Wrestling regional roundup: Brandt Fajerman leads Hough in 4A West
Hough High junior Brandt Fajerman knows who wasn’t at this weekend’s 4A regional wrestling tournament at Mallard Creek High.
Lake Norman, Mooresville, Hickory Ridge and Cox Mill – a powerful 4A foursome – were competing instead at the 4A Midwest Regional in Cabarrus County.
In past years, Lake Norman and Mooresville were part of the 4A regional at Mallard Creek.
But the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s realignment of schools and conferences brought about some changes.
“It’s not the same without them,” Fajerman acknowledged. “But we have to wrestle against whomever is here. Besides, we’ll face them eventually.”
Fajerman captured the 132-pound weight class West Regional championship Saturday, beating Chambers’ Khamani Harrison 12-1 in the finals.
He was among five Hough wrestlers who won weight class champions. In fact, five of the six Huskies qualifying for next week’s state meet in Greensboro will advance as regional champions.
That strong finish enabled Hough to win the 4A West team title, by a comfortable 174.5-144 margin over runner-up Mallard Creek.
In the state tournament, the Huskies will get their chance against Lake Norman, Mooresville, Cox Mill and Hickory Ridge, along with other top wrestlers from around the state.
Lake Norman won Saturday’s 4A Midwest Regional team title.
And for Fajerman, a defending state champion, the state tournament could mean a showdown with Lake Norman’s Eli Murray, who beat Fajerman earlier this season and won the 132-pound title Saturday in the Midwest Regional.
“Yeah, it could very well come down to me and him, depending on how the bracket is set up,” Fajerman said. “And that should be a really good match.”
Like many other standout high school wrestlers, Fajerman started young in the sport.
His father, Marty, won a Southern Conference wrestling title at Furman and coaches a top youth wrestling club in the Charlotte area. Brandt got his start at age 5.
“It wasn’t like wrestling was all I did,” he said. “I played football and basketball, and I swam. I did some other sports too.”
Fajerman played football into the eighth grade but eventually focused on wrestling.
“It is my favorite,” he said. “I love the one-on-one aspect of the sport. It’s physical, but there’s a strong mental component too.”
Fajerman burst on the scene as a freshman in the 2020 season, taking second place at 106 pounds in the 4A state tournament. Then he won the 126-pound 4A state title last season. This year, he has moved to 132.
“It’s really worked out well for me,” said Fajerman, who has a 33-2 record this season.
Hough won’t be taking as many wrestlers to the state meet as in some years past, but the Huskies who make the trip to Greensboro are strong. Three of Fajerman’s teammates – Jackson Rowling (106), Tyler Caldwell (138) and Jason Sanders (145) – won regional titles Saturday. Sanders was a bit of a surprise, as he was just the No. 5 seed in his weight class.
“For us to contend for a state championship, we’ll need a maximum effort,” Fajerman said. “We’ve got to win big, to pile up some extra points. We need to win the matches we should win, and then do our best in the others. But we can do it.”
Fajerman credits Hough wrestling coach Tripp Rogers for the program’s success.
“In my freshman year, there were times when I wondered if he was right about some things,” Fajerman said. “But I’ve learned that even when I don’t like his ideas, he’s right. Coach Rogers is what makes our program go.”
As a second-semester junior, Fajerman also is beginning to turn his focus on a college selection. He said he’s interested in Bucknell and Lehigh, two Pennsylvania schools with top-notch academics and strong wrestling programs. But he’s also looking closer to home.
“Academics will be an important consideration for me,” he said. “There’s life after wrestling. I want to be ready for it.”
Western 4A results
Top team scores from the Western 4A Regional:
Hough 174.5; Mallard Creek 144; Asheville 96.5; Alexander Central 95.5; South Mecklenburg 95; Charlotte Catholic 90; McDowell 89; Ardrey Kell 79; Olympic 78.5; A.C. Reynolds 74.
