Fort Mill wrestler Broden Mitcheson had one job to do and he did it as the Yellow Jackets wrestling team beat the Rock Hill Bearcats for the Upper State championship Wednesday.
The dual came down to the final weight class as Mitcheson (157) got a 10-3 decision giving Fort Mill a 36-28 win and sending them back to the 5A state championship Saturday, Feb. 10 in Columbia at Dreher High School where they will face the Summerville Green Wave, whom they beat last year for the state championship.
“I knew Rock Hill was going to be tough,” said Fort Mill head wrestling coach Adam Marullo. “It was a great team win. These guys are ready and they know what to expect.”
The match started much like the Chapin match Monday with Fort Mill going down early.
The draw for the dual was at 165-pounds as Rock Hill got the early advantage with a first period pin.
Fort Mill knew it had to steal a win in the upper weight classes to help them eventually win. The Jackets picked up that win in a 4-2 decision by Theodore Ernst (175) to get on the board.
Rock Hill bounced back with a third period pin at 190-pounds and a 1-0 decision at 215-pounds after a Fort Mill takedown at the buzzer was waved off by the referee.
The Bearcats got another 1-0 decision at heavyweight to go up 18-3 before the dual went to the lower weights.
Fort Mill then got first period pins by Luke Van Beynum (106) and Jacob Nally (113) to get back into the dual. A second period pin by Lincoln Greene (120) put the Jackets on top 21-18 about midway through the dual.
Rock Hill picked up a 9-4 decision at 126-pounds to tie the dual at 21 with five weight classes to go.
The Jackets’ Logan Shope (132) broke that tie with a third period pin and Aidan Eubanks (138) won by forfeit to put Fort Mill up 33-21.
The Bearcats again rallied picking up a decision at 144-pounds and then a major decision at 150-pounds heading into the final match at 157-pounds.
For the second consecutive match, Fort Mill had to win in the final weight class or at least not get pinned to advance in the playoffs. Fort Mill is now 23-2 on the season after winning their second consecutive Upper State title.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
