Bryson City – Senior Graham Allen capped his senior wrestling season in the best way possible, by wrestling for a State Championship. Allen came up just short of his dream ending, but none the less had a tremendous tournament. Allen lost in the championship match to Triston Mabry of Mount Airy, who entered the tournament as the #1 seed in the West with a 43-1 record. Allen entered as the #2 seed in the West with a 31-5 overall record. Mabry took a hard fought 3-1 decision to win the championship, while Allen finished as the State Runner-up in the 152 pound weight class.
Along the way Allen put together two impressive wins. In the first round he faced Beau Studebaker (41-9) from East Carteret the #3 seed from the East. Allen pinned Studebaker at the 1:33 mark to advance. In the second round he faced Sam Azar (30-5) from Chatham Central, the #1 seed from the East. Again Allen scored a pin, this time at the 3:07 mark in the match. The win over Azar put Allen in the finals against Mabry.
Ross Ensley (30-8) also qualified for the State Championship tournament in the 170 pound weight class, but was eliminated before the medal rounds.