Takedown Report

The Northern Nash wrestling program went further than any Twin Counties teams previously had in the 3-A state playoffs last year. Now, the Knights have their sights set on a different prize — a state championship.  With 35 names on the roster (and that doesn’t include wrestlers who will join the team this week from the football squad), Knights coach Corey Mercer has lofty expectations for his team.  “Realistically, we want to win the duals and get a couple of individual state championships,” Mercer said. “Expectations are extremely high this year.”
The number of wrestlers on the roster alone aren’t what gives Mercer room for such confidence.  The Knights lost just one wrestler from the team that reached the third round of the playoffs. Sure, that wrestler was the 2009-10 Telegram Wrestler of the Year, Joe Young, but the Knights have some guys who are stepping into a leadership role.  “The Sweet twins (Ryan and Bryan) are really stepping up for us right now,” Mercer said. “A couple of other guys are becoming vocal for us, so we have a lot of guys trying to do the right thing.”  There would be reason to believe that the Knights are going to roll through the Big East Conference, but Mercer believes the level of competition will be right up there with the best.
“Everybody’s always going across the state looking for competition,” Mercer said. “We get the competition locally. It just makes everybody better. If you pull off a win here, it’s a deserved win.”  Nash Central and Rocky Mount High will be two teams that will give the Knights the stiffest competition. The Bulldogs feature three wrestlers who won a conference championship or made the state tournament.  The Gryphons return several key members from last season’s squad.  No matter what happens during the conference season, Mercer and the Knights will be prepared for a run in the playoffs.  “Every weight class is covered,” Mercer said. “Some of the younger kids are going to help us out because I’ll be able to rest some guys. We’ve had a lot of young guys who have bought into the program, and they’re going to help us out this year.”
Trevor Seibert can be reached at 407-9952 or tseibert@rmtelegram.com
Rest of Story at http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/sports/high-schools/wrestling-preview-knights-ready-take-next-step-183846