Johnny Watson Becomes 3X All American
Johnny Watson with Wrestling Coaches
This past weekend the FCDS varsity wrestlers traveled to Lehigh University to compete in the 73rd Annual Prep National Wrestling Tournament. Seniors Johnny Watson, Spencer Breeden, and Ryan Doyle looked to end their careers at FCDS by earning All American Honors. The five other FCDS wrestlers looked to build on a very successful season following the Furies' 4th straight state team title.
Sophomore Cole Edwards competed well at 112, going 2-2. Edwards dropped a hard fought overtime match to the #7 seed from Bishop Lynch, TX in the opening round 9-7. Edwards then rattled off two victories before falling, again in overtime, to his Mt. Saint Joe’s opponent 2-0.
Sophomore David Wall wrestled hard but was unable to pull off a victory at 125.
Ryan Doyle ended his senior campaign with two hard fought losses at 130lbs, including an opening round loss to the eventual National Runner Up from The Kiski School.
Sophomore Christian Funder also wrestled well but was unable to earn a win at 135lbs, losing his first two bouts of the tourney to two very good opponents.
Spencer Breeden ended his FCDS career on a high note, making it to the round of 12, getting one win away from becoming an All American. Breeden dropped a hard fought opening round match to his opponent from The Kiski School and then rattled off three straight wins moving him into the consolation quarter finals again former Parkland standout and North Mountain Heritage Post-Grad Juan Stimpson. Breeden dominated the match early on, scoring a great takedown with short time in the first period. Choosing down in the second period, Breeden was close to coming out when Stimpson caught him in the trademark “Parkland Cradle” and pinned Breeden, leaving him one match shy of All American honors.
Johnny Watson came into the tournament as a 2x All American and seeking a third time as he was seeded #4 overall in the tournament. Watson rolled early on, pinning his first opponent in just 1:18. He then earned a major decision in the next round 14-2. The Fury senior then pulled off a 5-1 win in the quarter finals putting him in the semi finals against the #1 seed from McDonough, MD. Watson battled to a 0-0 tie going into the 3rd period. During a short scramble with Watson on top, he caught the #1 seed with double legs in and a power half. With a quick roll, his opponent caught Watson underneath him and on his back and pinned the FCDS senior with a defensive fall. Watson then rolled again in the consolation bracket, defeating his opponent from national power house Blair Academy 5-0 putting him into the consolation finals against Cody Bye of Bishop Lynch, TX another nationally dominant program. Watson scored a first period takedown going up 2-0. Bye then chooses down in the 2nd period. Watson breaks him down, slaps on a double arm bar, turns him and pins him earning 3rd place and his 3rd All American honors of his career and the first time an FCDS wrestler has done so in the history of the program.
Junior Kwame Seymour finished the tournament 1-2 but wrestled well at 171lbs.
Junior Brett Harris wrestled well, pinning his opening round opponent in just 1:44. He then ran into the #2 seed and eventual National Champion from Wyoming Seminary. Harris battled hard but was pinned late in the first period. He dropped a heartbreaker to an eventual All American from Belmont Hill School 1-0.
Fury Wrestlers Win 4th Straight State Title (2/13-14)
This past Friday and Saturday, the FCDS wrestling team made history by winning their 4th consecutive NCISAA state wrestling championship and did so in convincing fashion. The Furies earned 207.5 points, surpassing rivals Charlotte Country Day and Charlotte Latin by nearly 50 points. The Furies sent nine wrestlers to the finals, putting the title virtually out of reach. Cole Edwards (112), David Wall (125), Christian Funder (135), Jay Baughan (140), Spencer Breeden (145), Johnny Watson (152), Kwame Seymour (171), Garrison Pollock (215), and Brett Harris (HWT) all made the finals. Helping in this unprecedented performance were Ryan Doyle (130), James Pike (119), Tim Crook (189) and Sloan Edgeton (160).
Sophomore Cole Edwards made his second trip to the state finals by winning via pin over Tucker Fogg of Charlotte Latin. He followed this victory with another fall over Jerry Harris of Northside Christian. In the semi-finals, he scored more bonus points with an 11-2 major decision over Han-Wen Chen of Asheville School. In the finals Edwards avenged an earlier loss in the season by defeating Cameron Hallman of Charlotte Country Day with a hard-fought 7-6 decision to win his second state title in a row.
Sophomore James Pike gave his best performance of the year with a great run in the tournament. He helped the Fury cause by winning three matches, two of them by fall. In the first round, Pike pinned Charlotte Country Day’s Will Choate. In the ensuing round, Pike lost a hard fought match to the eventual state runner-up Alex Rosenthal of Cary Academy. Pike battled back in the consolation bracket by pinning Brandon Frazier of Kerr-Vance Academy. He then won a tight match over Ian Hicks of Ravenscroft for his third victory of the tournament. Pike’s awesome run unfortunately came to an end in the consolation semi-finals, however, with a loss to last year’s state runner up James Moon of Christ School.
