Nine Beaufort County wrestlers will wrestle for state championships Saturday – and at least one local grappler will bring home the gold.
Beaufort High advanced three wrestlers to the championship finals, Hilton Head High and Battery Creek put two through to the finals, and May River and Whale Branch each have one finalist after the first day of the SCHSL State Championships in Anderson.
At least one of the nine will be crowned a state champion Saturday, as Beaufort’s Justin Campbell and Hilton Head’s Alex Braden will meet for the 145-pound title in Class 4A. The other finalists are Whale Branch’s Jamel Moultrie (2A-1A 145), May River’s Ryan Humel (3A 170), Battery Creek’s Ahman Smalls (3A 195) and Khalil Chisolm (3A 220), Beaufort’s Luis Pantoja (4A 120) and Marcus Spann (4A 126), and Hilton Head’s Billy Christie (4A 170).
Hilton Head’s Rawlin Szewczyk (4A 113), Kyle Riddle (4A 126), and James Roberts (4A 138), Battery Creek’s Zacheus Magwood (3A 152), and May River’s Kailin Ferguson (3A 285) lost their semifinal matches, leaving them one win away from wrestling for third place Saturday.
The other 10 local wrestlers lost their first-round matches and will need to win twice Saturday to reach the consolation finals.
Class 4A
113: Jacob Workman, BHS — lost by pin to Jackson Rumfelt (York)
113: Rawlin Szewczyk, HHIHS — pinned Andrew Treadway (Union Co.); lost to Tucker Allen (Eastside), 11-3
120: Luis Pantoja, BHS — def. Pearson Borders (South Pointe), 4-1; def. Dougie Metts (Cane Bay), 7-2
126: Marcus Spann, BHS — def. Bryson Mclees (Travelers Rest), 8-1; pinned Bo Wooten (Belton-Honea Path)
126: Kyle Riddle, HHIHS — pinned ShyQuan Ferguson (South Pointe); lost to Riley Augustine (Eastside), 6-2
138: James Roberts, HHIHS — def. Zy Stewart (Union Co.), 3-1; lost to Trevor Mansfield (Belton-Honea Path), 12-6
145: Justin Campbell, BHS — def. Morgan Belk (South Pointe), 4-2; def. Jaden Branyon (Belton-Honea Path), 5-2
145: Alex Braden, HHIHS — def. Trevon Hill (Union Co.), 10-2; pinned Eli McGee (Lugoff-Elgin)
152: James Dagin, BHS — lost to Kyle Flyte (Blue Ridge), 11-2
170: Billy Christie, HHIHS — pinned Charles Tompkins (Eastside); pinned Brian Ellison Flores (Greer)
195: Aaron Wiess, BHS — lost by pin to Reid Bolen (South Aiken)
Class 3A
138: Ivan Ramirez, MRHS — lost to Lake Alexander (West-Oak), 3-1
145: Mitch Ledbetter, MRHS — lost to Adam Reedy (Palmetto), 13-0
152: Zacheus Magwood, BCHS — def. Jaylon McCaslan (Emerald), 9-4; lost by pin to Kyle Daley (Indian Land)
160: Eduardo Almanza-Castillo, BCHS — lost by pin to Ian James (West-Oak)
170: Ryan Humel, MRHS — def. Aaron Moran (Walhalla), 7-5; def. Damien White (West-Oak), 5-0
195: Roderick Grant, MRHS — lost to Tim Whitley (Caro), 10-2
195: Ahman Smalls, BCHS — def. Raul Neil (Indian Land), 15-4; def. Tim Whitley (Carolina), 5-3
220: Khalil Chisolm, BCHS — pinned Teddy Murphy (Chester); def. Kahvon Brown (Camden), 5-2
285: Kailin Ferguson, MRHS — def. Cameron Gordon (Emereld), 7-2; lost by pin to Gavin James (West-Oak)
Class 2A-1A
106: Malik Moultrie, WB — lost by pin to Dylan Jenkins (Buford)
120: James Jackson, WB — lost by pin to Shawn Isaac (Cheraw)
145: Jamel Moultrie, WB — pinned Donovan Thompson (Cheraw); def. Eli Beall (Academic Magnet), 11-6
160: Tyrell Chaplin-Feagin, WB — lost to Jesse James (Cheraw), 5-1