Wrestling the MidWest Regional

Forbush will send three wrestlers to the State tournament next weekend (Feb. 18th - 20th) in Greensboro. Isaac McMillan, Caleb Price and Edwin Alvarenga are battle tested and ready to match up against the best of the best.

To get to the State Championship, each of these three wrestlers had to square off against tough competition in the Midwest Regional held at South Stokes High School. The regional tournament included schools such as Mount Pleasant, Salisbury, West Wilkes and a host of others that featured top wrestlers.

"....with some fava beans and a nice chianti", uttered Hannibal Lecter in the movie Silence of the Lambs. The quote that made every audience member uncomfortable to say the least.

The same "discomfort" could be felt last Saturday by every opponent that stepped onto the mat against Isaac McMillan. The mask used to protect his face closely resembled Lecter for sure. Other names circulating throughout the crowd were Darth Vader and Ike to name a couple.

Whatever the name, the result always seems to be the same. Clinical technique with a cold demeanor. What else would you expect from a wrestler who last lost in the State Championship match, last year?

Isaac cruised through his first couple of matches to reach the 1st place match. He displayed a little flare in one match with a throw that brought a rumbling from the crowd. In his final match at the 152lb class, his opponent put up a valiant fight to keep the match close. However, Ike was never threatened, and finally picked his spot to earn the victory. Isaac's performance earned him the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Midwest Regional. Win or lose in Greensboro, he's a champion for sure.

Caleb Price fell to an experienced wrestler from West Wilkes early on in the tournament. The loss put him in the losers bracket of the 113lb class, and on the bubble to make the State tournament. With his back against the wall, Caleb jumped all over his opponent in the auxiliary gym to propel himself into the 3rd/4th match.

With his ticket punched to the State Finals, Caleb set his sights on finishing 3rd at his weight class. This match went back and forth, but Caleb could not get gain enough footing to get the win. However, Caleb is now set to make his second straight appearance in Greensboro. He has matured since last year, and has the skill set to make a run if he can stay focused.

It is has been a long road for Edwin Alvarenga who has spent what seems like an eternity trying to get back to Forbush from the El Salvador. Speaks volumes for the determination of a kid to keep his head up through tribulation.

With just enough wins to get in the regional tournament, Alvarenga came in as an underdog in the 120lb class. An underdog on the bracket, but a sleeper in the tournament. Edwin came very close to making the championship match, but got behind in points and ran out of time before he could catch up. He blistered his last two opponents to finish 3rd in his weight class and reach Greensboro as a junior.

Alvarenga is poised to make a little noise of his own.

All three of these wrestlers, and the rest of the Falcons' team has had an excellent season. It is incredibly hard to reach the finals in Greensboro, and some of our wrestlers left South Stokes with injuries trying to reach their goals.

The State Wrestling Championship starts on Thursday at the Coliseum in Greensboro with the first round matches. It will continue through Friday and Saturday with the championship matches on Saturday evening. With three days to attend, there is really no acceptable excuse for not supporting these athletes. Wish them luck, and we will see you there!