At 125, sophomore David Wall made his way to the finals with a first round pin over Peter Ryan of Providence Day School and another pin over James Carter of Charlotte Country Day in the second round. In the semi-finals, he won in dominating fashion, earning his third fall of the tournament, pinning Christ School’s Austin Coward in the first period. In the finals, Wall wrestled very well, but fell just shy of his first state title losing a hard-fought match to Will Readhead of Charlotte Christian School 11-3.
Senior Ryan Doyle helped in the cause despite wrestling banged up and fighting flu-like symptoms. In the first round, Doyle lost a close 8-6 match in overtime to Ravenscroft’s Logan Byman. Doyle battled back in the consolation rounds, winning by major decision over Tripp Mann of Christ School and by a 7-1 decision over Charlotte Christian’s Hunter Payne. In the consolation semi-finals, Doyle wrestled well but fell short of placing when he was pinned by Ross Calhoun of Charlotte Latin late in the third period.
At 135 lbs, sophomore Christian Funder picked up several bonus points as he pinned his way to the finals. Following a first round bye, Funder pinned Austin Moore of Southlake Christian and got another pin in the next round over Christ School’s Chris McLeod. Funder unfortunately fell short of his 3rd state title, losing to two-time state champion Marshall Sykes of Charlotte Latin via a major decision 13-3.
Sophomore Jay Baughan had a phenomenal tournament at 140lbs, making his first trip to the state finals. In the first round the 7th seed defeated Mike Natallo of Southlake Christian via fall. He followed that victory up with a 10-0 major decision over Ravenscroft’s Austin Hill. In the semi-finals Baughan knocked off the #2 seed Austin Baker of Charlotte Country Day via major decision 13-5. In the finals, Baughan ran into a wall in Charlotte Latin Senior David Pearson. Baughan battled hard but was pinned by Pearson in the second period.
At 145lbs, senior Spencer Breeden made his fourth trip to the state finals in dominant fashion. He picked up several team points with pins over Greensboro Day’s Brad Browning and Reid Palmer of Charlotte Country Day. In the finals, Breeden won his 3rd state title by defeating Wesleyan Academy’s DJ Rizos by the score of 5-0. The second-leading Fury in career wrestling victories, Breeden upped his total 183 with his run in his final state tournament.
Senior captain Johnny Watson followed Breeden’s dominating performance with one of his own. Watson made the finals for the fourth consecutive year by pinning West Davis of Charlotte Country Day and Austin Rohlfing of Kerr-Vance Academy in the first two rounds. In the semi-finals, Watson earned more bonus points with a 13-3 major decision over Charlotte Latin’s Will Tome. In the finals, Watson dominated Sam Brinkley of Providence Day with a 18-3 technical fall to earn his 4th state title. The career leader in victories for the Furies, Watson raised his total to 214.
Freshman Sloan Edgeton wrestled well in his first state tournament appearance. Edgeton opened up with a hard fought loss to eventual runner-up Phillip Stone of Asheville School but bounced back with a fall of his own over Northside Christian’s Joseph Kim in the first consolation round. Edgeton’s run came to an end in the next round, however, losing another hard fought match to Eric Buerle of Providence Day by a 4-1 tally.
Junior Kwame Seymour wrestled his way to the finals for the second year with a fall over Christ School’s Patrick Lee. He earned another fall over Parker White of Asheville School in the quarterfinals. In the semi-finals, Seymour won a tough battle with Greensboro Day’s Tommy King by a score of 8-7. Seymour wrestled hard in the finals but was unable to fend off a dominating performance by two-time state champion Lukas Keil of Wesleyan Academy.
Sophomore Tim Crook showed great progress and battled hard in his first state tournament appearance. He wrestled well in a rematch with Christ School’s Joe Sadler but did not come out on top. Although he was eliminated in the consolations, Crook showed that he has a bright future. The Furies look for big things from this youngster next season.
At 215, Junior Garrison Pollock had a bye into the semi-finals where he faced Kerr-Vance Academy’s Chris Frampton. Avenging a loss from two weeks ago, Pollock pinned Frampton in the second period, earning his first state finals appearance. In the finals, Pollock, who has seen limited action this season due to injuries, was unable to pull out his first state title after running into Kip Haddock of Charlotte Country. Pollock battled hard but was caught and pinned following two quick scrambles in the first period.
Junior Brett Harris made his second state finals appearance and earned several bonus points by pinning Joe Chavel of Northside Christian and pinning Monroe Brown of Ravenscroft. In the finals, Harris faced the #1 seed Andrew Dos Santos of Asheville School. Harris outlasted the hulking Blues captain by the score of 6-4, earning him his first state title after finishing as the runner up last season.
The Furies were able to push through some trying times over the past few weeks, battling injuries and a virus that nearly wiped out the entire team at one point. They fought through injuries all season with many of the top wrestlers missing some of the most important events and training throughout the year.
Through hard work and perseverance the Furies were able to make history by winning the 4th straight state title, the first team to do so for FCDS. Several Furies will be making the trip to Lehigh for the National Prep Wrestling Tournament on February 20 and 21.
Fury Wrestlers Take Tri-match in Tierney (2/5)
Once again a short-handed FCDS Wrestling team took to the mats in the Tierney Gymnasium in NCISAA action on Thursday night. A beat up and sick crew of Furies took on Kerr Vance Academy and Providence Day School in a tri-match which also turned out to be a round two of sorts for a snowed out Senior Night on Tuesday.
