Close matches doom Fort Mill in 4A wrestling playoffs

Fort Mill’s wrestling season came to an end in the second round of the 4A playoffs Saturday, as the Yellow Jackets dropped a 33-22 decision to tournament host Boiling Springs.

The No. 1-ranked Bulldogs used a decision and a pair of pins in the last three matches to rally from a 22-21 deficit and down No. 3 Fort Mill.

The Yellow Jackets led 22-18 after Jack Debbout’s dramatic victory at 160, as he scored three backpoints within the last 30 seconds of the match for a 3-2 win. The Bulldogs countered with an 11-5 victory at 170 pounds to cut the lead to 22-21. Cade Rojas’ quick pin at 182 pounds gave the Bulldogs a 27-22 lead and left Fort Mill with no chance other than a pinfall victory in the final match.

Thomas Bagensie got a pin of his own instead, and the Bulldogs wrapped up the win.

“Our effort was fine, we just made a couple of critical mistakes,” Fort Mill coach Chris Brock said.

“Against a team like that, you can’t afford a mistake. When you get to this point, especially with these two teams, unfortunately we met early in the playoffs. It comes down to mistakes, and we made more than they did today.”

While the final matches were crucial, a pair of earlier matches were just as important. With the dual tied at 6-6 after three weight classes, Boiling Springs’ Artur Hofer scored a stunning takedown with two seconds left to turn a 2-1 loss into a 3-2 win, putting the Bulldogs up 9-6. Later, at 145 pounds, Fort Mill’s Steven Hamilton dominated Boiling Springs’ Zac Bailey, but Bailey would not concede a technical fall. Trailing by 14 points for more than a minute of the match’s final round, Bailey held on and only allowed Hamilton a major decision, depriving the Jackets of a crucial team point.

Brock said the unclaimed bonus points hurt his team.

“Bonus points are critical,” he said.

“It’s a touchdown instead of a field goal. It’s huge. They did a good job of preventing those, and we didn’t do quite enough to pick up a few. It certainly made a difference in the match today.”

The Yellow Jackets rolled into the second round by blasting Woodmont in the first dual of the day. Fort Mill built a 46-6 lead before conceding the final four matches and taking a 46-30 victory. Grey Hinson (Heavyweight), John Brotemarkle (113), Brody Classen (120), Chris King (126) and Jordon Markowski (132) all picked up pinfall victories in the win.

This story was originally published February 6, 2016 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Close matches doom Fort Mill in 4A wrestling playoffs."