Iron Horses, Bishops send combo of 12 grapplers to state finals

It’s been somewhat of a roller-coaster season for the Philip Simmons High School wrestling team because of injuries and players opting to quit the team for one reason or another.

 

But as the season culminates this weekend with the Class AA Individual State Championships, coach Anthony Sardelli and his crew have reason to smile. The Iron Horses had 10 wrestlers compete in the Class AA Lower State championships and eight advanced to the state finals which will be held Feb. 21-22 at the Florence Civic Center.

 

“They went out and competed at such a high level,” Sardelli said. “All the wrestlers we have left bought in, and that’s a good sign. We probably had our best week of practice, and it showed on the mats.”

 

The Iron Horses had three athletes finish in first place: Jimmy Chambers at 126 pounds, Matt Spignardo at 138, and Sullivan Silbiger at 113.

 

“Chambers has been grinding for a long time,” Sardelli said. “It was good to see him on top of the podium his senior year. The hard work paid off.

 

“I knew Spignardo and Silbiger would run through the tournament, and they did,” Sardelli added. “But at the state, it will be a whole different story. If you want to be on the top of the podium, you will have to put in the work.”

 

Brody Tonon finished in second place in the 190-pound class. Sardelli said Tonon can contend for a state title if he fine-tunes a few technical issues.

 

Israel Alfaro finished fifth in the heavyweight division while Breckin Smith was fifth at 106 pounds. Matthew Altenbach at 120 and Noah Bernal at 144 both finished in eighth place to qualify.

 

Bishop England sends four

Bishop England High School wrestling coach Paul Spence has been connected to the sport for more than four decades, first as a student and then as a coach.

 

He knew making the jump from Class AA to AAAA would be difficult not just because of the enrollment numbers but because of the level of competition as well.

 

The Bishops, in their first year as a Class AAAA entry, sent 10 wrestlers to the Individual Lower State Championships, which were held at Hartsville High School, and four advanced to the state finals. 

 

The championships will be held Feb. 21-22 at the Florence Civic Center.

 

“We were decent,” Spence said. “I was expecting more, but I think we put too much pressure on ourselves, and we didn’t do quite as well. I expected some higher places, but the competition was stiff, and a lot of the teams I hadn’t seen in years.”

 

Vicente Robayo had the best finish by a BE grappler, finishing second in the 150-pound classification. 

 

Thomas Curl was third at 175, while Gray Murphy was fourth at 165. Finn Randall was the other state qualifier at 144. He claimed sixth place.

 

“Vicente came in at No. 8 in the Lower State but made it to the finals,” Spence said. “I thought Thomas Curl did very well." He lost to the No. 1 wrestler in the Lower State (Joshua Echeverria), who is undefeated and from May River. He lost to him in the semifinals but came back strong in his next match.