Prior to the match between KVA and FCDS the four senior Fury wrestlers were honored for their four plus years of dedication to the FCDS Wrestling program. Mike Kautz, Spencer Breeden, Ryan Doyle, and Johnny Watson were the seniors who were honored. Following the presentation of plaques to the individuals and a single rose to their mothers, the wrestling got under way.
Starting at 130 senior Ryan Doyle got things going for the Furies with a quick first period fall to kick his senior night off with a bang. Dylan Celendar stepped into the lineup at 135 and made quite an impression, winning via a fall at the 5:00 mark, extending the FCDS lead. Jay Baughan also filled in last night, wrestling at the 140 slot and followed Celendar up with the fall of his own at 4:13, building on the Furies lead. Senior Spencer Breeden kept things going for the home team by earning a fall in just :36. Fellow Senior Johnny Watson followed suit and one-upped his fellow senior Breeden by only needing :20 to get his own pin.
Freshmen Sloan Edgeton battled hard as well and continued the streak of pins by getting one himself at the 1:17 mark of the first period. Junior Kwame Seymour took to the mat at 171 pounds and kept the streak alive needing only :33 to get his own fall. Tim Crook took to the mat at 189 and battled hard, but fell to a very tough KVA opponent, losing by fall late in the 3rd period. Following an injury default by Garrison Pollock at 215, HWT Brett Harris received a forfeit followed by double forfeits at 103 and 112.
James Pike stepped out at 119 and won in dominating fashion controlling the match the entire three periods before getting a victory via a fall late in the 3rd period. David Wall fallowed this up with a fall of his own, needing just 1:28 to put away his KVA opponent, making the final score FCDS 60 - KVA 12
In the final dual of the night the Furies took on a very competitive Providence Day School. Knowing that this dual meet would come down to the wire, FCDS needed key victories from their young wrestlers and key bonus point victories from their veterans. Not only did the young guys come through, but they did so in convincing fashion.
Dylan Celendar got things going at 135 with a huge win, getting a fall late in the first period to put the Furies ahead and they never looked back. Spencer Breeden got his second win of his senior night, earning a fall early in the second period to cap of a big night. Jay Baughan followed Breeden’s effort with a fall of his own at the buzzer of the first period. Johnny Watson also pulled off his second win of the night in a bloody battle up a weight class at 152 against a very good PDS opponent. Watson pulled out the victory winning 7-0. After forfeit victories for Sloan Edgeton and Kwame Seymour, Tim Crook got his first victory of the night, winning a hard fought 10-6 decision at 189. After a forfeit for FCDS at 215 and one in favor of FCDS for Brett Harris at HWT and another double forfeit at 103 and a forfeit in favor of PDS at 112 James Pike got the action going again, wrestling hard but falling late in the first period via a pin against a very talented PDS opponent. David Wall put on another stellar performance at 125, dominating into the 2nd period where he picked up his second pin of the night. Senior Ryan Doyle stepped to the mat for the last time in front of the home crowd against another talented PDS opponent. Doyle battled hard but was caught and pinned late in the second period making the final score FCDS 48 - PDS 30.
A big thank you goes out to all the family and friends who came out to support the senior wrestlers on their final match in front of the home crowd as Fury Wrestlers. Next up on the schedule for the Furies is the NCISAA State Tournament where they look to keep the streak alive and win their 4th state title in a row. The state tournament is being held at The Asheville School on Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th. Wish the Furies luck!
Southeastern Prep School Slam- Atlanta, Ga (1/30-31)
This past weekend 9 of the Fury Varsity Wrestlers traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to compete in the “1st Annual” Southeastern Prep School Slam. This tournament consists of some of the best private schools in the southeast region. Teams like Baylor School out of Tennessee and Archbishop Rummell of Louisiana who are widely considered some of the top prep school teams in the country were in attendance.
With only 9 wrestlers the Furies would be hard pressed to have a high finish as a team but even so they finished 7th out of 31 teams. Spencer Breeden led the charge going 5-0 for the tournament and winning the 140 pound weight class. Kwame Seymour battled his way to the quarters at 171 pounds and then wrestled his way back through the consolation bracket to finish 3rd. Cole Edwards also made it to the 112 pound quarterfinals before dropping that match and wrestling back through the consolation bracket and finishing 4th. Brett Harris finished 3-2 for the tournament and finished in 5th place at 285.
Breeden dominated his way through the finals. The Fury senior came in as the #1 seed and proved that he truly was the best in the weight class winning his opening round bout with a major decision 13-3. In the second round he started a streak of falls that would carry him into the finals, pinning his St. Francis opponent one minute into the second period. In the quarter finals he dominated his Benedictine opponent and kept the pin streak alive with a fall in the fifth minute of the bout. In the semi finals Breeden matched up with fellow NCISAA foe Ace Coumas of Charlotte Country Day. Breeden made quick work of Coumas, getting a fall only 1:36 into the match, moving him on to the finals to face Matthew Cate of Tennessee’s top prep school Baylor. Breeden again dominated his opponent and earned his fourth fall in a row just twenty six seconds into the second period capturing the 140lb title.
