Robbinsville – Murphy sophomore Logan Hyde and Andrews senior Samuel Wood are headed to the N.C. High School Athletic 1A state wrestling state championships.
The pair competed at the 1A West Regional on June 15, where they punched their ticket to the state meet at Glenn High School in Kernersville.
Hyde finished third in the 120-pound weight class, beating Bradford Prep freshman Gavin Mann in the third place match. The top four in each weight class make the state championship, and Hyde clinched his berth by advancing to the semifinals, where he fell to Rosman junior Brandon Ropp, who would finish second in the class.
Hyde is the first Murphy wrestler to qualify for the state meet since Troy Farmer in 2018. Farmer won the 195-pound weight class that year, one year after finishing in second place. Senior Marcus Kephart and freshman Brad Simmons were the other Bulldogs wrestlers to compete at regionals, competing in the 126- and 220-pound weight classes, respectively.
Wood finished in third place in the 220-pound weight class to punch his ticket to the state meet for the second time. He competed in last year’s state meet in the 182-pound weight class after finishing fourth in the 1A West Regional.
Freshmen Silas Abernathy (132), sophomore Malachi Haines (126), sophomore Nathaniel Diaz (195) and senior Hunter McGaha (285) also competed in regionals for the Wildcats.