Number of state meet qualifiers:
6: Hough, Mallard Creek, South Mecklenburg
4: Alexander Central; Asheville; McDowell
3: A.C. Reynolds; Ardrey Kell; Charlotte Catholic; Olympic
2: Chambers; Myers Park; Providence; South Caldwell; T.C. Roberson
1: East Mecklenburg; Independence; Rocky River; Watauga
Area weight class champions:
106 pounds: Jackson Rowling (Hough); 113: Cameron Stinson (Mallard Creek); 120: Noah Luna (Providence); 126: Cameron Parker (Ardrey Kell); 132: Brandt Fajerman (Hough); 138: Tyler Caldwell (Hough); 145: Jason Sanders (Hough); 152: Zachary Palombaro (Independence); 182: Michael Pepe (Hough); 220: Jamarion Anderson (Rocky River); 285: Fuquan Maynard (Alexander Central).
Midwest 4A results
Top team scores from the Midwest 4A Regional (at Cabarrus Arena):
Lake Norman 156.5; Northwest Guilford 146.5; Mooresville 119; Hickory Ridge 118; West Forsyth 92.5; Davie County 91; Cox Mill 80; Northern Guilford 71.5; Southeast Guilford 68.5
Number of state meet qualifiers:
7: Northwest Guilford
6: Hickory Ridge; Lake Norman
5: Mooresville
4: Davie County
3: Cox Mill; Northern Guilford
2: A.L. Brown; Cuthbertson; Glenn; Page; Porter Ridge; Southern Guilford; Weddington; West Forsyth
1: East Forsyth; Grimsley; Piedmont; Ragsdale; South Iredell
Area weight class champions:
113 pounds: Cooper Davis (Cox Mill); 120: Trevor Freeman (A.L. Brown); 132: Eli Murray (Lake Norman); 138: J.T. Richards (Lake Norman); 152: Davis Freeze (Mooresville); 170: Tomas Brooker (Hickory Ridge); 195: Sam Cowher (Cox Mill); 220: Sakarri Morrison (Mooresville); 285: Carson Floyd (Lake Norman)
Western 3A results
Fred T. Foard qualified 10 wrestlers for the state tournament, won four weight divisions, and ran off with the team championship in the Western 3A Regional, at Hendersonville.
Top team scores from the Western 3A Regional:
Fred T. Foard 216; Stuart Cramer 106.5; Enka 91.5; Pisgah 86.5; North Iredell 71; East Henderson, St. Stephens, 69; North Buncombe 67; Franklin 64; Forestview 61.
Number of state meet qualifiers:
10: Fred T. Foard
4: Enka; Pisgah; Stuart Cramer
3: Franklin; St. Stephens
2: East Henderson; Forestview; Kings Mountain; North Buncombe; North Gaston; North Iredell; North Henderson; South Point; Statesville; Tuscola
1: Ashbrook; Ashe County; Crest; East Lincoln; Freedom; Hibriten; Hunter Huss; North Lincoln; West Henderson
Area weight class champions:
106 pounds: Jackson Rowling (Hough); 113: Cameron Stinson (Mallard Creek); 120: Noah Luna (Providence); 126: Cameron Parker (Ardrey Kell); 132: Brandt Fajerman (Hough); 138: Tyler Caldwell (Hough); 145: Jason Sanders (Hough); 152: Zachary Palombaro (Independence); 182: Michael Pepe (Hough); 220: Jamarion Anderson (Rocky River); 285: Fuquan Maynard (Alexander Central).
Midwest 3A results
Central Academy, moving up from 2A to 3A this season, captured the team championship and qualified seven wrestlers for the state meet. That included three weight class champions.
Top team scores from the Midwest 3A Regional (at Eastern Guilford):
Central Academy 158.5; Eastern Guilford 145; Parkwood 141; Asheboro 128; West Rowan 126; Central Cabarrus 108.5; Southern Guilford 80; Central Davidson 73.5; Ledford 70; Oak Grove 69.