Kwame Seymour made it to the quarterfinals at 171 before falling to his Darlington opponent 3-2. In the wrestle backs Seymour battled hard, pinning his first opponent then getting a 7-3 decision in the next round. In the consolation finals Seymour wrestled his Woodward Academy foe to a 1-1 tie in regulation, sending the bout into overtime. In over time the Fury Junior blasted through a double leg and scored the takedown to earn him a third place finish.
Cole Edwards made the semifinals at 112 before dropping into the consolation bracket with a loss to the eventual champion from Baylor. In the wrestle backs Edwards battled through to the consolation finals where he dropped a hard fought major decision to a very talented Woodward opponent 8-0.
Brett Harris wrestled well on his to his 5th place finish, earning two first period falls before dropping a hard fought match to eventual finalist Watson of Baylor. In the consolation bracket Harris dropped a 10-6 decision putting him in the 5th place match where he received a medical forfeit.
Also competing well was senior Ryan Doyle at 130 who picked up to big pins in the opening rounds before falling twice and being eliminated. Christian Funder also wrestled well at 135, making it to the quarter finals before having to withdraw due to injury. David Wall went 1-2 for the tournament at 125, but picked up some very crucial team points in the opening round with a fall in just 49 seconds. Jay Baughan stepped in at 145 pounds and wrestled hard but was unable to pick up a win. Sloan Edgeton competed well at 160, but he too was unable to pull out a win despite wrestling very well.
Despite only having 9 wrestlers competing, the Furies managed to finish in 7th place with 109 points and finished ahead of the other 4 NCISAA teams who were there and had nearly full rosters. This is a great accomplishment for the 9 young men and a great weekend for the Furies over all.
Next up for the Furies is a week of home matches. On Tuesday they will host the PACIS tri match with Greensboro Day and Wesleyan. Then on Thursday they will host Kerr Vance Academy and Providence Day in NCISAA action. Tuesday will be senior night, so come out and support your senior Furies’ Spencer Breeden, Ryan Doyle, Mike Kautz and Johnny Watson!
Fury Wrestlers at Big Blue Invitational (1/23-24)
The FCDS Varsity Wrestlers traveled north this weekend to national wrestling powerhouse Christiansburg High School in Virginia to compete in the always tough Big Blue Invitational. This tournament is widely considered one of the premier tournaments in the southeast. The Big Blue consists of a number of top teams in Virginia including the host team that is currently ranked in the Top 10 nationally and has two individuals ranked in the top ten and one, Devin Carter at 112, who is currently ranked #1.
On Friday night the Furies made a great run. Cole Edwards got the ball rolling with a fall in the first round in just :19 seconds. Stepping in at 140 was sophomore Jay Baughan, who battled hard against the #1 seed from Abington, VA, nearly catching the top seed more than once on his back before getting caught and pinned in the second period. Johnny Watson continued his winning ways at 145 by getting a fall in just under 1 minute of the first period in his opening round bout. Sloan Edgeton dropped a hard fought match in the opening round, being pinned by a very tough Brentsville, VA opponent in the second period. Garrison Pollock stepped back into the lineup this weekend, and quickly disposed of his first round opponent in just 1:50. Brett Harris also won via fall in his opening round bout, pinning his Massaponax, VA opponent at the 4:47 mark.
In the second round the Furies continued to battle hard, winning six of the eights bouts wrestled. Cole Edwards continued to roll winning his match in convincing fashion, moving him into the quarter finals. David Wall also moved on to the quarter finals with a great performance, mounting a six point lead in just 1 minute before getting a fall of his own in 1:30 of the first period. Ryan Doyle wrestled well, but dropped his first match of the tournament to a very tough Langley, VA opponent. Christian Funder dropped a very hard fought match, losing in the closing seconds to the #5 seed from Glenvar, VA 3-0. Johnny Watson moved on the quarter finals after needing just over 1 minute to win by fall over his EC Glass opponent. Kwame Seymour also moved on to the quarter finals, defeating Lakeland foe 3-0. Brett Harris moved on to the quarter finals with a fall late in the second period of his second round match.
In the quarter finals, Cole Edwards dropped a hard fought decision to his Caravel Academy opponent 3-1. David Wall also dropped his quarter finals match via a fall, late in the third period. Johnny Watson continued his winning ways with a very well wrestled match in the quarters, defeating his Christiansburg opponent 3-0 with a late third period tilt. Kwame Seymour also moved on to the semi finals, winning his quarter finals match 3-1 with a late reversal. Garrison Pollock fell just shy in his quarter finals match, losing 3-1 in overtime. Brett Harris also fell into the consolation bracket with a hard fought 3-1 loss to his much larger Riverbend, VA opponent.
In the wrestle-backs, Cole Edwards rolled on with a dominating 15-5 win. David Wall dropped a hard fought 9-6 decision in his wrestle backs, putting him out of the tournament. Ryan Doyle also lost a tight match in his wrestle backs to another tough VA wrestler. Christian Funder rolled on with a dominating 10-2 major decision over his Allegheny opponent. Jay Baughan battled back to get a fall his first round consolation match. Sloan Edgeton was put out in his first wrestle back, although he wrestled well, dropping a 7-0 decision. Garrison Pollock unfortunately had to withdraw due to a back injury and Brett Harris lost a hard fought 5-3 decision in his wrestle back.
