County wrestling clubs compete at inaugural rumble

Tyler Auffhammer, The Mountaineer, Waynesville, N.C.
·4 min read

Apr. 4—Haywood County's wrestling clubs impressed at the inaugural Wrecking Crew Rumble on Saturday, March 25, at Tuscola High School in Waynesville.

Haywood Elite Wrestling Club took first place, while the Mountaineer Wrecking Crew Wrestling Club, which hosted the tournament, took second.

Other teams that competed were Smoky Mountain Youth Wrestling (third), Blue Devil Wrestling Club (fourth) and McMinn Tribe Wrestling (fifth).

Niko Rhinehart of Haywood Elite was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Elite shows out

Part of Haywood Elite's success is that the club has been building its cohort for nearly a decade — it was started nearly 12 years ago by former Pisgah High School wrestler David Bryson.

"It's made a big difference for us," Bryson said. "When our kids enter high school, they have 10-plus years of experience. It's been unreal the amount of success those kids have. They don't walk in as freshmen. They walk into the door as upperclassmen in terms of experience and wrestling IQ."

Part of the experience is year-in, year-out wrestling on a weekly basis, with a three-month break in between seasons.

"We start our kids really young — 4 and 5 years old in our youth program," Bryson said. "We have beginners, and we have more advanced kids wrestling on a national level, but those kids have been around for a while."

Another benefit of being around for a while is that the club has attracted a large bench of coaches willing to help.

"It allows us to spread ourselves out," Bryson said. "We let the kids choose how many tournaments they want to wrestle in a year — ranging from 20-50 matches per season."

New crew forms

The Mountaineer Wrecking Crew, formed in February, is coached by Derek Mull, a former Tuscola wrestler, along with Mark McCracken, Jeff Hillis and Jeff Walker.

The event is the first fundraiser for the new club.

"Since we just started this club, we wanted to do something different," Mull said. "We're trying to help out the club. [The funds] will go toward facility use and gear that we need."

Haywood Elite has historically served the Canton area, with many participants attending Canton-area schools. Mull said the Mountaineer Wrecking Crew would serve kids on the Waynesville side of the county.

"They've had this over in the Canton side for a while, and they do well over there," Mull said. "We knew it was time to get something on the Waynesville side of the county. Kids and parents are reluctant to go to the other side of the county due to the rivalry."

Mull added that wrestling clubs help bridge the gap for many kids who aren't traditional sports players.

"It's an alternative to the norm of basketball, baseball, football," Mull said.

Mull said the Mountaineer Wrecking Crew started with about 25 kids from elementary to high school-aged, but has grown to over 50. Part of the draw for a wrestling club is another wrestling "season" outside of the school-based season.

"You have to have wrestling year-round nowadays," Mull said. "It really gives them an outlet for wrestling."

Mull thanked the parents and athletes that volunteered their time and their donations of foods and raffle items, as well as his team of coaches for their commitment.

Sonoco Plastics of Waynesville sponsored the event.

Haywood Elite placers

Haywood Elite elementary school wrestlers who took first place were Clayton Lowdermilk, Kade Burrell, Niko Rhinehart, Noah Rhinehart, Carter Hannah, Job Hensley, John Woodard and Michael Woodard.

Haywood Elite elementary school wrestlers who took second place were Kase Sorrells, Ty Sorrells, Jack Simons, Zyrus Flores, Carter Mabry and Paul Burnette.

Haywood Elite elementary school wrestlers who took third place were Cam Crawford, Hunter Brooks, Dean Louk, Clay Leonard and Kannan Martinez.

Haywood Elite middle and high school wrestlers who took first place were Avery Henderson, Michael Woodard, Lane Crawford and Christian Gibson.

Haywood Elite middle and high school wrestlers who took second place were Carter Mabry, Mason Young, Diesel Chambers, Kail Burnette, Clay Hatton and J.P. Chapman.

Haywood Elite middle and high school wrestlers who took third place were Kannan Martinez, Lane Crawford, Levi Curtis and Eli Frizzell.

Haywood Elite middle and high school wrestlers who took fourth place were Dawson Gregg, Jordan Evans and Malachi Sawyer.

Wrecking Crew placers

Wrecking Crew elementary school placers were Lawson Fields (50 lbs.; 2nd place) and Radik Arch (50 lbs.; 3rd place) in 6 & Under; Holston McCracken (50 lbs.; 3rd place) in 8 & Under; Grayson Barker (75/85 lbs.; 2nd place) in 10 & Under; Will Sutton (112/120 lbs.; 2nd place) and Levi Price (113/120 lbs.; 3rd place) in 12 & Under.

Wrecking Crew middle school placers were Hagan Fulton (83/90 lbs.; 2nd place), Levi Price (120 lbs.; 3rd place), Gregory Justice (126/135 lbs.; 3rd place), Brenyn Hatton (170/182 lbs.; 2nd place), Ben Ulery (170/182 lbs.; 3rd place) and Nick Messer (Heavyweight; 1st place).

Wrestling Crew high school placers were Aydan Mull (106/113 lbs.; 1st place), Wyatt Ferguson (126 lbs.; 3rd place), Cooper Williamson (132/138 lbs.; 1st place), Ty Walker (152 lbs.; 2nd place) and Luke Burress (160/170 lbs.; 3rd place).