After he won a state championship, a wrestler and his dad shared one unforgettable moment

COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. — When Tristan Carter had his hand raised inside the Salem Civic Center on February 18, it was the end of a nearly 10-year journey for the 106-pound wrestler.

And there was only one way he wanted to celebrate.

But before we cross that bridge, we need to talk about how the 14-year-old phenom got to this point.

Two years ago, the Carter family moved to Central Virginia from upstate New York.

They bought a house in Colonial Heights.

But Tristan found a second home on the high school wrestling team.

"I wrestle because it’s what I’m good at, it’s what I’ve been doing all my life," Tristan said. "I probably don’t know where I’d be without it."

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Head coach Wade Thayer said he could immediately tell Tristan was special.

"The first time I saw him walk on the mat, I knew that he would probably be on the podium," said Thayer.

“He’s unique, he’s been wrestling since he was about four or five years old,” Tristan’s dad Michael said.

And the whole family has gone along for the ride.

“We’re a wrestling family, probably a little more intense than most, we travel all over the country,” Michael said. “All of our family vacations are wrestling trips.”

Tristan said he owed a lot to his dad.

“He’s there for every single match I wrestle, he influences a lot of the decisions I make in my matches,” said Tristan.

The hard work has paid off.

Tristan finished the season with 51 wins and a state championship.

“I always knew it was going to happen one day, I just didn’t know it would be his freshman year,” Michael said.

“It’s rare to be a freshman state champ,” said Thayer.

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Even more unusual is to achieve this level of success while barely being able to see your opponents.

“Pretty much my entire life I’ve had vision issues,” Tristan said. “Until recently it’s just been no glasses, no contacts, no nothing, I just feel out my opponents. It’s all a blur.”

Tristan got his first pair of contact lenses right before the state tournament.

The title match was not close.

“I think the final score was 13-1,” said Thayer.

But it’s what happened after the final whistle that might be more memorable than the win.

“Well, after a match we always go to the middle, shake your opponent’s hand, get your hand raised, then you go and shake the opposing coach’s hand,” said Thayer.

So that’s exactly what Tristan did.

Then, the new champion turned around and ran straight for his #1 fan. He jumped into the his dad's arms. The emotional moment was captured by Tristan’s mom shooting a video from the stands with her cell phone.

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“Pretty special for me, I’ve been with him my entire life, been training me since I was five, everything he’s done for me has finally come to fruition,” said Tristan about his father. “And I finally did it so I’ve gotta thank him.”

“I told him I loved him and I was very proud of him,” said Michael.

“It gets me choked up, it always does,” said Thayer, speaking of the video.

Tristan is now the talk of Colonial Heights.

A congratulatory message was put up on the big sign outside of Johnson’s Laundry and Dry Cleaning on the Boulevard, which for years has served as a sort of unofficial, inanimate town crier of noteworthy local accomplishments.

In late March, Tristan will compete at the NHSCA High School Nationals in Virginia Beach – one of the top wrestling tournaments in the country.

And as always, his dad will be right there in his corner.

“He’s my biggest supporter,” said Tristan.

“Very blessed to have him as a son,” said Michael.