In the semi finals Johnny Watson wrestled hard but lost only his second match of the season to Blake Roulo of Matoaca HS 12-6. Following this match, the staff and Johnny decided to medical forfeit him down to sixth place due to a nagging sprained ankle. Kwame Seymour also wrestled well, but lost his semi finals match by the close score of 5-2.
Cole Edwards continued to wrestle well in the consolation bracket, wrestling his way back into the 3rd and 4th place match, where he met up with prior opponent Ardecki of Caravel Academy. The two battled it out again, but a late third period escape for Ardecki gave him the win again and 3rd place.
Christian Funder also battled hard and wrestled his way back for 5th and 6th place, where he met up with Louisa County’s Randy Fisher. Funder dominated the match, winning by a 9-0 score and finishing in 5th place. At 171, Kwame Seymour wrestled his way back for the 5th and 6th place match as well, where he was awarded 5th place due to a medical forfeit by his Bassett, VA opponent who was injured in the consolation semi’s match.
The team finished in a very respectable 15th place and 85 points.
This weekend the Furies travel to Atlanta, GA to compete in the Southeastern Prep School Slam held at Holy Innocents School. This tournament will consist of some of the best private school teams in the southeast such as TN powerhouse Baylor and the #1 team out of Louisiana Archbishop Rummel.
Fury Duals (1/10)
The FCDS Furies hosted the 8th Annual Fury Duals this past Saturday at the Childress Activities Center on the FCDS campus. This was an 8 team- 2 pool format tournament that showcased some of the best wrestling seen around the Triad area thus far this season. Primarily in the past this tournament has been composed of only the NCISAA teams that compete at that state tournament. We, as coaches, wanted to mix things up a bit by lowering the number of teams and bringing in some of the best public schools in the area. This year’s field consisted of high ranking teams such as Ragsdale, Northwest Guilford, Southern Alamance, Mount Tabor and Grimsley, along with NCISAA contenders Southlake Christian and Christ School.
The Furies wrestled in Pool A with Christ School, Northwest Guilford, and Grimsley and came away with a second place finish in their pool. The Furies downed Christ School in the opening round by a score of 67-12 behind strong performances from all team members. David Wall got things started with a fall at 125 and Ryan Doyle fought hard and scored bonus points with a major decision at 130. Christian Funder and Stout Watson followed the lead as they both came away with wins via fall at 135 and 140. After Spencer Breeden accepted a forfeit at 145, Johnny Watson recorded a fall at 152 to keep control of the momentum. Freshman Sloan Edgeton picked up a fall at 160 and Kwame Seymour picked up a decision at 171 by a score of 9-3. Christ School picked up a win at 189 over Tim Crook before Garrison Pollock got things going again for the Furies with a first period fall. Brett Harris accepted a forfeit at 285 which was followed up by a forfeit for FCDS at 103. Cole Edwards continued the action then at 112 with a first period fall before James Pike picked up a forfeit victory to end the dual.
In the second dual of the day, the Furies dropped an exciting bout to Northwest Guilford 31-29 in probably the most exciting dual of the day. Ryan Doyle got things going for the Furies with a quick first period fall at 130. NW Guilford then picked up an upset win at 135 of Christian Funder but Stout Watson got things going the way of the Furies again at 140 with a technical fall 16-0. Spencer Breeden then picked up a big win at 145 to keep the ball rolling for FCDS. Johnny Watson suffered his first loss of the season to the #2 ranked wrestler in 3A Michael Harper. After tough losses by Sloan Edgeton, Kwame Seymour, and Tim Crook and then a forfeit at 215, the Furies fell behind significantly. Starting with a forfeit for Brett Harris at 285, the Furies began to mount their comeback. A double forfeit at 103 led the way to another forfeit for Cole Edwards at 112 to bring the Furies even closer with only two matches remaining. James Pike did a fabulous job at 119 keeping it within reach by only giving up a technical fall against a very tough opponent. Going into the final bout at 125 the Furies needed a fall from David Wall to win the meet by one point. Wall attacked relentlessly but was only able to pick up a major decision, notching the final score at 31-29.
In the last match of the pool the Furies wrestled a very athletic Grimsley High School and came away with a 60-22 victory. Christian Funder got things going early with a second period fall at 135. Stout Watson followed suit with a quick fall of his own at 140 and Spencer Breeden continued the run with another first period fall at 145. Daniel Kim stepped into the lineup at 152 for a banged up Johnny Watson and fought hard but gave up a first period fall to get Grimsley on the board. Sloan Edgeton came firing back with a big throw and a fall early in the first period to swing the momentum again the way of the Furies. After a forfeit for Kwame Seymour at 171, Garrison Pollock picked up a fall in the first period at 215. Brett Harris followed suit with a pin of his own at 285. After a forfeit for FCDS at 103, Cole Edwards dropped a hard fought loss to the #6 ranked 3A wrestler Dustin Sessions. James Pike picked up six points for FCDS with a forfeit win at 119 and David Wall quickly picked up another win at 125 with a quick first period fall. Ryan Doyle ended the dual with a forfeit victory at 130.
