Thoughts & Observations: NC State wrestling tops North Carolina, 25-12

After falling behind early, the No. 4 NC State wrestling team stormed back to win six of the last seven matches and beat No. 22 North Carolina, 25-12, Friday night.

It completes an undefeated ACC dual season for the third time under 10th-year head coach Pat Popolizio, who led the team to its fourth conference regular-season title in the last five seasons. Dating back to 1954, it is the Pack’s 10th perfect season against ACC foes.

It also marked a school-record ninth straight win over the Tar Heels.

“Any time we can come here against Carolina and get a win like that, in this atmosphere, it’s a successful night,” Popolizio said after.  

• RELATED: How Pat Popolizio Built NC State Wrestling Into A Powerhouse

Thoughts and observations from the night:

Great atmosphere at Reynolds Coliseum

Make no mistake, the “show” element of NC State wrestling matches is there — perhaps unmatched in the ACC. Pyrotechnics fire off when Wolfpack wrestlers walk out, a full complement of cheerleaders and pep band were present, plus the third-largest crowd in program history — 3,422 — resulted in a great college wrestling environment.

Most in wrestling now know that Reynolds Coliseum draws a raucous crowd; several ACC coaches have mentioned it, sometimes unsolicited, to me over the years when doing interviews to prep for ACC Network Extra broadcasts.

“It’s a hard place to wrestle,” Popolizio reiterated after Friday night. “We go all over the country, and this is loud. It doesn’t matter who you are, knowing you are going to wrestle against this atmosphere, it’s tough to do.”

Most expect even more fans to show up for Sunday’s non-conference dual with No. 7 Virginia Tech (6 p.m., ACC Network).

The Hokies forfeited the regularly scheduled date Jan. 21, so it does not count towards conference standings. Luckily for fans of both programs and beyond, the coaches still agreed to meet and not rob the college wrestling world of what has been one of its top rivalries and usually results in one of the best duals of the year over the last few seasons.

Two big NC State momentum shifts

Back to Friday night. After 125-pound redshirt sophomore Jakob Camacho opened with a 7-2 win, NC State lost the next two matches. 133-pounder Kai Orine, ranked 14th nationally, fell in overtime to No. 21 Joe Heilmann, and No. 24 141-pounder Ryan Jack lost to No. 7 Kizhan Clarke, 4-3.

What better time for sixth-year senior and No. 3 149-pounder Tariq Wilson to step onto the mat for Senior Night? He wrestled an opponent he was very familiar with — which normally leads to close matches — but as soon as he countered No. 17 Zach Sherman’s opening shot, you could feel the momentum in Reynolds shifting. Wilson was never in danger, and his 6-2 win tied the team score at 6-6 after four matches.

“That’s what leaders do, and guys who know how to wrestle,” Popolizio said. “That’s one thing we talk about with Tariq … when he turns it up a notch, he’s got a different gear in him. It’s within his mind and body to do things most people can’t, and one of them is taking that wrestling to the next level.”

The second turning point might have been even more impressive … and needed.

The air was sucked out of Reynolds when one of the most shocking upsets of the college wrestling season happened. Super senior Hayden Hidlay, who entered the match 32-0 all time in ACC competition and 71-0 in bonus-point matches over the last four-plus years, was pinned by No. 9 Clay Lautt. It was just the ninth loss of his college career (against 102 victories), and his first dual loss since Dec. 2018 — he had won 42 straight.

Younger brother Trent Hidlay, ranked third nationally, took the mat next against No. 9 Gavin Kane with the Pack’s lead cut down to three team points. Kane was coming off a win over Hidlay’s nemesis, Virginia Tech’s Hunter Bolen, who holds a 3-1 record against Hidlay.

Hidlay got the momentum back for the home team in a big way, rolling to an impressive 13-3 major decision. Kane entered with a 15-2 record and had never lost in his college career by bonus points.

“They kept telling him to ‘weather the storm,’ that’s not something that’s ever going to happen against Trent,” Popolizio said. “It was dominant against a kid that probably hasn’t gotten beat like that in a while.”

On Hayden Hidlay’s Loss

It was stunning to watch Hidlay lose on Senior Night. We laid out some of the numbers above. And that doesn’t even take into account that he had jumped out to a 3-0 lead with nearly two minutes of riding time a little more than four minutes into the bout.

But if an observer didn’t know the result, they would’ve never guessed Hidlay had just suffered one of the most disappointing performances of his college career by his actions afterward.

He was quickly back on the bench to watch his younger brother and support the rest of his teammates, knowing the TV cameras would find him (they did). Even more impressively, he didn’t hide after the match — just the opposite, in fact. He could be seen taking pictures and interacting with fans, like usual, as if the night went to plan.

“It shows maturity,” Popolizio said. “He was out here supporting his brother and our team; that to me is leadership. That’s not someone that’s selfish. It’s about NC State wrestling, it’s about the things we preach within our program. For him to come back out here shows a lot of character.”

Hidlay could’ve retired after last year with what is sure to be one of the most dominant careers in ACC history for the sport. But he’s a competitor and came back to chase more than an undefeated ACC record, and that loss — while shocking — won’t affect his pursuit of the ultimate goal, an NCAA championship, or the chances he has of obtaining it.

There’s little doubt he shares his coach’s mindset after the shocking loss.

“I look forward to that match if it happens at the ACC Tournament or NCAAs,” Popolizio said of a possible rematch between Hidlay and Lautt.

Short shots on NC State wrestling

• UNC national champion Austin O’Connor did not weigh in at 157 pounds. He was injured and unable to wrestle the Wolfpack’s Ed Scott, who is ranked No. 11 nationally. The two met last year, a 11-3 win for O’Connor — but that was at 149 pounds and Scott has been a completely different wrestler this winter, going 17-1 with some huge victories.

Scott instead put on an impressive show against Tar Heels backup Mason Phillips, a former blue-chip recruit. Scott held a 2-0 lead after the first period, but then put on a takedown clinic in the ensuing two minutes, notching a jaw-dropping six takedowns in the frame. That is, on average, a takedown every 20 seconds. Perhaps most impressive, Scott cut his opponent with 6 seconds left and still secured a takedown before the buzzer.

• Freshman 197-pounder Isaac Trumble beat the top two ACC wrestlers at his weight the last two weeks — topping longtime UVA standout Jay Aiello, a U-23 world bronze medalist, in overtime, then an impressive 2-0 victory over Pitt’s Nino Bonaccorsi, who made the NCAA finals last year.

He stayed hot with a dominant 6-0 victory and has now won six in a row. He should be the No. 1 seed at the ACC Championships, putting Aiello and Bonaccorsi on the same side of the bracket.

• NC State has quality options at heavyweights. Tyrie Houghton had started the last seven duals matches, but Owen Trephan got the start Friday night, his third of the season. Trephan got the nod after beating Houghton in a recent wrestle-off, according to sources, and looked good in a 6-2 win versus UNC.