PSHS wrestlers battle to the end

Philip Simmons High School wrestling coach Anthony Sardelli said his team is gritty.

 

If you need proof, just consider what Sardelli and his wrestlers endured in their run to the Region 6-AA dual meet, which was contested Jan. 29 at Timberland High School.

 

Two starters decided to leave the team, while another two players were injured during the match.

 

Somehow, the Iron Horses used that grit and talent to claim the region championship.

 

“This is a really special group of wrestlers,” Sardelli said. “We had two quit on us and two more who were injured. Because of our situation, we were down 24-0 to Academic (Magnet School) and 30-0 to Timberland (High School) before the matches started because we had to forfeit in some weight classes.”

 

Sardelli said two wrestlers, Breckin Smith and Noah Bernal, had key roles in claiming the region title. Smith, who weighs less than 100 pounds, scored a victory with a decision over a Timberland wrestler at 106 pounds, while Bernal was a winner at 150 pounds.

 

“It was a total team effort,” Sardelli said. “That’s the best part of wrestling. Without them, we don’t win.”

 

Israel Alfaro put an exclamation point on the championship with a victory in a match that wasn’t decided until the final seconds.

 

However, the Iron Horses’ appearance in the Class AA state duals was short-lived. Bridges Prep, a charter school in Beaufort, was the No. 6 seed in the Lower State and defeated the Iron Horses, who were the No. 11 seed.

 

“We didn’t wrestle bad,” Sardelli said. “It’s just hard to overcome a 30-0 deficit that was caused by forfeits.”

 

Bishop England

Meanwhile, Bishop England competes in Region 6-AAAA, and the region decided not to have a region championship.

 

“Many coaches did not want to have it because it could have led to injuries as teams were entering the state dual championships,” said Bishop England coach Paul Spence, whose team was ranked No. 18 in the state in Class AAAA in the latest scmat.com poll.

 

Spence said in this situation, the High School League uses the rankings MaxPreps.com provides, ranking teams by classification, win-loss record, and strength of schedule.

 

Thirty-two teams advanced to the first round of the Class AAAA state duals. Unfortunately for the Bishops, they were ranked No. 33 and did not advance.

 

Spence said his team has been banged up a good majority of the season. But he expects to have wrestlers who will compete in the Class AAAA individual championships, which is slated for the weekend of Feb. 13-14.