With the 2-1 record the Furies then faced off against local powerhouse Ragsdale for the 3rd place match. With the match starting at 140 and the Furies being short handed with Watson out the lineup got mixed around to give them the best shot of winning. Christian Funder got things going with a major decision 8-0. Spencer Breeden then took the mat at 145 against the #1 ranked wrestler in the state in Blair Fewell and lost an extremely hard fought bout 2-1. After a fall for Ragsdale at 152 over Daniel Kim and a close loss for Sloan Edgeton at 160, Kwame Seymour picked up a fall for the Furies at 171 to keep it close. After a first period fall for Ragsdale at 189, Garrison Pollock picked up a hard fought win at 215 1-0. At 285 Brett Harris dropped his second loss of the year to David Woody 2-1. FCDS forfeits at 103 to put Ragsdale up for good with only a few bouts to go. Cole Edwards gets his third win on the day with a quick fall at 112 in just 32 seconds. After a technical fall at 119 for Ragsdale Ryan Doyle drops a great match to the defending state runner up Brandon Hodgens 6-1. In the final bout of the day, and probably one of the best, Stout Watson fell 6-0 to one of the nation’s Top 15 ranked wrestlers in Ragsdale’s Jacob Creed, who is looking for his 4th state title this year. It was the first time Creed had wrestled an entire six minute match all season. With the 41-19 dual meet loss the Furies finished in a very respectable 4th place, among some of the best teams in the state.
The Furies wrestled extremely well all day even though they dropped two dual meets. It was a great experience and they showed poise and heart even in the losses. It is going to be a great building block for the very difficult part of the season coming up. Next up is a Tri Match at Cary Academy and then the tough Sarah Wilkes Invitational at Morehead High School on Friday and Saturday.
Fury Wrestlers Take Two in Huntersville (1/6)
On Tuesday night the FCDS varsity wrestlers took on fellow NCISAA foes Southlake Christian and Charlotte Country Day in Huntersville. With these two very tough teams out to battle the Furies and contend for a state title, the Furies left Huntersville with two victories. FCDS defeated Southlake in the first match of the night 43-27. In the second match of the evening, the Furies slipped by Charlotte Country Day 40-27.
Against Southlake Cole Edwards got things going with a major decision 11-0. After a hard fought technical fall for Southlake at 119, David Wall got things going again for FCD as he pinned Cameron Collins in 4:13. Southlake then got a fall at 130lbs but FCD got right back on track as Christian Funder won via technical fall 17-2. Jay Baughan kept the ball rolling by pinning his opponent with short time left in the 3rd period. Spencer Breeden continued the streak with a fall of his own in just 2:59. Johnny Watson followed suit as he also won via fall late in the third period.
Southlake pulled out a close win at 160 over freshman Sloan Edgeton but Kwame Seymour got the Furies back on the winning side again with a fall early in the 2nd period over John Larson. After a fall for Southlake at 189 and a double forfeit at 215, Brett Harris won in dominating fashion by only needing 1:01 to pin his Southlake opponent.
Against Charlotte Country Day it would come down to the wire. After a tough scramble that resulted in a fall for CCD at 112lbs, James Pike wrestled a spectacular match and pulled out a win in overtime by getting a reversal with short time in the second 30 second ride out. David Wall picked up his second win of the night with a fall in just :43 seconds. After a fall for CCD at 130lbs, Christian Funder also picked up his second win of the night by pinning a very talented Ace Coumas in the second period. Spencer Breeden followed this up with a pin of his own in just 1:12 to keep the Furies on top. Jay Baughan then picked up his second win of the night with a hard fought decision over Wes Davis by a score of 7-6 thanks to a late third period tilt and three near-fall points. Johnny Watson kept the streak alive with a major decision of his own, winning by a score of 11-0. After a tough loss at 160 for Sloan Edgeton, Kwame Seymour picked up his second win via a fall in just :34 seconds. After a double forfeit at 189, CCD picked up a win at 215lbs by fall and Brett Harris got win number two with a forfeit at 285lbs.
Next up for the Furies is 8th Annual Fury Duals held at FCDS on Saturday. This tournament includes some of the best local public schools in the area such as Ragsdale, Southern Alamance, Northwest Guilford, and Mount Tabor. Come out and support your Fury wrestlers as they attempt to defend their title on Saturday.
Holiday Wrestling
Parkland Duals:
2-3 overall on the day. FCDS defeats Forbush and Marvin Ridge and suffers tough losses to Mooresville, Southern Lee, and West Forsyth.
FCDS 18- Mooresville 50
FCDS 42- Marvin Ridge 40
FCDS 26- West Forsyth 48
FCDS 63- Forbush 17
FCDS 25- Southern Lee 54
Notes on the Day: Cole Edwards 5-0, Christian Funder 5-0, Johnny Watson 5-0. Brett Harris 4-1, Garrison Pollock 3-2, Spencer Breeden 3-2, Kwame Seymour 3-2.
