UNION COUNTY – The Fort Mill High varsity wrestling team went 4-0 Saturday to win the Union County Duals at Union County High School.
Fort Mill beat host Union County 60-24 in the finals after going 3-0 in their bracket. The Jackets started the match going up 24-0 as Logan Shope (132), Gavin Mitcheson (138), Aidan Eubanks (144), and Cade Simpson (150) all got pins to open the match.
After a loss at 157-pounds, Jack Kadish (165) got a pin, before Union County picked up two more pins.
Joseph Richardson (215) got a pin for the Jackets and then Fort Mill won four of the next five matches all by pins from Luke Van Beynum (106), Jacob Nally (113), Lincoln Greene (120) and Tucker Gibson (126).
“We did well,” said Fort Mill head coach Adam Marullo. “It is always good to win a tournament and gain some confidence.”
In their pool matches which determined where team’s wrestle for placement, Fort Mill opened with a familiar foe in Catawba Ridge picking up a 52-24 win.
The Jackets went up 28-0 with Van Beynum, Nally, Greene, Gibson and Shope all getting wins.
Cole Stukitz (138) picked up the first win for the Copperheads and Aidan Eubanks then won by forfeit for the Jackets.
Levi Jones (150) then picked up a 6-4 decision and Ryan Stukitz (157) got a pin for Catawba Ridge to run the score to 34-15 in the Jackets favor.
Fort Mill and Catawba Ridge would split the next two matches with Kadish (165) and Theodore Ernst (175) getting wins for the Jackets, while Jarrett Eubanks (190) and Alex Johnson (215) won for the Copperheads. Grayson Sykes (hwt.) closed the match out with a pin for the Jackets.
In Fort Mill’s next match, they easily took care of business against Lewisville winning 70-9.
Nally, Greene, Eubanks, Keenan Colston (144), Kadish, Richardson and Van Beynum all won by forfeit for the Jackets. Gibson, Shope, Broden Mitcheson (157), and Lloyd Shope (190) all won by pin and Ernst won by a 11-1 major decision.
Fort Mill was just as strong against Chester winning 64-6. The Jackets started 25-0 with wins coming from Gibson, Logan Shope, Gavin Mitcheson, Eubanks, and Simpson. Kadish, Ernst, Maurice Lawrence (190), Richardson, and Nally all finished their matches with pins. Greene won his match with an 8-2 decision.
The Jackets now sit at 15-2 overall on the season. Fort Mill heads to the May River Invitational next week for an individual tournament.
Catawba Ridge goes 2-2 on the day
In the Copperheads match after Fort Mill, Catawba Ridge was upset by Chester 41-33.
Chester went up 30-0 and the Copperheads struggled to catch back up despite outscoring them 33-11 the rest of the way.
Cole Stukitz got a 7-6 win to start the scoring for the Copperheads. Jones followed with a pin and then Ryan Stukitz and Jackson Rozelle (165) each got 11-9 decisions.
Catawba Ridge would win three of the next five, but couldn’t catch the Cyclones. Getting wins for the Copperheads were Beau Nicoll (175), Eubanks and Johnson all by pins.
Catawba Ridge bounced back after making some changes to their lineup to beat Lewisville 63-6.
Wyatt Ellison (126), Cole Stukitz and Jones got the Copperheads off to an 18-0 lead. After dropping a match, they would win the final eight. Winning was Archer Rozelle (157), Andrew McNeely (165), Brock Owens (175), Eubanks, Johnson, Jacob Webster (hwt.), Angel Acosta (113) and Josh Gets (120).
Nation Ford and Catawba Ridge ended their day wrestling for fifth place. Nation Ford went up early, but the Copperheads rallied to get the 50-18 win.
The Falcons started strong getting a forfeit win by Danny Gilstorf (132) and then a 11-1 major decision by Mitchell Ladamus (138). Nation Ford moved to an 18-0 start to open the match after major decisions by Dalton Curtsinger (144) and Jace Smith (150).
Archer Rozelle got the Copperheads first win at 157-pounds by forfeit and then won the next two matches with a 9-1 decision by Jackson Rozelle and a first period pin by Nicoll to pull within two points at 18-16.
Eubanks then put Catawba Ridge ahead with a 11-1 decision. Johnson then extended the lead with a first period pin and the Copperheads got a forfeit at heavyweight for Webster.
The Copperheads finished the match with two pins from Acosta and Gets and a forfeit win from Ellison.
“We did alright,” said Catawba Ridge head coach Nick Hansen. “We just have to gear up and get ready for the next one. We are getting there.”
Catawba Ridge is 11-4 on the season and next participate in the Lexington Duals Dec. 29 and 30 at Lexington High School.
Rough day for the Falcons
Nation Ford opened their day by falling to Gilbert High School 45-30. Getting wins for the Falcons were Jacob Moore (113), Cameron Frye (120), Ladamus, Curtsinger and Derek Bylone van Sandwyk (190).
The Falcons bounced back with a strong performance against the JL Mann Patriots winning 42-30.
Nation Ford started 36-0 before the Patriots won a match. Getting wins for the Falcons were Moore, Frye, Gilstorf, Ladamus, Curtsinger, Smith, and Bylone van Sandwyk.
Nation Ford then lost a close match to host Union County 42-41. Frye started them off with a first period pin, but Union County tied it at the next weight class.
The Falcons rattled off four straight wins starting with a 16-0 tech fall from Gilstorf, as Ladamus, Curtsinger and Smith would all get pins to put them up 29-6.
Union County would rally winning the next six of eight matches all by pin or forfeit. Bylone van Sandwyk and Moore closed out the match with pins for Nation Ford, but it wasn’t enough to push them over the edge for the win.
Nation Ford next heads to the Chester Duals Dec. 30 and are currently 8-8 on the season.
Dec. 23 Roundup
The Fort Mill girls’ basketball team finished the Winborn Showcase at Rock Hill High School on Saturday by beating Spartanburg 53-44 to improve to 11-1 on the season. They next participate in the Copperhead Basketball Classic at Catawba Ridge Dec. 28-30 next week.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
