Local wrestlers prepare for state championships

High school wrestling is always intense, but the sport becomes even fiercer now that the postseason is upon us.

 

Philip Simmons and Bishop England were scheduled to compete in the Region 8-AAA and Region 7-AA championships, respectively and then next up is the state duals. 

 

The Iron Horses won the Region 8-AAA team championship last week and were scheduled to compete in the individual matches Jan. 31. The Bishops were scheduled to compete in their region championship on Jan. 30. Both matches occurred after the paper went to print this week.

 

Both teams should be well-represented in the postseason, including the individual championships.

 

The Iron Horses are currently ranked No 15 in the state by scmat.com and have two wrestlers ranked in the top eight of their weight class. Alex Watson, who is seeking his third trip to the state tournament, is ranked No. 4 in the 113-pound division, while Matt Spignardo is No. 2 in the 138-pound class after claiming a silver medal last winter in the 126-pound division.

 

The Bishops check in at No. 7 and have four wrestlers in the top eight of their weight class, including Sam Cherichello, who is bidding for his fourth trip to state and his second state title. He is No. 1 in the 132-pound class.

 

Sean Loughery, who won a bronze medal last winter, is third at 138 pounds, while Dixon Hardy is No. 3 at 165 pounds.

 

Thomas Curl is ranked No. 5 at 190 pounds.

 

The Class AAA and Class AA state duals will be held Feb. 3, 5 and 7. The Class AAA and AA state dual finals will be held Feb. 10  at Dreher High School.

 

The Class AAA Lower State individual championships will be held Feb. 16-17 at Brookland-Cayce High School while the Class AA Lower State individual championships will be held Feb. 16-17 at North Central High School.

 

The season concludes Feb. 23-24 with individual state championships in Anderson.

 

BE baseball cracks top 10

The Bishop England baseball team begins the season ranked No. 8 in Class AA in the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association preseason poll.

 

The Bishops, who went 12-9 last spring, including 4-2 in Region 7-AA, are inexperienced. 

 

“We have less actual varsity game experience than we have had over the past few years,” coach Mike Darnell said. “We have some talented players. They just have not had a lot of varsity experience over the past year.

 

“I think we are going to be OK on the mound this year,” Darnell continued. “At least we have some potential to be pretty good from a pitching standpoint. But as I said our lack of experience is very concerning. As you go up in levels there is more failure in baseball. It is all about how these guys deal with failure – how they respond. If they use it as motivation to get better, then everything will be fine. If it gets the best of them then it could be a long year.”

 

Six seniors are on the roster. They include Ellis Rollins (OF), Noah Williams (2B, P), Tye Livesay (P, C, INF), Will Mazur (P, 1B), Thomas Dietrich (OF, P) and Hayes Daniel (1B, 3B, P).