Ravenscroft/ Northern Vance Tri Match:
FCDS 30- Northern Vance 42
FCDS 54- Ravenscroft 30
Notes on the Day: Cole Edwards 2-0, Christian Funder 2-0, Johnny Watson 2-0, Kwame Seymour 2-0, Brett Harris 2-0
Tiger Holiday Classic:
Seven wrestlers competed in the prestigious Tiger Holiday Classic at Chapel Hill HS on the December 22 and 23rd. The Furies came away with only one place winner but all participants wrestled well. Johnny Watson led the way by winning the 145lb title, making him the first FCD wrestler to do so in the history of the program. On the first day of competition Watson defeated his East Gaston opponent via fall to pick up his 200th career victory while at FCDS. He went on the best two of the top public school wrestlers in the state on his way to the finals where he pulled off an overtime win over Jorge Rivera of Kennesaw Mountain, GA. Rivera, a sophomore, was the 5A state champion in Georgia last season as a freshman. Watson is now 34-0 on the season.
Cole Edwards went 2-2 with two dominating wins and two close losses at 112. David Wall finished 1-2 in a very tough 125lb weight class. Ryan Doyle finished 1-2 as well, but wrestled extremely well. Christian Funder went 1-2, losing to an eventual finalist and one of the top grapplers in the public school division. Kwame Seymour finished 2-2 with decisive wins in the two opening rounds and two close losses in the round to follow. Brett Harris finished with a record of 1-2, with both losses being to eventual place winners.
The Team finished 21st overall out of 38 teams. A good finish considering they were short handed.
Southern Scuffle:
FCDS 39- McMichael 42
With great intensity but giving up 3 forfeits, the Furies dropped a hard fought dual to McMichael on Tuesday at the Southern Scuffle. FCDS picked up wins from Cole Edwards, Jay Baughan, Spencer Breeden, Johnny Watson, Garrison Pollock and Brett Harris. While winning more bouts than McMichael but giving up three weight classes the Furies couldn’t pull out the victory. FCDS hopes to build on this effort as well as the observation of some of the best college wrestling in the country and go into the second half of the season with great enthusiasm.
Next up for the Furies is a JV Dual Tournament on January 3rd at RS Central. Next up for the Varsity is a Tri Match at Southlake Christian against the host and Charlotte Country Day, two of the top teams that hope to give FCD a run for their money at the NCISAA State Tournament in February.
Furies Wrestlers at Indian Duals (11/26)
A banged up and short- handed FCDS varsity wrestling team traveled to Hickory to compete in the St. Stephens Indian Duals on Wednesday. The team came away with a 5th place finish after going 3-2 on the day. In the pool portion of the tournament the team finished 2-2, picking up wins over Watauga High School and Fred T. Foard High School and dropped two tough losses to Alexander Central and Glenn High Schools. The Furies were then matched up with RS Central from the other pool and came away with their third win of the day.
Leading the charge for the Furies were Johnny Watson and Kwame Seymour, both finishing 5-0 on the day. Following their lead were Cole Edwards, David Wall, Ryan Doyle, Garrison Pollock, and Brett Harris who all finished 4-1 on the day. Tim Crook picked up two varsity wins on the day to help the Furies out while John Woltz, James Pike, and Dylan Celender all picked up one win apiece.
With the Thanksgiving break here, the Furies will have only one day off before they return for a practice on Friday morning and then travel to Ragsdale High School to compete in the Tigerland Classic on Saturday.
Furies Wrestlers at Glenn Invitational
The FCDS varsity wrestlers finished 3rd as a team over the weekend at the Phillip Reed Glenn Invitational with 124.5 team points. Trinity High School took home the team title while NW Guilford finished ahead of the Furies in 2nd place.
Leading the way for the Furies were Stout Watson, Johnny Watson, and Garrison Pollock who all came away with individual tournament titles. Stout Watson defeated East Rowan’s Aaron Plyler in the finals by the close score of 6-5. Johnny Watson defeated NW Guilford’s Michael Harper in the finals at 152 by the score of 7-2. Garrison Pollock took home the title at 215 with another close win over Trinity’s Eric Huynh by the narrow margin of 6-5.
Cole Edwards continued his winning ways by making the finals before falling to West Davidson’s Zach Hudson 10-0 for his first loss of the 08-09 campaign. Kwame Seymour and Brett Harris finished in fourth place at 171 and 285 respectively, both going 2-2 on the day. David Wall also notched two wins on the day but was unable to place following his second loss.
Stout Watson was voted the lightweight Outstanding Wrestler following the tournament by the coaches of the 15 other teams in attendance.
The Furies next hit the mats at the St. Stephen’s Indian Duals on Wednesday before the Thanksgiving break and then hit the road again for the Tigerland Classic at Ragsdale High School on Saturday.
Furies Wrestling Takes Hargrave Military (11/18)
In their first home wrestling dual meet of the season the FCDS Furies varsity took on Hargrave Military Academy in the Tierney gym on Tuesday night. After an intense dual meet, the Furies came away with a close 45-36 victory, bringing their dual meet record to 5-1.
