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    Wrestling 49: North Carolina

    As the wrestling season's start is fast approaching, InterMat will be taking fans across the United States of America on a tour of scholastic wrestling. Between now until the middle of November, InterMat will introduce you to the top senior wrestlers in the 49 states with scholastic wrestling. From Alaska to Florida, and from Maine to California, you will gain exposure to the potential stars of future NCAA Championships.

    Did you miss a Wrestling 49 article? Check out the archives.

    As the high school wrestling season approaches, North Carolina wrestling fans will see a lot of changes. The new NCHSAA realignment has changed many school classifications for the 2009-10 season. This will put some of the traditional state powerhouse schools and top individuals on a collision course for state championship honors.

    Cary (4A) and Parkland (3A) have won the state dual team and individual tournament team championships the last three years. This season both schools will compete in the 4A division. Two-time 2A state champion Orange and last season’s 4A dual team runner-up Robinson have moved to 3A.

    Individually, North Carolina has two senior wrestlers projected in the same weight class vying for bragging rights as the state’s top recruit. Last year one of these brought home his first state championship in the 3A division while the other repeated as champion in the 4A division. Their styles of wrestling are vastly different, but wrestling fans would love to see these two match up sometime during the upcoming season. Even though both are in different state classification divisions it is possible they will be competing in the same weight class this season. The last two years Tyrone Eatmon has won the tournament championship at one of North Carolina’s premier invitational tournaments, the WRAL. He won at 112 pounds in 2007 and 119 pounds last year. Daniel Owenby also has two WRAL championships. Owenby won at 119 pounds in 2007 and at 125 pounds last year. Could these two match up at the WRAL on December 19 or will they be at different weight classes again this season? Five of the top ten wrestlers on this list are former WRAL champions while another is a two-time runner-up.

    1. Daniel Owenby

    School: Enka
    09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 130
    Projected College Weight Class: 133

    Daniel Owenby
    Scouting Report: Owenby is technical wrestler who adds a large dose of funk to his wrestling style. What surprises Owenby’s opponents the most though is his strength. Owenby doesn’t possess the weightlifter-type physique. He has what old timers call "farm boy strength." Growing up in the mountains outside of Asheville, North Carolina helped Owenby develop his raw strength. This combined that with his funky style has elevated Owenby to be North Carolina’s top recruit starting out for the 2009-10 season. Owenby was a state runner-up as a sophomore and a undefeated 3A state champion last season. In 2008, he earned NHSCA All-American honors by placing third at the NHSCA National Open. Last July, Owenby won the National Open and was voted as the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Owenby is also a four-time NCUSA National Team member. At the USA Southeast Regional he placed first in Greco-Roman and third in freestyle. Even though Owenby had beaten three former Fargo All-Americans this past spring at various tournaments, he came up short in July. At Fargo he was 3-2 in both Greco and freestyle. In Owenby’s last freestyle competition he lost a one-point match in the third period to national standout David Klingsheim of California by giving up a turn in the final seconds of the match.

    2. Tyrone Eatmon

    School: Durham Riverside
    09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 130
    Projected College Weight Class: 133

    Scouting Report: Take cat-like quickness, great balance, and combine this with solid wrestling technique and you have Tyrone Eatmon. This seems to be the mold used for making multiple state champions produced from state powerhouse Riverside High School. Eatmon appears to be the latest one cast from it. He burst on the North Carolina wrestling scene as a freshman placing third at the state tournament. From there Eatmon went on to win the 4A state championship his sophomore and junior seasons. The last two springs Eatmon has also made his mark nationally by earning NHSCA All-American honors twice. He placed sixth in the 2008 Sophomore Nationals and fifth last spring in the Junior Nationals. Last summer, Eatmon was a copper medalist at the Disney Duals.

    3. Marciano Ali

    School: Parkland
    09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 160
    Projected College Weight Class: 165

    Scouting Report: The name reminds you of the sensation computer fight in the early 1970’s between two of boxing’s greatest champions. Last year if you were at one of Parkland’s tournament final matches chances were you heard the chant “Ali, Ali, Bomaye." No that wasn’t for Muhammad Ali, it was for North Carolina’s most dominating middleweight wrestler last season, Marciano Ali. Ali did not start wrestling until he was a freshman in high school. He proved to be a quick learner. By his sophomore season the explosive Ali placed fourth in the state tournament. Last season, Ali was a WRAL champion and a 3A undefeated state champion. He compiled a 65-0 record and led his team to their third consecutive 3A dual team and individual tournament state championships. Ali is a very quick, strong, and possibly the best natural athlete wrestling in North Carolina. This year Ali and Parkland will compete in the 4A division.

