Hawks headed back to state championship | Hanahan News | Our Gazette

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Hawks headed back to state championship

Published Sunday, February 05, 2012 5:39 PM

By Rob Gantt
The Gazette

Photo by: Rob Gantt/Gazette

Hanahan wrestling coach Ray Adkins shouts instructions to one of his wrestlers during the Lower State tournament on Saturday.

With heavy losses after last year’s championship season, Hanahan wasn’t expected to make a run at this year’s Class AA crown.

The Hawks didn’t get that memo, though.

They’ll try to go back-to-back on Saturday when they tangle with Emerald for the title. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m. at Dreher High School in Columbia.

They advanced through Saturday’s Lower State tournament with victories over Garrett Tech (77-0), Loris (58-22), Swansea (37-31) and Edisto (41-33).

“I was real pleased with everybody’s effort,” Hanahan coach Ray Adkins said. “When one kid would let us down another kid would bring us back up. Overall, we had a good group effort to get it done.”

In the final against Edisto, 106-pounder Kevin Murray ignited a barrage of points to start it off. Elijah Wortham followed with a pin and William Murray recorded a forfeit at 120 pounds before J.J. Johnson pinned his man at 126 pounds, making it 24-0 before Edisto finally got on the board with a pin.

“To jump out the way we did, I was really pleased with our lighter weights,” Adkins said.

Haven Horlback got a technical fall at 138 pounds and Bryce Ellis added to the early domination with a pin at 145 pounds, making it 35-6.

Dennis Flores recorded a close decision at 152 pounds before Edisto mounted a charge, closing to 38-27 with three pins in four matches.

With two bouts left, though, Hawks freshman Jacob Garibay squashed the Cougars’ rally and any hopes of a comeback with a 2-1 win in overtime, securing Hanahan’s second straight trip to the finals.

“We’ve got some more to accomplish,” said Flores, one of two captains for the Hawks. “We know Emerald will be a tough match. We’ve got to be ready.”

The Vikings won the Upper State title on Saturday, defeating Crescent, Cheraw and previously top-ranked Chesnee.

Since 2001, the Lower State representative has won the Class AA crown eight times, including Hanahan last year when it defeated Chesnee 53-25.

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