David Wall got things going with a hard fought 3rd period fall at 125. Ryan Doyle followed suit as he picked up a quick first period fall over his Hargrave opponent in just 1:51. Stout Watson kept things going the way of the Furies with another 3rd period fall to put FCDS up by a score of 18-0.
Stepping in at 140 was sophomore Jay Baughan, who pulled out a tough match, scoring a decision by a score of 7-2 to put the home team up 21-0. Following a fall at 145 for Hargrave over rookie Daniel Kim, Johnny Watson got things going again with a fall of his own at 152 in just 3:05.
After another pin by Hargrave at 160, Kwame Seymour turned things around again for the Furies with a 3rd period fall of his own to put the FCDS team up 33-12. Hargrave got another fall at 189 but FCDS 215lber Garrison Pollock quickly turned the tide again with a quick first period fall of his own in only 45 seconds.
After a hard fought match by Brett Harris which ended in a fall for Hargrave and a forfeit at 103 for FCDS, Cole Edwards continued his winning ways with a pin in one minute flat over his opponent. This sealed the match for the Furies and after another forfeit for FCDS at 119, the match ended with the Furies on top, 45-36.
The Furies next see action this Saturday as they travel to Glenn High School in Kernersville for the Glenn Invitational. This is an all day individual tournament consisting of some of the best local teams from across the Triad.
Season Opener results for FCDS Varsity Wrestling at the Dudley Duals (11/15-16)
On Saturday the FCDS varsity wrestling team opened their season with the very competitive Dudley Panther Duals and finished in 3rd place. This dual format tournament was composed of 16 teams from around the Triad and Charlotte area. There was a round- robin four pool preliminary round followed by matchups between the pool winners.
FCDS won their pool after defeating Middle Creek HS, Grimsley HS, and West Stokes HS. The Furies defeated Middle Creek by a score of 54-30. They then defeated Grimsley by a score of 42-39. In the final round of the pool match-ups the Furies defeated a very tough West Stokes team by a score of 39-33.
The Furies then moved on to the semi-finals where they faced a tough host team in Dudley. Here the varsity wrestlers took their only loss on the day as a team, dropping a hard fought dual by a score of 27-47.
This dropped the Furies into a match-up against 71st HS out of Fayetteville, who lost by a narrow 2-point margin in their semi final to Ragsdale HS. In a fight to the finish, the Furies came out on top by the slimmest of margins. With the score knotted at 39 apiece, the coaches had to pull out their rule books and dig for the tie match criteria to determine a winner. After the 6th criteria it was determined the FCDS was the winner by virtue of most first match points scored.
Leading the way for FCDS and their 3rd place finish was 112lber Cole Edwards and Johnny Watson at 145lbs who both finished the day at 5-0 individually. 140lber Spencer Breeden and 215 Garrison Pollock both finished the day at 3-0 and both Brett Harris at 285 and David Wall at 125 finished 4-1. 171lber Kwame Seymour finished the day with a record of 3-2.
Next up for the FCDS Varsity Wrestlers is a home dual meet against Hargrave Military Academy out of Chatham, Virginia on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the Tierney Gymnasium. Then they travel to Glenn HS for the Glenn Invitational on Saturday.
FCDS Wrestlers Go International (10/9)
On October 9, three FCDS wrestlers and Coach Erik Wince traveled to Puerto Rico as part of Team North Carolina to compete in the Copa Sparta Wrestling Tournament. Held in Salinas, PR, this Pan American freestyle wrestling tournament draws athletes representing several nations. Spencer Breeden, Christian Funder, and Garrison Pollock along with Coach Wince competed against athletes from countries such as Brazil, Cuba, Honduras, and Canada among others. The FCDS wrestlers trained and stayed at the Olympic Training Center in Salinas.
Leading the Fury charge was senior Spencer Breeden, who won the 69kg weight class. Breeden defeated two wrestlers from Puerto Rican wrestling clubs. He pinned his first two opponents with first-period falls. In the finals, Breeden defeated Nick Hennings from Strong and Courageous Wrestling Club. Both junior Garrison Pollock and sophomore Christian Funder placed second. Pollock wrestled at 100kg and defeated his first opponent 6-0 and 3-0. He lost in the finals to a highly talented member of Team Puerto Rico by a score of 1-0 and 2-0. Funder wrestled at 66kg. In his first match, he defeated a wrestler from Team New York. In the second round, Funder defeated a talented wrestler from Team Cuba. Funder lost to fellow Team North Carolina member Dylan Kala 2-0 and 1-0. Also competing at 84 kg was head coach Erik Wince. In the first round, Wince upended Jaime Espinal, a Pan-Am Games bronze medalist who was ranked 30th in the world by a score of 4-0, 2-3, and 4-2. He defeated wrestlers from Team Puerto Rico and Team Cuba by scores of 6-0 and 6-0 and 6-0 and 1-0 respectively. In the finals, Wince was defeated by Sabor Tomav of Team New England, who was a former Iranian national champion 2-0 and 1-1.
Overall, Team North Carolina finished second in the FILA Schoolboy Division, second in the FILA Cadet Women’s Division, first in the FILA Junior Division, and first in the FILA Open Division. Team North Carolina also brought home the overall team championship trophy.
