Photo by: Rob Gantt/Independent

Cane Bay’s Albert Ednilao (bottom) competes in a 106-pound match versus Beaufort in the semifinals of the Cane Bay Duals.

Photo by: Rob Gantt/Independent

Goose Creek’s Abdul Shabazz pinned his opponent in the fifth-place match to help lead the Gators past Hanahan.

Photo by: Rob Gantt/Gazette

Stratford went 5-0 in the Cane Bay Duals to win the championship.

First, Stratford was competitive in a loss to Class AAAA power Fort Dorchester.

Then, the Knights defeated Summerville for the first time in two decades.

They entered Saturday’s Cane Bay Duals brimming with confidence and continued to build on their recent success by sweeping all five opponents en route to claiming the team championship in the annual event.

“We’re finally starting to believe at practice that we can be a really good team,” Stratford coach Willie Nearhood said. “I don’t think the kids believed that until we wrestled Fort Dorchester. After the Summerville match, I’ve seen a big improvement in the wrestling room…. This is a stepping stone.”

Nearhood’s team defeated Beaufort 40-33 in the finals of the 16-team event.

The Knights were dominant in their other four matches. They hammered Ashley Ridge 59-18 in the semifinals after defeating James Island 64-12, Academic Magnet 78-3 and Berkeley 69-6.

“We’re starting to wrestle as a team,” Nearhood said. “We’re just trying to get better every day, every match.”  

The Knights will next be in action Dec. 30 at the Red Raider Duals at Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School, followed by an appearance in the Rock Hill Bearcat Invitational.

The host Cane Bay Cobras finished third after losing in the semifinals to Beaufort. Ashley Ridge forfeited the third-place match after losing to Stratford.

Before that, the Cobras swept pool play opponents, clinching a spot in the semifinals with a 39-34 win over Goose Creek.

Goose Creek finished in fifth place after beating Hanahan 59-20 in the fifth-place match.

First Place- Stratford 40, Beaufort 33

Third Place- Cane Bay wbf. Ashley Ridge

Fifth Place- Goose Creek 59, Hanahan 20

Seventh Place- Berkeley 42, West Ashley 32

Ninth Place- Wando 49, James Island 24

11th Place- Colleton County 33, North Charleston 24

13th Place- Cross 48, Baptist Hill 18

15th Place- Military Magnet 27, Academic Magnet 18

Semifinal 1 - Stratford 59, Ashley Ridge 18

Semifinal 2 -  Beaufort 59, Cane Bay 15

Pool 1

Cane Bay 48, Wando 21

Cane Bay 66, Cross 18

Cane Bay 39, Goose Creek 34

Goose Creek 57, Cross 24

Goose Creek 48, Wando 25

Wando 65, Cross 18

Pool 2

Beaufort 67, Colleton County 12

Beaufort 72, Baptist Hill 12

Beaufort 76, West Ashley 6

West Ashley 60, Baptist Hill 18

West Ashley 52, Colleton County 24

Colleton County 42, Baptist Hill 24

Pool 3

Ashley Ridge 74, Military Magnet 3

Ashley Ridge 72, North Charleston 6

Ashley Ridge 61, Hanahan 17

Hanahan 60, North Charleston 24

Hanahan 69, Military Magnet 9

North Charleston 40, Military Magnet 18

Pool 4

Stratford 64, James Island 12

Stratford 78, Academic Magnet 3

Stratford 69, Berkeley 6

Berkeley 73, Academic Magnet 6

Berkeley 45, James Island 33

James Island 60, Academic Magnet 13

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