perry, Bryan Taylor, Connor Misenheimer and Braxtyn Barger.

• East Rowan’s Shayden Edwards (36-5) was 3A runner-up at 138 pounds.

Edwards won a pin, a decision and a major decision to get to the final.

He lost a 14-8 decision to North Iredell’s undefeated Bray Trivette (46-0).

• South Rowan’s Mateo Diaz Ruiz went 4-1 and took third place in 3A at 106.

• A.L. Brown’s Trevor Freeman won the 4A state championship at 113 pounds.

Freeman (49-6) took a 9-1 major decision in the final.

Freeman had finished third in 2022 and runner-up in 2021.