NRCA seventh-grade wrestler Luke Savage finished runner-up in the NCISAA State Championship on Feb. 16 in Charlotte. Savage is a first-year wrestler in the 113-pound weight class on the Knights varsity team. Savage's four-match performance at the tournament included a victory over a 12th-grade opponent in the second match on his way to the platform.
To perform at such a high level, Savage learned about hard work during practice. "[I learned it takes] just lots of dedication, like how hard you have to work because you have practice every single day of the week except for Wednesdays. That was your day off. And then your practice was 5:30 to 7:30, and you worked the whole time... [It was] physically intense," he said.
Savage credited Head Coach Kevin Farrar, Assistant Coach Pat Toy, and his dad, David Savage, with his success as a novice wrestler. "I just want to say thank you to both my coaches and my dad for making me work this hard. When you put all the work in, most of the time, it'll pay off," he said.
In addition to Savage's second-place finish, sophomore Carson Caster placed fifth at 106 pounds, and senior Jackson Woodhouse placed sixth at 175.
The week before the state tournament, NRCA wrestling placed third in the 2024 TISAC Championship at Ravenscroft, where Carson Caster took first at 106. Carson won his semifinal match by pinfall and won his first-place match by decision (16-9).
