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Article: Paul Schenkel/Shelby Star The Big South 3A Conference wrestling title is still up for grabs heading into the final week of action. Crest sits atop the standings with a 5-0 record, but Ashbrook and North Gaston lurk one match back and could force a three-way tie for the championship. The Chargers hosts North Gaston in Thursday’s key match. Ashbrook plays host to fifth-place Kings Mountain (2-3) on Wednesday while South Point (0-5) visits Forestview (0-5) in the other match. Hunter Huss (3-3) has completed its conference schedule. "(Thursday) is something I know all the boys are looking forward to," said second-year Crest coach and former Charger wrestler Arik Lemmon. "I know it killed them not to practice (Monday). We don’t want this thing to come down to drawing out of a hat to determine who makes state." Crest, 21-6 overall, is seeking its first conference title since claiming the old Northwestern 4A crown in 1996 and advancing to the state playoffs. They were only 8-16 a season ago. "It’s pretty shocking for us to be here already and the win over Ashbrook was huge for us," Lemmon said. "Going into the sea-son, I was pretty excited but I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself. "We had a lot of freshmen come out and we’re really balanced this year. With 33 kids on the team, we’ve got two in each weight class except 215and three or four in others. There’s a ton of competition." Here are the scenarios for the final week of play: - If Crest beats North Gaston, Crest wins the title.
- If North Gaston and Ashbrook both win, they share the title with Crest.
- If North Gaston beats Crest and Ashbrook loses to Kings Mountain, North Gaston ties Crest for the title and wins the head-to-head tiebreaker for the No. 1 playoff seed.
If the conference ends up with a three-way tie for the championship, one title team will be left out in the cold when the dual-team state playoffs arrive. The Big South receives two playoff berths, and it’s uncertain how a three-way tie would be broken. "(The tiebreakers) are still up in the air," Lemmon said. "I don’t know if it’ll be points against or point differential or what." Saturday’s individual conference tournament could come into play as a tiebreaker. Forestview will host the tournament, which begins around 9 a.m. The top wrestlers in each weight class earn all-conference honors.
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