NC Wrestling secures two wins on senior night
February 1, NC’s wrestling program hosted Sprayberry High School and Kennesaw Mountain High School in a tri-meet. The wrestling Warriors secured a victory against the opposing schools, with their overall record standing as 13-6 for the season. Following the matches, senior wrestlers Aqib Mohammad, Isabelle Welsh, Ethan Jones and manager Madelynn McAuley commemorated their time spent with the program during wrestling senior night.
February 8, 2023
As the 2022-23 wrestling season comes to a close, NC’s wrestling warriors (13-6) hosted a tri-meet against the Sprayberry High School Yellow Jackets and the Kennesaw Mountain High School Mustangs in the NC main gym February 1. NC won both duals, defeating Sprayberry 78-0, and Kennesaw Mountain 48–26. This meet also coincided with the wrestling senior night, where the class of 2023 received honors through gift bags, flowers and cheers from their teammates.
The meet began with Kennesaw Mountain facing off against Sprayberry, where the latter school achieved the win. The Yellow Jackets and the Warriors then competed against one another. The JV matches started off the dual, with freshman Marcus McAdams (120 pounds) and magnet junior Umar Fatmi (138 pounds) winning their events through pins. After the JV duals commenced, five of NC’s varsity wrestlers—sophomores Zach Afalla (113 pounds) and Christian Morales (144 pounds), junior Micheal Heyliger (190 pounds) and seniors Ethan Jones (215 pounds) and Aqib Mohammad (126 pounds)—won their respective matches via pin.
“Winning the last dual of the season and it also being senior night made me feel extremely overjoyed. Our team has had massive improvements throughout the season and it definitely showed and therefore I am so proud of this team,” Afalla said.
Following the success of NC during the Sprayberry duals, varsity wrestlers then faced off against Kennesaw Mountain. Several of the matches resulted in byes, and in the end, NC walked away with another victory.
Succeeding the events of the meet, loved ones and friends filled NC’s main gym with support and excitement to celebrate the final high school season for four members of the wrestling program. Family members of the students escorted them on their walk, where they took photos with coaches Matthew Dillard and Jeffrey Bettis, as well as Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Matthew Williams. As the seniors walked, announcements shared their future plans and hopes.
“I have managed North Cobb wrestling for two years, and I love the whole team. While managing requires a lot of time, it is worth it because of how close you get to everyone. I would be a completely different person if I wasn’t managing wrestling, and I wouldn’t change it,” Madelynn McAuley said.
Congratulations to NC’s class of 2023 wrestling seniors and manager! All accomplishments from this group contribute heavily to the legacy of the NC Wrestling program. The Chant wishes nothing but the best in their future endeavors.
