The N.C. High School Athletic Association individual wrestling championships are Saturday through Monday this year.

Just like last year — and just as we did before this year’s dual-team playoffs kicked off — we’re going to make a few bold predictions.

4A Predictions

Defending team tournament champ — Davie County
This year’s dual-team champ — Cardinal Gibbons
Returning individual champs (3) — Trevelian Hall, Lumberton; Liam Hickey, Cardinal Gibbons; Colton Campbell, Hickory Ridge
Predicted team favorite — Cardinal Gibbons
Team dark horses — Lumberton, Hough, Hickory Ridge
Favorite to win MOW — Liam Hickey, Cardinal Gibbons
Toughest weight class — While 150 might be the deepest, I’ll go with 144 because it might be the one most likely to be won by someone other than a regional champ.
Our state champion picks by weight class — 106-Trevelian Hall, Lumberton; 113-Dru Kerley, South Iredell; 120-Grant McCord, Grimsley; 126-Tyler Watt, Wake Forest; 132-Liam Hickey, Cardinal Gibbons; 138-Jaylen Bethea, Hoke County; 144-Tobin McNair, Wakefield; 150-Jackson Rowling, Hough; 157-Aidan Gore, Garner; 165-Kyser Kostoff, Hough; 175-Colton Campbell, Hickory Ridge; 190-Jack Harty, Northern Guilford; 215-Hayden Haynes, McDowell; 285-Sebastian Rivera, Panther Creek

3A Predictions

Defending team tournament champ — Union Pines
This year’s dual-team champ — Union Pines
Returning individual champs (8) — Garrison Raper, South Rowan; Tye Johnson, Cape Fear; Bentley Sly, Stuart Cramer; Luke Osborne, Ashe County; James Weaver, North Gaston; Brock Sullivan, Union Pines; Xavier Wilson, Eastern Guilford; Trevquan Gary, Person
Predicted team favorite — Union Pines
Team dark horses — Eastern Guilford, Pisgah, West Rowan
Favorite to win MOW — Xavier Wilson, Eastern Guilford
Toughest weight class — Although 126 pounds has two state champs in South Rowan’s Garrison Raper and Cape Fear’s Tye Johnson, but I like 150 pounds better. In the 3A West alone you had two returning state champs — Ashe County’s Luke Osborne and North Gaston’s James Weaver — who didn’t even win their regional (Kings Mountain’s Will Varner did). But let’s face it — 3A, not 4A, is the premier wrestling bracket, and all these weight classes are loaded.
Our state champion picks by weight class — 106-Jaxon Thomas, Piedmont; 113-Elijah Diouf, Eastern Guilford; 120-Kane Bryson, Pisgah; 126-Tye Johnson, Cape Fear; 132-Stetson Collins, West Rowan; 138-Kevin O’Brien, West Rowan; 144-Bentley Sly, Stuart Cramer; 150-Will Varner, Kings Mountain; 157-Justin Root, Dixon; 165-Nathan McCartney, Central Davidson; 175-Dominic Blue, Union Pines; 190-Brock Sullivan, Union Pines; 215-Xavier Wilson, Eastern Guilford; 285-Trevquan Gary, Person

2A Predictions

Defending team tournament champ — Seaforth
This year’s dual-team champ —​​​​​​​ R-S Central
Returning individual champs (3) — Cameron Gue, Mount Pleasant; Layne Armstrong, Seaforth; Boedi Kirkland, Newton-Conover
Predicted team favorite — Seaforth
Team dark horses — Trinity, R-S Central, Mount Pleasant
Favorite to win MOW — Caleb Cox, R-S Central
Toughest weight class — 132 pounds is the easy choice here, the home of two defending champs in Cameron Gue of Mount Pleasant and Layne Armstrong of Seaforth.
Our state champion picks by weight class — 106-Aiden Burkholder, Trinity; 113-Jordan Miller, Seaforth; 120-Gabe Rogers, Seaforth; 126-?; 132-Layne Armstrong, Seaforth; 138-Elijah Horton, Morehead; 144-Boedi Kirkland, Newton-Conover; 150-Gerald Johnson, West Craven; 157-Caleb Cox, R-S Central; 165-Lawson Coltrane, Trinity; 175-Dominic Hittepole, Wheatmore; 190-Harrison Compton, Seaforth; 215-Braxton Walker, Randleman; 285-Jose Flores, Southwestern Randolph

1A Predictions

Defending team tournament champ — Robbinsville
This year’s dual-team champ —​​​​​​​ Uwharrie Charter
Returning individual champs (7) — Holton Quincy, North East Carolina Prep; Cooper Foster, Avery County; Ryan Mann, North East Carolina Prep; Kenneth Pritz, Avery County; Lorenzo Alston, Uwharrie Charter; Andrew Meadows, Mount Airy; Cael Dunn, Avery County
Predicted team favorite — Uwharrie Charter
Team dark horses — Mount Airy, Avery County
Favorite to win MOW — Cooper Foster, Avery County
Toughest weight class — Since there are only eight qualifiers in each class, I’m going to go with which class likely has the best title bout. For me, that’s 113 pounds between North East Carolina Prep’s Holton Quincy and Robbinsville’s Adair Panama.
Our state champion picks by weight class — 106-Skyler Anderson, Robbinsville; 113-Holton Quincy, North East Carolina Prep; 120-Cooper Foster, Avery County; 126-Ikey Holt, South Stanly; 132-Stephen Ribustello, Tarboro; 138-Ryan Mann, North East Carolina Prep; 144-Lleyton Hooper, Robbinsville; 150-Carson Worrick, Alleghany; 157-Lorenzo Alsotn, Uwharrie Charter; 165-Kenneth Pritz, Avery County; 175-Andrew Meadows, Mount Airy; 190-Cael Dunn, Avery County; 215-Michael Shropshire, Uwharrie Charter; 285-Maddox Carson, Eastern Randolph

Girls Predictions

Defending team tournament champ — Lumberton
Returning individual champs (5) — Leah Edwards, East Rowan; Lauren Hall, Trask; Brianna DeLeon, Weddington; Faith Bane, New Bern; Taylor Williams, East Forsyth
Predicted team favorite — Hoke County
Team dark horses — Parkwood, Laney, Havelock, Jack Britt
Favorite to win MOW — Leah Edwards, East Rowan
Toughest weight class — 145 pounds has two defending champs — Weddington’s Brianna DeLeon and New Bern’s Faith Bane — plus a college recruit in Swansboro’s Maggie Milberry.
Our state champion picks by weight class — 100-Anna Ockerman, Corinth Holders; 107-Khiry Reese, Rosewood; 114-Leah Edwards, East Rowan; 120-Addison Vindigni, Cleveland; 126-Kennedie Snow, Havelock; 132-Bliss Joyce, Trinity; 138-Ay’Seante Ross, Laney; 145-Faith Bane, New Bern; 152-Taylor Williams, East Forsyth; 165-Rohama Gebremichael, Wakefield; 185-Rylynn Keziah, Parkwood; 235-Leslie Barden, Laney