Number of state meet qualifiers:
7: Central Academy
6: Eastern Guilford
5: Asheboro; West Rowan
4: Central Cabarrus; Parkwood
3: Central Davidson; East Rowan
2: Concord; Jesse Carson; Ledford; North Davidson; South Rowan; Southern Guilford
1: Atkins; Dudley; High Point Central
Area weight class champions:
106 pounds: Kyle Simpson (Parkwood); 120: Jackson Baglio (Central Cabarrus); 126: Kyle Montaperto (Central Academy); 132: Marcus Jackson (Central Cabarrus); 138: Jacob Cox (South Rowan); 152: Caleb Simpson (Parkwood); 160: Aiden Curry (Central Academy); 182: Brady Ross (Central Academy).
Western 2A results
This meet turned into a Catawba Valley 2A invitational, as the top four teams were all from the same conference. Bandys was the team champion and had four weight class champs and eight state meet qualifiers. West Lincoln, Newton-Conover and Bunker Hill placed 2-4, and another Catawba Valley 2A team, Lincolnton, was sixth.
Top team scores from the West 2A Regional (at West Lincoln):
Bandys 191.5; West Lincoln 166.5; Newton-Conover 138; Bunker Hill 118; R-S Central 115; Lincolnton 109; Brevard 80; Hendersonville 73; East Gaston 71; Madison County 64
Number of state meet qualifiers:
8: Bandys
7: Bunker Hill; West Lincoln
5: Newton-Conover; R-S Central
4: Brevard; Lincolnton
3: Hendersonville
2: Burns; East Gaston; Madison County
1: C.D. Owen; Chase; East Burke; Maiden; Shelby; Patton; West Caldwell
Area weight class champions:
106 pounds: Lawson Vang (Bunker Hill); 113: Isaiah Pittman (Newton-Conover); 120: Boedi Kirkland (Bandys); 126: Caleb Deaton (Lincolnton); 132: Bryson Burkett (Bandys); 138: John David Curtis (Burns); 145: Caleb Johnson-White (East Burke).
152: Dillon Patton (Patton); 160: Caleb Moore (Bandys); 170: Richard Post (R-S Central); 182: Raydyn Brooks (Bandys); 195: Owen Clark (Newton-Conover); 285: D.J. Spring (Maiden).
Midwest 2A results
Top team scores from the Midwest 4A Regional (at Cabarrus Arena):
Surry Central 153; Trinity 127; Mount Pleasant 122.5; Morehead 109.5; West Wilkes 87; West Stokes 78; Reidsville 77.5; Southwestern Randolph 69.5; Forbush 68; Providence Grove 63.5.
Number of state meet qualifiers:
6: Surry Central
5: Morehead; Trinity
4: Mount Pleasant; West Stokes
3: Forbush; Southwestern Randolph
2: East Surry; Jay M. Robinson; Providence Grove; Reidsville; Walkertown; West Iredell
1: Anson County; Lexington; McMichael; Monroe; North Surry; North Stanly; North Wilkes; West Stanly; Wilkes Central.
Area weight class champions:
132 pounds: Connor Goodman (Jay M. Robinson); 170: Kyler Pickard (Mount Pleasant); 220: Chase Crayton (Mount Pleasant)
Western 1A results
Top team scores from the Midwest 4A Regional (at Alleghany County High):
Avery County 248.5; Robbinsville 240; Swain County 143.5; Mount Airy 142; Cherryville 103; Starmount 98.5; Alleghany 97.5; Bradford Prep 7 9; East Wilkes 73.5; Mitchell County 60.
Number of state meet qualifiers:
10: Avery County
8: Robbinsville
7: Swain County
4: Alleghany; Cherryville; Mount Airy
3: East Wilkes; Rosman; Starmount
2: Bradford Prep; Elkin; Mitchell County
1: Cherokee; North Stanly
Area weight class champions:
113 pounds: Ben Jordyn (Avery County); 138: Ethan Shell (Avery); 145: Johnathan Cable (Avery County); 285: Levi Andrews (Avery County).
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle