NEWPORT — The Washington wrestling team finished the year with a nearly unprecedented 29-2 record, one of the best single seasons in program history under first-year Pam Pack head coach Chris Penhollow. On Friday and Saturday, 14 wrestlers hit the mats for the eastern regional championships at Croatan High School with individual spots in the NCHSAA Class 2-A State Championship up for grabs.

By the end of the day Saturday, three Pam Pack wrestlers — Jacob Smith, Simeon Pope and Neill Jennings — had placed in the top four regionally in their respective weight classes, all earning sports in the state championship, which will take place from Thursday-Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum.

“We got a lot of good breaks as far as pairings. I thought pretty much all my kids got put on the best possible side of the bracket that they could,” Penhollow said. “I felt like going down there with Jacob and Simeon being one seeds, they had a solid shot to get in.”

In the 106-pound weight class, Smith improved his season record to 40-7 after his four regional matches. The sophomore featherweight pinned his Round 1 opponent in 54 seconds before defeating Southwest Onslow’s Justen Knott in the quarterfinals and Dixon’s Corey Smith in the semifinals via a 12-5 decision. Finishing in second place, Jacob Smith fell in the championship match, 6-2, to First Flight’s Jeremiah Derby.

The 120-pound Simeon Pope matched Jacob Smith’s weekend by also taking second place in the region. After receiving a bye in the first round, Pope went on to pin North Lenoir’s Marc Jones in the quarterfinal and win via 11-4 decision in the semifinal over Currituck’s Cameron Hamm. Pope was pinned in the championship by Dixon’s Kolin Fowlkes.

Washington heavyweight Neill Jennings snuck into the state championship after a grueling five-match trek through the bracket. Jennings pinned Greene Central’s Ryan Snyder in half a second in Round 1, but fell in the quarterfinals to North Johnston’s Ethan Williams, an 8-4 decision. From there, Jennings worked his way through the consolation bracket, receiving a bye, pinning North Lenoir’s Cooper Cromer and winning via 9-3 decision over Ayden-Grifton’s Treyvon Miller. Bruised, battered and exhausted, Farmville Central’s Jaquel Norman won by injury default over Jennings.

“He had wrestled five matches, a tough two days, and I could tell the match that he won to get into the consolation finals that he was laboring,” Penhollow said. “I pulled him aside and told him that he already got into states … I thought it was more important that he rest. Once he was in, he agreed to be put in as an injury default and forfeit the match.”

Other Pam Pack wrestlers who picked up wins but did not place were Marcus Sneed (113), D.K. Credle (138), Cameron Davenport (145), Andrew Ferguson (160), Kenny Casteneda (170) and Chris Coogan (182).

“Nothing real strenuous this week, just making sure you’re on weight and rest up because it’s a three-day haul we have coming up,” Penhollow said. “Depending on the brackets and how the matchups look, we’re going to see guys who we haven’t seen all year … They don’t know the tendencies of my guys and we don’t know their tendencies. I think sometimes you go out a little looser and you wrestle better that way.”