ASHEBORO — Local youth wrestlers competed in another tournament over the weekend, with several placing.
Members of the Raider Amatuer Wrestling program (RAW) took part in the Zombie Mentality Open on Saturday. Of the six wrestlers competing, five earned medals, with four of them being first overall.
Isaac Nunley won first place in the elementary bracket, wrestling in the 126-pound bout. Also placing first for RAW were Nasean McBride (elementary, 125-pound), Jason Gainey (middle school, 170-pound) and Joseph Patterson (middle school, 132-pound).
In the high school tournament, Christian Sanchez placed third overall in the 138-pound weight class. Naaman Perakis placed in the top eight of the same bracket, winning matches in a “loaded” 160-pound division.
“I saw even more improvement this week with proper move execution and the younger guys are starting to get the ability to communicate with me while they’re wrestling,” head coach Earl Nicholson said.
RAW will return to the mat in June for the Under Armour State Games, which will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center.
Nicholson said the program is still looking for more talent between the ages of seven and 19. Practices are held on Sundays from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Nicholson can be contacted for more details at coachnic2@gmail.com.
