LANCASTER – The Fort Mill wresting team bulldozed their way through two of their three opponents Wednesday to open the 2021-2022 season by starting 3-0.
Fort Mill shutout Richland Northeast 74-0 and then beat Chesterfield 70-6, before having a little harder time beating Lancaster 50-23.
“It is nice to win,” said Fort Mill head coach Chris Brock. “I know we have some concerns in the lineup that with time and technical development will get ironed out. So many of our guys are new and have been in the lineup before.”
While it didn’t look like Fort Mill had any trouble, there were some spots that showed a lack of experience. Against Lancaster, Fort Mill, who didn’t wrestle a heavyweight, went down for the first time all evening Wednesday falling behind 6-0. The Jackets then opened with five consecutive wins to go up 23-6.
Fort Mill’s Jacob Nalley (106) got a 15-0 tech fall in the first period to give the Jackets their first points of the Lancaster dual. From there, Aidan Eubanks (113) got a close 8-7 decision to give Fort Mill the lead which they wouldn’t relinquish.
Fort Mill got a 13-7 decision from Bella Hoffman (120) and then their first pin of the match at 126-pounds from Logan Shope. Gavin Mitcheson (132) got a second period pin to make it 23-6, before the Jackets would drop their first of three matches against Lancaster.
The Jackets bounced back at 145-pounds with Noah Kitchton getting a pin, followed by a 9-5 decision from Zach Smith (152) and pins from TJ Miller (160) and Harrison Noll (170).
Lancaster closed the gap some at 182-pounds with a win, but then Fort Mill closed the match out with Henry Debbout winning at 195-pounds with a first period pin.
Against Chesterfield, winning for Fort Mill was Caleb Brock (138), Flynn Hyde (220), Nalley, Eubanks, Hoffman, Shope, Mitcheson, Kitchton, Smith, Miller, Noll and Debbout. Winning against Richland Northeast was Ethan Coughenour (182), Debbout, Hyde, Nalley, Eubanks, Hoffman, Shope, Mitcheson, Kitchton, Smith, Miller and Noll.
Up next for Fort Mill is the Kingsley Classic this weekend at Fort Mill High as they host nine-teams in an individual tournament, which also includes Nation Ford and Catawba Ridge.
In other wrestling related news, Catawba Ridge improved to 8-1 on the season at a tri-meet at Cardinal Newman. The Copperheads beat Cardinal Newman 51-30 and Irmo 66-12.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
