Chapel Hill High School’s wrestling team finished second in the DAC-VII conference, posting a 5-1 record, while senior Porter Brice took second place in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A state tournament, held February 16-18 in the Greensboro Coliseum.
Brice, a co-captain who competes in the 138-pound weight class and finished the season with a 37-5 overall record, is the highest placing Tiger wrestler in the state tournament since 2016.
Other top wrestlers included junior Gabe Waterhouse, who wrestles in the 152-pound weight class and compiled a 20-6 record, and sophomore Siena Palmisciano, who finished the season with a 26-11 record in the 114-pound weight class.
Palmisciano was the team’s only female wrestler this season—the first time Chapel Hill High School has had a coed wrestling team—and placed third in the women’s mideast regional tournament on January 26.
Brice placed second in the Great Smoky Mountain Grapple competition on December 17, and senior co-captain Avery Soular, in the 145-pound weight class, placed sixth in the Beast of the East competition on December 13.
Freshman Nick Simms (106-pounds), junior Owen Rector (113-pounds), junior Ethan Elbogen (120-pound) also qualified for the regional tournament, in addition to Brice, Palmisciano, Soular and Waterhouse.
The success of the team, as well as of individual competitors, prompts hope for a similar season next year.
“We have a lot of promising players coming in each year,” athletic director Lewis Newman said. “Continued efforts from the team, as well as new players, are going to take us a long way.”
Several wrestlers said this year’s rivalry against East Chapel Hill High made the season memorable.
“The match against East was thrilling. Both teams played really well; it was intense,” junior Owen Rector said. That match resulted in a score of 40-39, with East winning an overtime point.
Head coach Tripp Price said the season was marked by unanticipated setbacks but that his wrestlers matured and gained valuable experience.
“We were a very young team that improved as the season went on,” Price said. “We had a number of injuries that caused line-up changes. Even though that was tough, it built depth by giving younger wrestlers more mat time.”
Waterhouse hopes that experience will pay off and is optimistic about next season.
“We were a small squad but we were tough and fought hard,” Waterhouse said. “I’m looking forward to seeing where the team will go next year.”
