HICKORY, N.C. – Who says you can’t go home again?
Montreat College senior Coy Daniel Reid did just that as he embarked in his final chapter competing on the wrestling mat.
A four-year starter with the Cavaliers, Reid ended his career in the same place his journey began via HM Arndt Middle School in Hickory on Feb. 6.
Reid’s final match came in a losing effort against St. Andrews University’s Ayden Rader in the 133-pound class via pinfall in 1:27.
Although his career technically ended in a loss, it was really a moral victory given he was not supposed to compete in this ‘Senior Night’ bout as he suffered a career-ending shoulder injury during the Hawk Duals in early Jan. 2025.
Surrounded by his old middle school and high school teammates, coaches, as well as his family, he was able to finish his wrestling journey on his own terms.
The Cavaliers were unable to actually have home matches on campus due to the unforeseen destruction left by Hurricane Helene in Sept. 2024. All home matches were then held at local schools in North Carolina.
St. Stephens High School longtime wrestling coach Billy Baker, Coy’s former head coach, found out about the troubles and wanted to help, so he reached out to Montreat College head wrestling coach Jim Connaghan.
Baker found a location available on the set-date, but not at St. Stephens itself due to scheduling conflicts. Baker contacted Arndt Middle School athletic director Jon Holloway. The two agreed to host Montreat College for one of its ‘home’ matches, not knowing it would ultimately be for its senior night.
Given the circumstances, Coy Reid made the gutsy decision to compete on this night since it was in a full-circle destination of which his love for the sport commenced.
“My emotions were all over the place [on the night],” he said of the experience. “To have past teammates, friends, and family members come out and watch me was one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced. Being able to wrestle where it all started did bring up a ton of nerves, but overall, I couldn’t have loved it anymore.
“When I got the text from my coach telling me that I could wrestle on senior night, [it] flipped my whole world. Two weeks ago, I was warming up for a tournament and had another incident with my shoulder which caused me to not be able to compete or fully practice. Being able to go out and compete with my team for one more time was something else. I knew some of the other guys on the lineup had been taking care of some injuries themselves; so, I knew if I could maybe give them some faith to go out and compete one more time, that this could be something special.”
Initially drawn to basketball in 7th grade, those plans were derailed for Reid as he was cut in tryouts. Feeling a bit forlorn at the time, he was then made aware of another athletic path he could take via a family connection.
Victor Morales, who was in his first year as Arndt’s resource officer, worked for Reid’s grandfather (also named Coy Reid), who was the Catawba County sheriff at that time. Therefore, Morales had the connection to contact Reid’s father, Jason Reid, to ask for permission in informing him about the opportunity to wrestle.
Morales was approved, so he then approached Coy Reid about the alternate route in his athletic career. Reid seemed to be a real natural at wrestling as he not only made the team, but he was on the starting team at Arndt. He went on to win his first-ever wrestling match which sparked the appeal of the sport even more.
With that taste of excellence in middle school, Reid went on to start every match he competed in from that level through the high school ranks.
While attending St. Stephens High School, his wrestling career took off and Reid’s first three years as a starter proved fruitful, especially his sophomore and junior seasons.
As a sophomore in 2018-19, Reid was a component of the Indians’ historic dual-team state championship run in which the program went undefeated. Furthermore, by capturing the 2019 state title, it was the first state championship for St. Stephens High School since 1973, as well as the first and only dual-team title in the wrestling program’s history.
The Indians defeated Cape Fear High School, 41-25, in the 3A Dual Final held at the Greensboro Coliseum’s Fieldhouse on Feb. 3, 2019, to remain unblemished at 43-0.
Reid was not only a witness to history, but he was a key factor as he secured the first of the final two dual-sealing pinfall victories in his contest against Demetrius Oxendine in the 106-pound bout. He collected the win in 1:17. His teammate and eventual Most Valuable Wrestler award recipient, Jovanny Urzua, finished the job with a win over Collin Gaddy in the 113-pound class.
“This group of kids are special,” said Baker, in a post-match interview following the state championship win in 2019. “It’s almost like they weren’t going to let themselves be denied. We’ve been good enough to win state titles several times. Everything just has to go right.
“We wanted to do something for our school, but also our community. Winning a state championship is big. We just haven’t been able to get it done before, but we got it done tonight.”
Riding high off of that moment heading into his junior campaign, Reid finished with a 50-11 record. Other accolades obtained during his time at St. Stephens included being named to the All-Catawba County team, a two-time conference tournament champion, a two-time conference champion, along with being a state placer in the individual tournament.
Jason Reid said that he began receiving all kinds of calls/emails regarding Coy during his junior season about the prospect of wrestling at the collegiate level. Contact came from schools like Montreat College, Lander University and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Then, an event happened so unprecedented following the season that altered his scholarship status moving forward via the COVID-19 pandemic shutting the sports world down on March 13, 2020.
“During the summer, these coaches were very clear, if they could not see him on the mat during his senior year, the best they could do was allow him the opportunity to walk on,” he said. “A scholarship was no longer an option. I was in the middle of a career change which allowed he and I to move to South Carolina where he enrolled at North Myrtle Beach High. We sold our home. His mother and sister moved into a rental in Hickory. Coy and I moved to Myrtle Beach and began the pursuit of a scholarship. This move was solely so he would have the opportunity to wrestle his senior year and potentially earn a college scholarship.”
Not resting on his laurels, Reid continued his successful run, this time with the Chiefs.
In his lone season with the program as a senior, he garnered another conference championship, another conference tournament title, he became a Regional champ and he placed second in the Lower South Carolina state tournament. He also placed in the top 5 in the individual tournament in South Carolina.
He finished his tenure by making the All-Horry County team, and he was selected to the North-South All-Star team. By the end of the season, he tallied a career total of 111 wins.
This led to sustained interest from Montreat College, where he would ultimately go to school at the next level. He would then become a four-year starter with that program, as well.
Reflecting on his journey as a wrestler throughout the years, Reid realized an important lesson:
“I do [know] wrestling is an up and down sport,” he said. “You just have to remember why you started. There is always a bigger message in the end of things.”
