BOILING SPRINGS – Just days after winning their fourth consecutive state dual title, the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets wrestling team won the 5A Division II Upper State individual tournament.
Fort Mill finished with 246.5 points, as Eastside was second with 219 points. Catawba Ridge finished 11th with 112.5 points and Nation Ford was 15th with 91 points. Fort Mill had a dozen wrestlers qualify for the state tournament held over two days next week on Feb. 20 and 21 at the Florence Civic Center. Catawba Ridge qualified seven and Nation Ford qualified five for the state tournament.
For the Jackets, only Lincoln Greene (150) came away with an Upper State title as he got a third period pin after trailing 15-6 over Boiling Springs’ Eric Ellis.
Brody Harris (113) finished second by tech fall for the Jackets.
Grayson Wallen (132) won 2-0 in the consolation finals to finish third and Mason Metcalf (175) finished third as well winning 5-4 in his consolation final. Ted Ernst (190) won by major decision 14-0 to finish third.
Cooper Van Beynum (138) finished fourth by tech fall and Krystian Villatoro (hwt.) also finished fourth by fall. Luke Van Beynum (120) finished fourth losing in sudden victory and Maurice Lawrence (215) was fourth as well falling by second period pin.
Peter Escudero (106) also finished fourth losing by a second period pin in the consolation finals. Other Jackets placing were Broden Mitcheson in fifth place at 165-pounds and Cole Wartinger (132) also finished fifth to advance to the state tournament.
For Catawba Ridge, Alex Johnson led the way at heavyweight, despite falling in the finals 6-1 to finish second.
Jacob McClure (106) finished fifth with a 19-3 tech fall win and Archer Rozelle (150) finished sixth. Angel Acosta (126), Taylor Winker (120), and Wyatt Ellison (132) all finished seventh and Damien Ashcraft (215) finished eighth.
Lorenzo Smith (hwt.) and Sulaymon Askarov (190) both finished fifth for Nation Ford as their two highest finishers. Camron Maygar (175) finished sixth, while Zac Nieves (150) and Brad Flippens (165) each finished eighth to qualify.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
