Coach Maurice Atwood of Parkland is ready for this wrestling season to end, but not before his team extends its string of domination.
The Mustangs (45-0) will try to win their sixth consecutive NCHSAA team championship this week and build on the nation's longest active winning streak — 261 straight matches.
And although Atwood said there's no good reason his team shouldn't win the Class 4-A title for the third straight season, he'll also be glad when he can take a breather.
"This year has been pretty trying because of the youth of my team and some of the … it's been trying," Atwood said. "But it never gets old pursuing a state championship. I still want to win, and as trying as this year has been with kids being kids, this one would probably mean more to me than any of the others.
"It's been trying not just for me but for my assistants."
First- and second-round matches in the 32-team tournaments for 4-A, 3-A and 2-A qualifiers will be tonight. Qualifiers in the 16-team 1-A bracket will wrestle the first round and quarterfinals.
West Wilkes (18-1) is the two-time defending 1-A champion and will open at home against Cherryville (10-19), with the winner meeting the Robbinsville-East Surry winner.
Parkland also will be at home, against Charlotte Ardrey Kell (12-5) in the first round. The winner faces the Greensboro Dudley-Asheville Roberson winner in Round 2.
Atwood, who said he has seen the top 4-A programs in the Western part of the state, said that losing this week "realistically shouldn't happen."
"But you can't count your chickens before they hatch," Atwood said. "The biggest thing that gives me concern is how young we are. They are good, but when you are young like that, mistakes can happen, and that's my biggest concern."
Parkland has easily handled two of the other top teams in the West — defeating Davie County 57-18 and Northwest Guilford 58-10 this season.
"What a lot of people don't understand," Atwood said, "(is) you see those 260 or whatever wins, but in that, there is a fight almost every day to keep kids in school, get them to school, get them in class, and keep them eligible. People don't know the daunting task coaches have.
"We have had kids in tutoring, had to practice late, getting out at 8 o'clock, 8:30 every night. Don't get me wrong, it's part of my job, it's just been a very trying year. If our team was heading in the opposite direction, it would be really bad."
Tonight's winners will wrestle again Thursday, with 4-A, 3-A and 2-A in quarterfinals and semifinals and 1-A teams in semifinals.
All four championship matches will be Saturday, with the Western champions at home in Class 4-A and Class 2-A and the Eastern champions at home in 3-A and 1-A.
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