La GRANGE — Raekwan Miller and all his 99 pounds kneeled at the edge of the mat Thursday as South Lenoir’s wrestling team took a blood time to clean up wrestler Ty Combs.
It was the first of two.
After the match was complete, Miller said he needed those breaks.
“To be honest, if it wasn’t for that blood time and taking a break,” he said, “I think he would have beat me. I was sucking air; I was really sucking air out there.”
Miller admitted he thought Combs was stronger than him, as the Blue Devils wrestler knocked Miller out of a tournament earlier this season.
But he defeated Combs with an 11-9 decision the ninth bout of the night, as the Hawks beat South Lenoir in Thursday’s Eastern Carolina 2A dual meet. It was North Lenoir’s first win of the season and the first time in 18 years the mats were rolled out in La Grange.
“We achieved our first goal,” said NL coach Patrick Cline. “Our first goal was to win a dual meet, and now it’s on to our next goal.”
North Lenoir emerged from the rivalry with a 45-36 victory, as eight Hawks won their individual matches. Cline said since the season began, the team has gained more confidence and knowledge.
“The effort was amazing,” he said of the Hawks. “Our guys have worked hard, they learn every day, we’ve grown as a team every day and it culminated in a win tonight.
“Wrestling is a sport that you can only get good at on the mat.”
Some Hawks won by forfeit, others fought hard to pin their man and some succumbed to South Lenoir.
The Blue Devils opened the night with David Crespo pinning North Lenoir’s Tyler Carraway in 59 seconds. But the Hawks came back to win five consecutive matches.
South Lenoir was on a roll, taking four of the remaining six.
Although the meet was against a rival, Blue Devils coach Carlos Dodd said his team prepares for everyone the same.
“Not the best effort we’ve had tonight,” he said. “(There were) a lot of mistakes that we shouldn’t have made, a lot of matches that we shouldn’t have lost. (I’m) not taking anything from them; they did a great job.”
Former North Lenoir wrestler and Hawks wrestling championDaryl Goff had a front-row seat as the Hawks’ wrestling made its return. He said he was proud of a young team that showed promise.
“It feels like 20 years ago,” Goff said. “As a matter of fact, it feels better than 20 years ago. They made beginners’ mistakes, but they showed a lot of promise. It’s going to be interesting to see where they are at the end of the season.”
North Lenoir travels to Goldsboro Wednesday for another conference dual meet, while South Lenoir hosts Greene Central Tuesday.
Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 and Jessika.Morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.