By Helen Wilson and Jackson Colo

Editors-in-Chief

Sally Alcantara

    Senior Sally Alcantara entered the wrestling room four years ago with zero athletic experience; she left it as the first female state champion in RJR history. Her victory ended a 23-year wrestling championship drought for the school, something that required her to choose between the comfort of her existing leadership roles and the singular focus to win gold.

    “After completing my dream—not just a state champion, but the first female state champion in R.J. Reynolds, it meant a lot to me,” Alcantara said. “The biggest thing I learned is that you have to love yourself and have people who truly want to see you succeed.”

    The path to the title was often an isolated one. While serving as Student Government Vice President and a scenic designer for the school musical, Alcantara faced constant pressure to step back from the mat. She even briefly walked away from the team mid-season before realizing that her own self-doubt and the lack of support from those who didn’t take wrestling seriously were her biggest struggles.

    “The hardest sacrifice I made this year was stepping back from my other leadership roles to fully commit to wrestling,” Alcantara said. “Some people thought I was slacking or told me to skip practice, but in wrestling, every moment matters. To compete in a 6-minute match, you need hours of conditioning.”

    Driven by 6:00 AM workouts and her father’s reminder that “someone is always working harder than you,” Alcantara refused to be intimidated by the “monsters” in her bracket. By the time she reached the finals, the pressure of the moment had been replaced by a quiet confidence in her preparation.

    “When I heard people call the girl I wrestled a monster, I felt like I needed to prove something,” Alcantara said. “So, I proceeded to beat her for first place at Regionals and at States, thinking to myself that she had to wait her turn.”

Jaylen Wheeler 

    For Jaylen Wheeler, a junior at R.J. Reynolds High School, the feeling on a mat is like no other. From the weight room to the floor, Wheeler’s effort and dedication have remained clear throughout this wrestling season. With a near-perfect 44-5 record and a state championship under his belt, the future is bright for the 285-pound junior.  

    “Getting to states was a surreal feeling for me,” Wheeler said. “Last year, I didn’t even make the state tournament, so to just get there was nothing short of crazy. Seeing all the mats down in the [First Horizon Coliseum], knowing that I would wrestle there, was definitely a crazy feeling.”

    Although the wrestling team competes individually, Wheeler largely credits his team for his success.  The bond they share is nothing short of ideal.

    “Some of my closest friends are on the wrestling team, so being able to just be around them almost every day, Monday through Saturday, was a pretty nice experience,” Wheeler said. “My team really motivates me. They hold me accountable to make sure I’m not slacking off in practice and that I’m locked in.” 

    Like his team, Wheeler is thankful for his coaches’ support throughout his journey to his state qualification. Despite Wheeler ultimately winning the state championship, the road to the top wasn’t easy. Every athlete faces setbacks; for Wheeler, this was the hardest part. 

    “My biggest challenge was my five losses,” Wheeler said. “Having to watch the videos of the matches that you lose and really critique yourself, knowing that you didn’t wrestle your best match, was really hard for me. That was a learning experience for sure.” 

    Even through adversity, Wheeler persevered to reach the highest point of his wrestling career. From not qualifying for the state championship his sophomore year to amassing a state title the next, the wrestler enters his senior year with anticipation for his final season. 

    “Winning my final match was just absolutely crazy,” Wheeler said. “I had to run to Coach Vincent Wilson and give him a hug. I definitely started crying. You know, to see all the hard work that I’ve put in throughout the season and getting to this moment. It was very emotional.”  

Dontre’ Blakmon

    After what seemed to be a season-ending ACL tear, senior wrestling captain Dontre’ Blakmon beat the odds to qualify for this year’s 7A State Wrestling Championship. Following his ACL tear last March, Blakmon missed over half of his senior season, only returning to the mat in early January. From there, the 144-pound senior saw a steady rise in success, though it was not easy. 

    “Qualifying for states has been my goal since I was a freshman,” Blakmon said. “To most wrestlers, that might just be the bare minimum, but to me, that was everything.” 

    Despite this setback, Blakmon fulfilled an aspirational season. Finishing with a 15-8 record, the wrestler’s win at regionals punched a ticket to the state championship. 

    “[Regionals] was possibly going to be my last time wrestling,” Blakmon said. “I thought of it just as a regular tournament, keeping a good mindset. [Qualifying for states] was a very crazy moment. That’s a high I’ll never get again.”

    Regardless of his placement, Blakmon’s positive outlook remains true. Thanks to his coaches, team, family, and friends, Blakmon’s senior season ended with a bang and the completion of a long-term goal. 

