An exclusive club of Hilton Head High wrestlers tripled in size Saturday, as Alex Braden and Billy Christie were among four area wrestlers to claim individual state titles.
Braden (4A, 145 pounds) and Christie (4A, 170) capped their outstanding careers with their third state championships, joining Scott Moody (1984-86) as the only Seahawks to claim three titles.
Braden earned gold with a 5-2 decision of Beaufort High’s Justin Campbell, while Christie defeated Cane Bay’s Mason Brown 6-1 in the finals.
Battery Creek’s Ahman Smalls (3A, 195) and Whale Branch’s Jamel Moultrie (2A-1A, 145) also won state titles to cap their careers after runner-up finishes last season. Smalls earned an 11-8 decision over Crescent’s CC Spires in the title bout, and Moultrie completed his dominant run through the bracket with a second-period pin of Andrew Jackson’s Tyleik Elder.
Beaufort High’s Luis Pantoja (4A, 120), Marcus Spann (4A, 126), and Campbell (4A, 145); May River’s Ryan Humel (3A, 170); and Battery Creek’s Khalil Chisolm (3A, 220) earned runner-up finishes. Hilton Head High’s James Roberts (4A, 138) finished third, and teammate Rawlin Szewczyk (4A, 113) placed fourth.