Davie’s wrestling team is 9-0 for the fourth straight year, Hunter Smith is rapidly climbing the career wins list and the War Eagles made a statement with a decisive victory over highly-ranked Foard.

In the Central Piedmont Conference opener on Dec. 8, Davie put visiting Reagan to bed in just over half an hour. It seized 12 of 14 weight classes to win 72-8. The gap between Davie and the Raiders was similar to the past three years (61-18, 72-9 and 75-3).

Davie got pins from David Sigmon, Will Allen, Joseph Myers, Crayton Wise and Kyle McCune. The Raiders handed forfeits to Josh Shore, Hunter Smith, Nick Gillis, Tommy Trader, Austin Smith, Jesse Carter and Anthony Olmedo.

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Two days later, the War Eagles wreaked havoc at North Lincoln. The first three matches were total butt-whippings (84-0 over West Rowan, 65-9 over North Lincoln and 75-6 over Forestview), setting up a showdown with Foard.

Not only did Foard beat Davie 45-23 last year to break the War Eagles’ 24-match winning streak in the regular season, the Tigers entered with a four-match winning streak in the series.

A little revenge was sweet for Davie. It erased a 21-15 deficit and won going away, 43-27.

“They are ranked first or second (in 3-A),” coach Buddy Lowery said. “They got beat by some out-of-state people at the Lake Norman duals. They beat Mooresville 38-34.”

Six of Davie’s eight wins against Foard were six-pointers. Sigmon got it started with a third-period pin at 132. Allen followed with a pin at 138.

“We were rolling along pretty good, we thought,” Lowery said.

The Tigers controlled the middle of the match, claiming five of six weight classes from 145 through 195 to take the 21-15 lead. McCune’s 4-0 decision at 170 was Davie’s only bright spot during that stretch. Wise (7-6 decision) and Carter (7-5 decision in overtime) came within an eyelash of winning at 160 and 195, respectively, but they fell short. It was Carter’s first loss in 16 matches.

Carter’s tough loss did not sting for long. Jesus Olmedo (220), Anthony Olmedo (285), Shore (106), Smith (113) and Gillis (120) stepped up and gave Davie 28 unanswered points.

J. Olmedo got a pin in overtime to tie the match at 21. “That guy was good, too,” Lowery said. “That might have been the most exciting match of the whole day, because neither one of them quit. I mean both of them moved and moved and moved.”

A. Olmedo followed with a 9-1 major decision, and Davie was ahead to stay. J. Olmedo made his season debut on this day. Two days earlier, A. Olmedo saw the mat for the first time this season. Both were on the football team’s run to the quarterfinals. And both were great last year as freshmen.

“They know what it’s about,” Lowery said of the twins.

Davie continued to pound away when Shore entered the squared circle at 106. He pinned in the first period. Smith received a forfeit at 113. (“They knew they weren’t going to win,” Lowery said.) Then Gillis cemented it with a second-period pin at 120. With a 43-21 cushion, Lowery decided to hold back Trader and forfeit at 126.

“(Foard is) pretty good,” he said. “There were a bunch of close matches. We got started good (at 132) and finished good. It was close – I guess like it’s supposed to be.”

For the day, Davie got 4-0 performances from Shore, H. Smith, Sigmon, Allen, J. Olmedo and A. Olmedo. Gillis and Trader went 3-0. Going 3-1 were Wise, McCune, A. Smith and Carter. Peyton Sherrill and Myers went 2-2. Bill Trader, a sophomore at 120, won by technical fall in his first-ever varsity match.

“Joseph wrestled good (at 152),” Lowery said of the junior. “He’s taken a step in the right direction.”

H. Smith is 16-0 for the season and 143-39 in his four-year career. He is No. 9 on the list for career wins.

Carter is 15-1, T. Trader 15-4, Gillis 14-4, McCune 14-4, Shore 13-4, Wise 12-4, Allen 12-6, Sigmon 11-2, A. Smith 9-4, Myers 7-6, A. Olmedo 5-0 and J. Olmedo 4-0.