Local wrestlers seek individual state titles | Sports | Our Gazette

Printer friendly version |

E-mail to a friend |

Local wrestlers seek individual state titles

Published Wednesday, February 23, 2011 5:16 PM

By Rob Gantt
The Gazette

photo by Rob Gantt

Stratford’s 112-pounder, Nicholas Young, is the No. 1 seed from the Lower State.

photo provided

Fifteen local wrestlers will make a four-hour trek across the state in search of individual state titles this weekend.

The championships for each classification will be contested at the Civic Center of Anderson Friday and Saturday.

The local contingent advanced to the prestigious final event of the season through Lower State qualifiers this past weekend. They had to finish fourth or better in their respective weight class, and they’ll match up with the four top seeds from the Upper State qualifier.

In terms of numbers, Hanahan leads the group that moved on. The Hawks will send a half dozen grapplers to Anderson, led by top seeds Cody Hancock (140) and Dennis Flores (145).

Both finished first in the qualifier at Swansea High School.

J.J. Johnson (112) and Jeff Brule (125) were runner-ups, while Francis Boykin (135) and Nic Thompson (171) will be third-place seeds from the Lower State.

The six Hawks could cap memorable seasons. Two weekends ago, Hanahan dominated Chesnee 53-25 in Class AA team finals in Columbia.

Goose Creek and Stratford qualified a total of seven wrestlers for the state championships. Their qualifier was at Fort Dorchester High School last weekend. Both squads saw their team seasons end in the second round so the individual championships present a redemption opportunity of sorts.

Nicholas Young (112) led the Knights with a first-place finish, while Joseph Vasquez (119) and Austin Koile (160) are second seeds from the Lower State.

Heavyweight Tyler Limehouse placed third for the Knights.

Darian Sims, the Gators’ 215-pounder, is also a top seed from the Lower State.

Abdul Shabazz (130) was third at the qualifier for the Gators, while Albert Mallard (171) was fourth.

Cane Bay qualified a pair of grapplers for the Class AAA state meet.

Albert Ednilao (103) was third in a qualifier at Bluffton High School and Tariq Simmons (160) will be the fourth seed.

Wrestling begins at 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday.

Comments

Notice about comments:

Ourgazette.com is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Ourgazette.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Ourgazette.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.

Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by reading our terms and conditions, and then signing up below!

Full terms and conditions can be read here.

Most Viewed
Most Commented

104 East Doty Avenue | Summerville, SC 29483 | 843-572-0511 office