Vikings Grapplers Complete Season at State Championships

On February 19-20, Avery wrestlers Brock Yackey and C.J. Vance advanced to take part in the NCHSAA State Wrestling Championships, held last weekend at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.

Both wrestlers competed on Friday evening's opening round. Vance, wrestling in the 160 pound weight class, fell in his 1A quarterfinal match against a tough opponent in Dixon's Joey Dzurilla. Vance returned to action on Saturday and took on East Montgomery’s Matthew Reynolds. Reynolds came out on top via pinfall to eliminate Vance from the championships after a stellar conference and regional tournament performance.

Viking junior Brock Yackey was successful in his first match Friday night with a 11-1 win over Monroe's Zach Cooper. Yackey held a 2-0 lead after a takedown in the first period. Yackey earned another takedown to lead 4-0 after two periods. Brock added a takedown and gave up an escape, but earned another takedown and three back points to provide for the major decision win.

In Brock's semifinal match on Saturday he fell to Rosewood's Zach Behrend by a 4-0 decision to move into the consolation bracket. Behrend earned a takedown for a 2-0 margin after one period, the pair was scoreless in the second period, and with 16 seconds left in the match Cooper scored two back points, providing for the final margin.

At the consolation level Yackey wrestled in the semifinals and defeated Dixon's Chase Ponsock 10-3 to make the consolation finals and wrestle for third place overall. Brock earned a pair of takedowns and gave up an escape to lead 4-1 after one period. He then earned a takedown from the neutral position, gave up an escape, then earned another takedown to lead 8-2 after two periods. In the final stanza Yackey surrendered an escape when Ponsock chose the down position to start the period, but took down Ponsock a final time for the seven-point win

In the consolation finals, Yackey faced a familiar foe in Mitchell's Cody McKinney, winning a hard-fought bout 2-1 to capture the third-place medal.

Neither wrestler earned points in both the first and second periods. In the third period McKinney started from the down position and earned an escape for a 1-0 lead. Yackey shortly afterward garnered a takedown for a 2-1 advantage and held on to that margin to capture the victory.

Congratulations to C.J., Brock, and all the Avery grapplers on a great 2009-10 season.