CFNN Reporter Favour Murtala

Cape Fear Wrestling came into the conference tournament looking too dominant and they did nothing short of it.

Cape Fear Wrestlers traveled to Lumberton high to compete in the conference tournament on saturday with aspirations of coming out as conference champs. They came up a bit short but nonetheless did not disappoint.

The Colts had 4 First place finishers as Landon Sargent, Samuel Aponte, Mac Johnson, and Tye Johnson took care of business as usual and won conference for their respective weight classes. All 4 are favored to win states this year and are showing why on a week to week basis

“The work we put into our craft every day at practice is a testament to the amazing season we’re all having,” Aponte said. “We compete every day in practice and we’re reaping the benefits of it now.”

Cape Fear Wrestling also had 4 new faces place at the conference tournament. Holden George finished in 2nd place at 150 Lbs. George won his first match by pin in 2 minutes. He then went on to the semi final in which he faced adversity in the first period early, but George didn’t let it phase him as he nearly tech-falled his opponent before pinning him in the third period. George moved on to the final in which he lost a tough match, but nonetheless he was very proud of himself.

“I felt great even though I didn’t finish the way I wanted to,” George said. “ I got the team points, and I placed; that alone is something to be very proud of.”

Aiden Leonard, Chris Serbio, and Favour Murtala all placed 3rd and showed promising potential for regionals next month.

Murtala and Serbio are both new to wrestling, as this is the first year for both wrestlers. Serbio came on the scene not knowing what to expect from the season but has been improving each week. This has shown, as he’s come closer and closer to placing each week and finally took home a medal on Saturday.

“With a chance to go to regionals, I knew how important this tournament was,” Serbio said. “ I started off kind of rough, but I’m starting to get the hang of it, and everything is starting to become smooth for me.”

Overall, the team finished second in the tournament. Coach Wilson believes this tournament is just a preview of what’s to come in February.
“The vision I saw for this team in early November hasn’t changed. This team is special and I know if these guys do what they coached to do we have a chance to bring home a lot of hardware this February,” said Coach Wilson.

Stay tuned as the team prepares for regionals in two weeks. The Colts look to add four new state championship trophies to their extensive collection.