Sporting a bloody lip, Charlotte Christian’s Harrison Landon, top, gets a leg hold on Charlotte Latin’s Davis Jones (who has a bloody nose) during their 132-pound championship match Saturday at the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association’s state championships in Charlotte.
SPECIAL TO THE OBSERVER
After missing out on winning a state title last year by just one point, Charlotte Latin wrestling coach David Paige knew that it could motivate his team to do even better in 2026.
However, even Paige was surprised by what the Hawks pulled off Saturday at the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association championships.
Wrestling in its home gym, Charlotte Latin turned in a dominating performance in winning the team championship for a record-extending 26th time with a record-setting score.
The Hawks finished with 321 points, outdistancing fellow Mecklenburg County schools Charlotte Christian (199.5), Charlotte Country Day (156), defending state champ Metrolina Christian (147.5) and Providence Day (146.5).
“It’s always special to win,” said Paige — named the NCISAA’s coach of the year — who has been involved with 14 of Charlotte Latin’s state titles, either as an assistant coach or head coach. “But we’ve got a special program, and a special team.
“Wrestling’s a tough sport, and it teaches so much. So whenever you have a year when you win a championship, it just adds extra to all the lessons the sport teaches.”
Last year, the Hawks had four individual state champions, but finished a close second to Indian Trail’s Metrolina Christian, which had five individual champs en route to the Knights’ first state title. That score was 265.5-264.5.
“Last year was definitely a motivating factor,” Paige said. “We just wanted to make sure there wasn’t any type of question of who the best N.C. independent school team is.
“We knew we had a special team this year. This team’s special — it’s not going to happen like this every year.”
The state team title was pretty much in the Hawks’ hands by the end of the first day of competition Friday, with Latin advancing 10 wrestlers to Saturday’s semifinal round, nearly double that of Charlotte Christian (six).
After the semifinals, though, there was no doubt, with nine Hawks wrestlers advancing to their weight-class finals, to only three for Christian and five from Charlotte Country Day.
From those nine, four won state titles — three of those repeat winners. Claiming NCISAA titles for Charlotte Latin were Liam McConaughy at 126 pounds, Davis Jones at 132, Spear Gorelick at 150 and Banks Cutter at 215.
McConaughy, who won state titles at 106 pounds in 2025 and 115 in 2025, added the 126-pound title to his resume with a first-period pin on Wesleyan Christian’s Tristen Fjeld.
Jones also became a three-time champ — he won at 120 pounds in 2024 and 128 in 2025 — by taking the 132-pound title in an 8-6 decision over Charlotte Christian’s Harrison Landon.
Gorelick, a high school All-American last year, won his first NCISAA individual title at 150 pounds by pinning Charlotte Christian’s Max Howard in the first period.
Cutter, who won at 285 pounds last year, dropped down a weight class in winning the 215-pound title, winning with a first-period pin over Charlotte Country Day’s Bobby Wakefield.
“This one means a lot more than the rest, because I had surgery on my hand 13 days ago,” said Jones, who wrestled with a broken bone in his right hand. “I got my stitches out (Friday) before I wrestled. My hand’s been hurting a lot, and it took a lot more grit.
“Our whole team is really close, one of the best ones we’ve ever had. We love being around each other, and it’s a great team. It’s been a great year.”
Five-time champ
Metrolina Christian senior Gavin Ulrich pulled off a rare feat in winning the 138-pound title on Saturday: He became a five-time NCIAA state champion.
Ulrich — who edged out Charlotte Latin’s Jack Gilson in a 3-2 decision on Saturday — started his run of state championships as an eighth-grader, winning at 106 pounds in 2022. He added the 115-pound title in 2023, 132-pound title in 2024 and 140-pound title last year.
Other title winners
Other NCISAA title winners Saturday were Charlotte Country Day’s Ethan Cole at 106 pounds; North Raleigh Christian’s Carson Caster at 113 pounds; Providence Day’s Aidan Schirra at 120 pounds; Charlotte Country Day’s Nicholas Arado at 144 pounds; Cary Christian’s Joshua Stonebreaker at 157 pounds; Providence Day’s John Zarbatany at 165 pounds; Charlotte Christian’s Max McNeer at 175 pounds; Cannon School’s Jackson Laws at 190 pounds; and Metrolina Christian’s Preston Broadway at 285 pounds.
This story was originally published February 14, 2026 at 9:00 PM.
Bill Kiser
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