Ronald Reagan High Clinches Team Title at Valor Invitational
- Ryan Hayes
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Lincolnton, NC- Ronald Reagan High School clinched the team championship at the Valor Boys Invitational held at North Lincoln High School with a total of 153 points, narrowly defeating Kings Mountain High School’s 141.5. This victory marks Ronald Reagan’s first varsity tournament championship in several years and the first under new head coach Keegan Ross, who joined the program this fall after serving as an assistant coach at Southeastern Stokes Middle School in North Carolina.
Reagan’s success came from solid off-season work at TBD Athletics wrestling club, where many of the team’s tournament finalists trained. Under Coach Ross’s guidance and with support from the club, the group started the season right, with a tournament team championship.
Michael King wrestled in the 165-pound finals against Will Varner, the undefeated defending 2A state champion. Despite falling short, King acknowledged the challenge, saying, “I feel like cardio and pace was a big difference maker for me and is something I definitely plan to improve. Even though I lost my finals match, I was still somewhat pleased with my performance getting in good positions and taking down a state champ.”
Nathan Carter, another finalist, reflected on his loss: I didn’t execute mat returns or my top game well. If I could redo the match, I’d start in neutral to create takedown opportunities and change the outcome”
Kade Hennessy, who took first place at 175 pounds, expressed his enthusiasm about the win: “Winning our first varsity tournament was the perfect way to kick off the season. I’m incredibly thankful for our new coach, Coach Ross, and my club wrestling experiences at TBD—they’ve led our team to victory while individually coaching me into a stronger wrestler. I can’t wait to see what’s next!”
Meanwhile, Paxton Proctor, the 190-pound champion, spoke of overcoming mental barriers: “It felt good to be able to win a varsity tournament then we all succeeded as a team by placing first. It’s amazing to see where I came from and not having confidence to being able to not have that mental blockage so I can get done what I needed to get done.”
126-pound wrestler Nathan Jones, who fell short in the consolation finals by a close 11-10 score, reflected on his experience and how the tournament helped him develop: “Starting the season with our first tournament team championship was valuable. It highlighted my weaker areas, especially when fatigued after a long day. I’ll bounce back and position myself to win these matches in the future.”
Owen Shick took on the challenge of wrestling up to 215 pounds despite being significantly lighter. He said, “This tournament was a great way to start the season even though I came up short. Wrestling up to 215 was definitely difficult but it was a challenge and I’m glad I did it.”
Reagan’s 153 points outpaced teams like Kings Mountain with 141.5, Alexander Central with 127, and T.C. Roberson with 114.5. This victory signals a revitalization of the Reagan wrestling program in Pfafftown, North Carolina, under Coach Ross’s leadership, setting a strong foundation for the season and promising more successes to come.
Individual results
106 lbs: Ryan Johnson of Mountain Island Charter defeated Adonis Cortez of East Wilkes High School by technical fall, 17-2.
113 lbs: Ezra Barber of Kings Mountain High School won by pin over Jon Pritz of Avery County High School.
120 lbs: Alexandro Ical Tiul of Avery County High School won by decision over Josue Welsh Mountain Island Charter by a score of 7-2.
126 lbs: Barric Heraty of Providence High School won by pin over Jeffery Meredith of TC Roberson High School by a score of 3-0.
132 lbs: Lucas Villareal of Kings Mountain High School won by major decision over Luke Brown of TC Robertson High School by a score of 15-4.
138 lbs: Colt Cambruzzi of Providence High School won by pin over Christopher Settles of East Wilkes High School, 6-3.
144 lbs: Lucas Davis of Kings Mountain High School won by technical fall over Iziah Ayers of Alexander Central High School, 15-0.
150 lbs: Colin White of East Wilkes High School won by pin over Fabian Martin of Ronald Reagan High School.
157 lbs: Wesley Willie of East Wilkes High School won by pin over Nathan Carter of Ronald Reagan High School.
165 lbs: Will Varner of Kings Mountain High School won by technical fall over Michael King of Ronald Reagan High School, 22-7.
175 lbs: Kade Hennessy of Ronald Reagan High School won by decision over Bryce Davis of Kings Mountain High School, 10-8.
190 lbs: Paxton Proctor of Ronald Reagan High School won by pin over Kolvin Walker of Alexander Central High School.
215 lbs: Angel Outlaw of North Lincoln High School won by pin over Maverick Mora of Avery County High School.
285 lbs: Cade Hartis of Alexander Central High School won by pin over Angel Sanchez of TC Roberson High School.
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