Mitchell Wrestling traveled to Ashe County Tuesday (Nov 19) for the first official match of the season and came away with a 51-27 loss in the battle of purple powerhouses.
Ashe County showed why they were one of the top teams in the region with a strong showing against a young Mountaineer squad still in early season form.
Brett McClean, Madison Morales, and Jaysin Erwin all picked up three of Mitchell’s five wins for the night by forfeits. Daren Hise and Eris Crone each scored exciting decisions to round out the scoring for Mitchell.
Ashe picked up four forfeits, and also scored four pins en route to the win. The two most exciting matches of the night came at 144 and 150, with Ashe County’s Sam Smith scoring a sudden victory decision over Noah Burke. Mitchell’s Eris Crone put on a scoring show earning a hard fought 18-16 victory over Joe Rameriz.
While the wrestling was the main attraction, the match also had a deeper purpose. Ashe County High School along with the Timothy Peterson Foundation donated gate proceeds and additional funds totaling $550 to the “Wrestling Bridges the Gap” fundraising effort aimed at helping rebuild bridges across Western NC in areas affected by Hurricane Helene. Members of the Ashe County Wrestling community and Timothy Peterson Foundation Board Members presented the donation at the end of the night. This is the first of what is expected to be hundreds of duals held this year with the purpose of supporting flood relief in Western NC.
Mitchell will return to the mats at the North Knight Invitational. Men’s, women, and JVs will all take part in the annual Thanksgiving Tournament November 27.
