ROCKINGHAM — The final countdown is on in the third annual ROSports “Top 10 Sports Stories” feature and the last three selections all make a strong argument to be in the top spot.
In this edition, the No. 3 moment comes courtesy of senior wrestler Joey Nicholson and a career milestone he accomplished in late November.
This is the second time Nicholson has graced the countdown following his swan song season, also coming in the fifth spot for making the NCHSAA 4A individual state championship in February with teammate Austin Gallops.
A four-year starter for the Raiders on the mat, and coached by his father Earl Nicholson, Joey Nicholson became the program’s all-time wins leader following the Raider Rumble. The home meet was one of the first duals of the season and Nicholson achieved a lifelong dream early in the day.
Entering the Raider Rumble, Nicholson was tied with former leader Joshua Pryce with 118 career victories. Nicholson took sole possession of the record when he defeated Anydrean Cromartie of Fairmont High School in his first match of the day for No. 119.
Following the record-breaking win, Coach Nicholson stopped action on the mat and addressed the crowd. He awarded his son a wrestling championship belt to celebrate the occasion.
“It feels pretty good knowing I now have the all-time record,” Nicholson smiled after his historic win. “But now I want to keep adding on to that record. My mindset was to just go out there and win, do what I know how to do and not make any mistakes.”
By season’s end, Nicholson added to his total and finished his career with 151 victories. In April, he signed his letter of intent to continue his wrestling career at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Below is the link to match story following Nicholson’s historic win, written by sports editor Kyle Pillar for the Nov. 23, 2019 edition of the Richmond Observer:
