Jackets scrap their way to Wildcat Duals title

With two come-from-behind wins in their last three matches, the Fort Mill High wrestling team won the Wildcat Duals after beating Boiling Springs 35-34 in the finals.

Ranked No. 5 in the state as the new year began, Fort Mill went 7-0 during the two-day duals tournament to improve to 11-1 on the season. With both teams at 6-0 in the tournament heading to the finals, Fort Mill faced the Boiling Springs Bulldogs, the state’s second ranked team.

Fort Mill jumped to a 6-0 lead with the help of decisions from its upper weight class wrestlers in Matt Neill (220) and Gray Hinson (Hwt). Boiling Springs then took the next two matches to go up 9-6 before Fort Mill’s Brody Claassen won by forfeit to go up 12-9.

Boiling Springs was 19-12 after winning two straight matches at 126 and 132, before the tide turned in the Yellow Jackets’ favor. Fort Mill got a another forfeit win at 138 pounds awarded to Jordan Markowski, before AJ Leitten charged through his opponent, getting a 17-0 tech decision in the second period of his 145-pound match. Jackets then had a 23-19 lead.

The Bulldogs rallied, pulling within one at 23-22 with a win at 152 pounds, but then Evan Stankovits, at 160, and Jack Debbout, at 170, both picked up first period pin fall wins, as the Jackets pushed the score to 35-22. With the match secured, Fort Mill forfeited at 182 and 195 pounds.

“This is the toughest duals tournament in the state,” said Fort Mill head coach Chris Brock. “This is why we come here. It gives us a chance to see the balance of teams. If you think about it, we are going to see some of these teams again in the playoffs.”

The Jackets opened the Wildcat Duals against No. 4-ranked host Lexington and won 36-31 . From there, the team tore through Hillcrest 61-3, River Bluff 51-18 and Spring Valley 53-23.

Fort Mill then hit a speed bump in 14th-ranked Fort Dorchester, which rushed out to a 32-12 lead. The remaining Jackets wrestlers made the most of their matches, winning four straight wins, including pin falls from John Brotemarkle (113), Claassen (120) and Chris King (126).

The Jackets also faced off against Region III foe York, winning 58-21. York jumped out to a 9-0 lead before Fort Mill rattled off wins in 10 of the next 12 weight classes, with the only other two losses coming from forfeits.

Both Leitten and Claassen were undefeated in the tournament, going 7-0.

Fort Mill resumes the regular season with matches against South Pointe and Charlotte Latin this week.

This story was originally published January 4, 2016 at 9:56 AM with the headline "Jackets scrap their way to Wildcat Duals title."