Experienced Falcons eager to get back on the mat
The Nation Ford Falcons wrestling team should be a scrappy bunch this season with the goal of returning to the playoffs in mind.
After missing it last year, the Falcons are eager to get back.
Head coach Leon Boulware’s team, which includes more than a dozen wrestlers who have been spent more than three months playing football, get back on the mat the day before Thanksgiving at the Holiday Clash at South Meck High School.
“We are going to North Carolina early on,” he said. “They have some good competition.”
Boulware said he is expecting big things out of returning wrestlers such as Jeremy Kishbaugh, whose 2014-’15 season ended early with an injury at the Region III tournament. He also mentioned Christian Trimble, Jake Gravely and Dylan Curtsinger as wrestlers to watch this season.
“I think we will be real competition this year,” Boulware said. ”We are returning a lot of knowledge in the lineup.”
A lot of that knowledge comes in former state champion and returning state finalist Dalen Byerley, a senior who should hit the 200-win mark this year.
“We really want to become a team,” Byerley said. “We are going to come together as a team and win as a team. I am looking forward to becoming a family.”
Byerley will hekp anchor Nation Ford’s lineup at either 132 or 138 pounds, depending on the competition the team is facing. One wrestler Byerley looks forward to squaring off with is Fort Mill High’s returning state champion, AJ Leitten.
“I think the state of South Carolina as a whole would like to see that match,” he said.
After the Holiday Clash at South Meck, Nation Ford will open its dual portion of the season at Boiling Springs in a three-way meet with the Bulldogs and Lexington Dec. 2. The Falcons are also scheduled to participate in the Southern Slam Dec. 4-5 at Eastside and will open its home schedule in a four-way match against Irmo, Indian Land and Vance Dec. 8.
They are scheduled to wrestle the Yellow Jackets at Fort Mill High Jan. 25 as part of their Region III schedule.
Mac Banks: mbanks@comporium.net, @MacBanksFM
This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Experienced Falcons eager to get back on the mat."