    “I’m very proud of myself,” Blakmon said. “Even if the state tournament didn’t go how I wanted it to, I’m still happy that I was able to get there. I was just having fun with everybody around me. They kept pushing me, even when I felt low.” 

    As he moves on to his next step in life, Blakmon leaves a special message for the team that helped make his last season so special.  

    “I’m going to miss my team,” Blakmon said. “I’ve seen them grow, and they have grown with me. They are still very near in my heart. I hope the best for them next season and hope that if they ever need anything, they will reach out to me. Keep pushing next season, no matter what.”

Natasha Dejesus

    For junior Natasha Dejesus, the hardest battles of the season weren’t fought against an opponent, but against the internal noise that comes with competing at the state level. While wrestling is often categorized by its physical brutality, Dejesus found that her success depended entirely on her ability to silence self-doubt before stepping into the circle.

    “The most challenging hardship during the season was my mentality—being in my head and doubting myself sometimes cost me a few matches,” Dejesus said. “Wrestling is not just physical. It’s mostly mental.”

    To bridge the gap between being a regional qualifier and a state-level competitor, Dejesus restricted her life outside the gym, distancing herself from her social life to find the right headspace. She developed a strict pre-match routine to keep her thoughts from spiraling, using positive affirmations to ground herself in the moments before the whistle.

    “I’ll pace around for a little bit to get warm while I’m also repeating positive affirmations in my head like ‘I deserve this win,’” Dejesus said. “The best advice I was given at the state tournament was that I earned my spot and I’m just as good as everyone else there.”

    While the tournament provided a stage for her growth, Dejesus found her favorite memories in the downtime spent with her teammates—the shopping trips and hotel room hangouts that built a different kind of strength. As she looks toward her senior year, she views the sport as a tool of discipline and hopes that more students consider giving the sport a chance.

    “It teaches you discipline and how to give effort to get what you want,” Dejesus said. “We will receive anyone with open arms, regardless of how much knowledge you have.”

Mackenzie Hutchins

    Senior Captain Makenzie Hutchins capped off her high school career by etching her name into the program’s history, becoming only the second woman at R.J. Reynolds High School to reach the 100-win milestone.

    “I had a girl on her back, and the whistle blue, and I didn’t realize I had won until I got my hands raised,” Hutchins said. “I went to my coach, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I made it.’ My favorite memory was getting my 100th win… It was really cool.”

    The road to the podium was complicated by a recurring elbow injury that made every match a risk. She spent her final season navigating the reality of an elbow that would “pop in and out of socket,” requiring a total sacrifice of her free time to adjust her technique and maintain her standing among the state’s elite.

    “I had to change a lot about the way I wrestle and a lot of the way I do things every single day so my elbow doesn’t come out of the socket,” Hutchins said. “I’ve never had any time for anything else. I just wrestled.”

    As she prepares to graduate, Hutchins looks back on a four-year grind that moved much faster than it felt at the time. While the 100 wins remain a statistical legacy, she is leaving the program with a family she built and the resilience the sport demanded of her.

    “The biggest lesson is to have fun because it goes by really quickly,” Hutchins said. “You build a family, you meet so many people, and you learn so many life skills outside of just wrestling.”

Andrew Runion 

    Junior Andrew Runion became the first male state qualifier of the 2025-2026 wrestling season, punching his ticket to the 7A State Wrestling Championship. Exhibiting grit, determination, and hard work, Runion finished his season on a high note. 

    “A whole lot of work and effort [went into the season],” Runion said. “A lot of work in the weight room and a lot of long nights and practices. Trying to push myself was really challenging, even when it got hard. Eating right and getting my body right was pretty hard and pretty challenging.” 

    Despite the challenges, Runion’s team propelled him throughout the season. When he arrived at the state championship, those faces that had gotten him through each practice were the same faces that he aspired to not let down. 

    “My team helped me a lot,” Runion said. “All of them are like family. [States felt] action-packed. But you look up in the stands to see a bunch of familiar faces, and you know you just have to go out there. You’ve got to wrestle well and make them proud. You just don’t want to leave anything on the mat.” 

    As Runion looks forward to his senior season, he carries his wrestling skills into every aspect of his life. Beyond wrestling, Runion finds the confidence to overcome misfortune, succeeding both on and off the mat. 

    “[Wrestling] gives me grit,” Runion said. “It gives me confidence. It gives me motivation. It just keeps me strong because I know if I can get through a hard wrestling practice, I can get through anything.”