Pinecrest junior Dustin Roemer came away from the NCHSAA 4A individual wrestling state tournament Saturday in Greensboro as the champion wrestler in the 145-pound division.

Roemer rolled to the title match with a technical fall in round one, a pin in the second round and an 18-4 win in the semifinals. He then defeated New Bern’s Kelvin Dixon (42-7) with a 4-2 decision in the final match to claim the championship crown.

“It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Roemer said, “to know that all the hard work that I put in over the summer and during the season paid off. This title is very rewarding and will continue to drive me next year.”

As Pinecrest’s only state qualifier the previous two seasons, Roemer admitted that he had his sights set high this season.

“A state title was definitely my goal for this year,” he said. “I knew that if I wanted to wrestle in college, which I do, winning a state title this year would be very important in achieving that goal.

“Winning states made me realize many things, one of which was that I will have to work twice as hard next year to win another state title. Next year, I will have a large bullseye on me and everyone will be coming after me, so I know I will have to work hard all summer so that I can be ready for the challenges that I will face next year.”

Patriot head coach Travis Flinchum, this season’s Southeastern Conference coach of the year, called Roemer’s championship the sort of success story everyone likes to see.

“The thing about Dustin is that he is not only on his way to being a great wrestler, but he is a great person,” Flinchun said. “He always works as a hard as he can to take care of everything off the mat as far as weight and in the classroom, where he is a great student.

“If you talk to anyone who knows Dustin, other than him being a wrestler, they also have nothing but good things to say about him.”

The Patriots finished sixth as a team with 50.5 points at the state tournament while Parkland took the title with a whopping 145 points, to best second place Lake Norman’s total of 109. Davie County placed third, scoring 84 points.

Overall, Pinecrest had five state qualifiers, including junior Zac Lupien in the 103-pound division, junior Garrett Bateman (135) and sophomore Luke Fetla (215). The Pats’ other state qualifier was Dustin’s younger brother Dallas, who placed fifth as a freshman in the 130-pound division.

“This season was amazing not just for me but my team as well,” said Roemer. “Going undefeated in conference as a team was a big goal for us this year and we were able to achieve that. We have a group of hard-working kids who come into practice every day and know what they need to do to better themselves as high school wrestlers.

“As for next year, I feel like it will be even better than this year. All five of our state qualifiers will be on the team next year and we still have a whole room full of young guys who are hungry for victory, and hopefully, a regional championship next year.

“A driving reason for our success this season is the coaching of Travis Flinchum. Travis is now a two-time SEC Conference coach of the year and he is the best coach a team can ask for. He is extremely dedicated to the team, a great leader, and a positive influence on us all.”

Contact F.W. Manning II at frankwm2@gmail.com.