    4. Dominic Parisi

    School: Concord Robinson
    09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 119
    Projected College Weight Class: 125

    Dominic Parisi
    Scouting Report: Parisi comes from a solid wrestling background and is coached at Robinson High School by his father, Dave. He placed third in the state tournament competing at 103 pounds as a freshman. His sophomore season he was a WRAL champion and he won his first state championship (112 pounds) going undefeated at (58-0). Last season he won his second state championship finishing the season with an undefeated (59-0) record. At the state tournament he dominated his 119-pound weight class scoring a technical fall, a pin and, two major decisions where his opponents was unable to score any points. Parisi enters the season as North Carolina's consecutive wins leader with 117 consecutive wins. At the Disney Duals, Parisi was a silver medalist, finishing with a 12-1 record. Robinson High School drops to the 3A division this season and like Parisi, the team is considered by many wrestling fans to be a favorite to win a state championship in February.

    5. Tim McCall

    School: South View
    09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 189
    Projected College Weight Class: 197

    Scouting Report: McCall was another freshman prodigy ... placing third his freshman season. That spring he lost a one-point decision to New Jersey’s Scott Winston at the NHSCA National Duals. McCall is also a football standout. He tore the ACL in his knee during football and did not wrestle his sophomore season. Last year his only loss was in the regional final to Kevin Radford of Pine Forest. McCall avenged this loss in the state finals defeating Radford in a close decision to win his first state championship. Last spring, McCall won All-American honors by placing seventh at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. During the summer McCall was a silver medalist at the Disney Duals.

    6. Joe DeAngelo

    School: Southern Alamance
    09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 119
    Projected College Weight Class: 125

    Scouting Report: DeAngelo was a state runner-up as a freshman and a state third-place winner last season. Both of the close losses he has had in the state tournaments the last two seasons were against graduated two-time state champion Timdarius Thurston. In 2009, DeAngelo was a NCUSA national team member. Last Spring he won USA All-American honors by placing third at FILA Cadet’s in freestyle. DeAngelo went on to win the USA Southeast Regional in freestyle last May. He competed in freestyle only at Fargo, where he finished with a 3-2 record. DeAngelo is another wrestler with a family wrestling tradition. He wrestles at Southern Alamance for his coach and father, Randy.

    7. Kyle Narburgh

    School: Jack Britt
    09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 119
    Projected College Weight Class: 125

    Scouting Report: Narburgh is a skilled wrestler with quickness and good technical skills. He was the tournament champion at North Carolina’s top invitationals -- the WRAL and the Tiger Holiday Tournament. Narburgh won his first state championship last season wrestling at 112 pounds. He followed this up by winning the Ohio Tournament of Champions last April. Last May Narburgh was the USA Southeast Region Greco-Roman champion and freestyle runner-up having lost to Joe DeAngelo. Narburgh was a NCUSA National Team member last summer at Fargo.


    8. Matt Colvard

    School: Cary
    09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 160
    Projected College Weight Class: 157/165

    Scouting Report: Colvard placed fifth in the state tournament as a sophomore and won his first state championship last season. In March, Colvard won All-American honors by placing seventh at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. He was a NCUSA National team member in 2008, but broke his wrist last May at the USA Southeast Regional. He has helped Cary win the 4A state dual team and tournament championships the last three seasons. With Parkland moving up to 4A this season, wrestling fans look forward to a couple of great matchups, wrestling powers Cary vs. Parkland and individuals Matt “Wizard” Colvard vs. the “Dominating” Ali!

    9. Marcus Cain

    School: Parkland
    09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 145
    Projected College Weight Class: 149

    Marcus Cain
    Scouting Report: Here is another wrestler that only started wrestling his freshman season. Cain is a tall and lean wrestler who uses his length with devastating cradles. He is a two-time WRAL runner-up and with a 4.0 GPA and one of the top students at Parkland. Last year after wrestling at 135 pounds all season, Cain bumped up two weight classes to give a deserving senior a shot at a state championship. That senior placed second. Cain went on to place fifth in a very competitive 145-pound weight class in the 3A division. Last March, Cain wrestled his weight class at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and won All-American honors by placing sixth in the 135-pound weight class. After a spring and summer of growing, Cain could win his first state championship this season at a now natural weight of 145 pounds.

    10. Zoi Ouellette

    School: Hibriten
    09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 215
    Projected College Weight Class: 197

    Scouting Report: Ouellette is in the top five academically at Hibriten. He plans to wrestle in college and major in biology. After college he hopes to enter medical school and become a doctor. Ouellette placed third as a sophomore and won his first state championship as a junior competing in the state's 2A division. The past two seasons he has been a very quick and skilled 215-pounder and will compete at this weight class again this season. For 2009-10, Hibriten has moved up to the 3A division. This should not matter as Ouellette is on pace to win a second state championship.

    Honorable Mention:
    DeSean Gromes (Parkland)
    Tylor Sigmon (Dudley)
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