It didn’t take long for the North Moore resurrected wrestling program to experience success on the state level. Mustang junior Kyle Kidd earned his way to the finals of the state 1-A wrestling tournament in the 182-pound class at the Greensboro Coliseum this past weekend.

Waiting for Kidd in the battle for the state title was season-long nemesis Carson Joyce from Chatham Central. This was the fourth time Kidd had to take on Joyce, who was going after his third straight state championship.

Kidd fought Joyce and only trailed 1-0 until the final seconds of the third and final round, when Joyce collected two more points for a 3-0 victory.

“It was the fourth time he beat me this year,” said Kidd, whose season record was 30-7. “He beat me during the regular season, the conference tournament finals, the regional finals and now the state.

“Now that he’s gone, my goal next year is to win the state championship. That would still be my goal even if he were still going to be wrestling.”

With the North Moore wrestling program in only its second season since the program was dropped a dozen years ago, it usually takes three to four years for a program to make an impact on the state level.

Kidd started wrestling last year when the program was started up again by athletic director Bob Collins and coach Mike West.

Kidd decided to go out for the team in hopes of making him a better football player.

“I thought it would help me with my footwork and agility,” said Kidd, who is a running back and linebacker for the Mustang football squad. “Once I started wrestling, I found out I really enjoyed wrestling. There so many things you can take from wrestling, like discipline and working hard to achieve your goals. I know it helps me when I’m out running to get in shape; it helps me to push myself and keep running.

“Plus, wrestling is not only an individual sport, it’s also a team sport. In wrestling, when you do something wrong or lose, you can’t blame anyone but yourself. It’s all you.”

Kidd reached the state tournament and the finals by finishing runner-up to Joyce in the Eastern Regionals the week before at Monroe, where he lost to Joyce by a 6-2 score.

In the state tournament, Kidd dominated his quarterfinal opponent, Mitchell County’s Tanner Buchanan, by an 11-0 score. In the semifinals Kidd came away with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Ayden-Grifton’s Diego Martinez, setting the stage for his fourth meeting against Joyce.

Kidd stays in shape during the spring months by traveling to different spring wrestling tournaments. He works out with wrestlers from cross-county rival Union Pines.

“I get with some of the wrestlers from Union Pines and we work out together,” said Kidd, whose parents are Bryan and Dorenda Kidd. “We wrestle with each other and then we travel to different tournaments during the spring. Then around July, I start getting ready for football.

“I would like to go to college and wrestle on the next level. I will be going to wrestling camps during the summer at different colleges and maybe I can get some recognition.”

Kidd gives a lot of credit to his coaches, West and Billy Kennedy.

“Coach West has a way of telling what you’re doing wrong that you will remember, and when you do something good, he’s quick to let you know when you do something good.”

West said, “Kyle is very coachable and has one of the best work ethics I’ve seem from a high school athlete. He pushes himself to get better, to be the best he can. I know when he lost to Joyce in the state championship, he was pleased with the way he wrestled, but you could tell he wasn’t satisfied.

“He wants to win it all. I would say, barring any injuries, he should win the state championship next year, and I know he will be ranked No. 1 in preseason rankings.”

Kidd has other hobbies besides wrestling and football. He enjoys being outside.

“I really enjoy being outside hunting, fishing and target shooting,” said Kidd, who plans on going to college and majoring in computer information and technology. “I plan on working hard during the offseason to improve.

“I had a lot of support during the state tournament from a lot of people from North Moore. It really helped me during the match. My parents and coaches have been very supportive and helping me to succeed.

“I hope not to disappoint them next year.”