Chandler Phillips of Rocky Mount Senior High School was presented the Lee Carroll Sportsmanship award in scholastic wrestling in the  Edgecombe-Nash-Wilson Counties Area, during Friday’s Home football game with rival Northern Nash.  Lee Carroll and TakeDown Report Editor Martin Fleming presented the award to Chandler.  Last year the award was given to Landon Lucas of SouthWest Edgecombe High School.

Chandler has been on the TDR First Team –All Area and Conference Champion in all 4 years of high school competition.  He was a 2 time State Qualifier with 126 career wins.  He started wrestling in 7th grade, after following and watching his older brother, Nicholas and his friends in competitions.  They encouraged him and showed him how being involved could be fun.  After six years of competition Chandler is now a wrestling fan at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.  He credits wrestling which “kept me focused in school.  It’s more than a sport, its a lifestyle.”  He is now applying his focus in his studies in Criminal Justice & ROTC.

 Chandler was also ranked in the TDR Top 12 the past three years.  The rankings recognize the Top 12 wrestlers in each weight in eastern North Carolina and are shown on distinctive TDR shirts.  “Chandler is a great sportsman and competitor.  He was truly a positive team leader and he represented his school and the sport well.”  Fleming stated. 

Lee Carroll started wrestling his sophomore year when Tarboro High School restarted the sport in 1992 with Butch Sadler as his coach.  Lee won 112 matches in just 3 years with the Vikings.  Lee was state runner-up his junior year before a record setting undefeated state champion season in 1995 with a (50-0) record.  Lee started four years at North Carolina State while qualifying 3 times for the National Championships.  Lee is the owner and operator of an interactive design agency, Forged Media, in Raleigh.

The TakeDown Report, an on-line publication promoting amateur wrestling in eastern North Carolina, sponsors the Award.  “The award has been named to recognize the best example of good sportsmanship by a scholastic wrestler in the Ten County Area around Edgecombe-Nash-Wilson,” Fleming noted, “It also encourages the young men from the teams in the area with another opportunity for others to realize the hard work, determination and discipline it takes to be a top notch wrestler,” he added. 

The TakeDown Report is in its 14th year of publication in North Carolina covering wrestling and encouraging media coverage of the sport.  Contact the TDR by e-mail at tdr@tarboronc.com or call (252) 883-3311.