Here are 12 local wrestlers who could win individual state titles. And 1 who won’t
Flattened on the wrestling mat during the team state championship, Indian Land’s Austin Ross came to a realization. Ross’ opponent from Gilbert High had just scored a takedown and the two-time defending state champ was in trouble. His leg hurt. Truly hurt.
“I looked at the crowd,” said Ross. “All my friends came to watch. And I was just like, ‘if everyone’s here, then I can do it.’ The adrenaline, we’d never been in that situation before, I really wanted to win, so I just dealt with the pain.”
No one watching Ross fight back for a 6-5 decision win that helped the Warriors win the school’s first boys’ sports state title knew it would be Ross’ last high school match.
At least a dozen local wrestlers head to Anderson, S.C., this weekend chasing individual state championships, but Ross won’t be joining them on the mats. He’ll be there, rooting on his teammates, especially practice partner Solomon Cortez. But Ross, who won individual state titles as a sophomore and junior, won’t be wrestling for a third.
“We’ve always been together working at practice,” said Cortez, “and it’s just shocking that he wasn’t gonna be able to compete for his last season.”
By the end of January, half of Ross’ four limbs were seriously injured. In December he suffered what’s called a SLAP tear in his shoulder. Doctors said he could keep wrestling because the torn labrum couldn’t be damaged any worse.
“He was gonna suck it up and fight for the team, fight for himself,” said Indian Land coach Leon Boulware.
During a January match, Ross’ knee locked and he fell over. He couldn’t straighten his leg, and a visit to the doctor the following week revealed a completely torn meniscus. The doctor hoped the cartilage could be surgically repaired. In the end, he had to remove it altogether. Ross was able to walk out of the hospital after the operation but he was sidelined for a week.
Indian Land won the region championship tournament while Ross was out, but he returned for the first round of the team state playoffs. Ross took his opponent down early in the first match back and pain shot through his leg again. By that point, all options -- including no more wrestling -- were being considered by Ross, his coach and his parents.
Coaches across the state began to get an inkling something was wrong with Indian Land’s star wrestler, with several making comments about the fresh surgical scars on his knee during pre-match weigh-ins. But Ross kept scrapping, scoring individual wins during the team’s state playoff victories over West-Oak, the defending state champs, and Crescent, which sent the Warriors to the 3A state final against Gilbert.
“At that moment we were thinking he’s gonna be fine to wrestle individuals for himself,” said Boulware. “We go to the state finals and he gets another injury.”
The state’s No. 1 (Ross) and No. 2 (Gilbert’s Brennan Crout) 113-pounders faced off during the state championship match and Crout took Ross down early, which led to Ross’ aforementioned moment of clarity. He edged Crout 6-5 after falling behind early, but the match took an even greater physical toll.
“That Monday I couldn’t walk on it right,” Ross said. “I went to the E.R. and they said I should have torn my ACL in that match.”
Ross will sign a wrestling scholarship with Lander University in a few weeks. His wrestling career isn’t over. So, the decision to park him on the sidelines for the rest of the high school season was quietly and finally made. Ross was held out of the individual Upper State qualifying tournament, which prevented him from state tournament qualification. The two-time defending state champ’s absence from the state qualifiers list was glaring.
“Hard to tell a kid that, especially a senior that has a shot to win,” said Boulware. “He completely understood and was all about the team.”
Ross was disappointed. But it wasn’t missing out on more individual glory that bothered him. He just loves the sport -- whether in a state championship match or a midweek practice with his teammates -- that much.
“I just like to wrestle, more than I want to win,” he said. “I planned on wrestling at the Upper State tournament even though I knew I could hurt myself. I just wanted to wrestle, until the school stopped me. I just like being on the mat.”
The sky was dumping cold rain outside the gym as Ross sat on a rolled-up mat while his teammates practiced at Indian Land Elementary School. Ross’ hair is an unnatural shade of yellow, an indicator to any current or former wrestler that it’s state tourney time. He smiles and says his mom hates the color.
Ross is quiet and measured, but he flips a switch when it’s time to compete, becomes a wild child. Besides his skill, Ross is the spiritual leader for the Warriors too. He can still be that in Anderson this weekend. He proved that against Gilbert.
“I think this means more,” Ross said after the Warriors topped Gilbert in the state final, and before he knew his high school career was finished. “Fighting for someone means more to me than just fighting for yourself. I wrestled for my team and for my family.”
A dozen other locals with serious state title credentials
By no means are these the only area wrestlers headed to the state tournament that could win their weight class state championship. But these are 12 with obvious potential to do so:
Spencer Cox, South Pointe - talented freshman won a 4-2 decision in the 4A Upper State 106-pound finals to claim the title.
Kaleem Heard, York - Heard won the 106-pound state title last season and has shown no problem bumping up to 113. Like many of the kids on this list, Heard, who is 47-3 this season, goes about his business in an unperturbed fashion that can be unsettling for opponents. SCMat.com’s top-ranked 4A 113-pounder won a 7-3 decision in the Upper State championship match.
Jackson Rumfelt, York - Rumfelt produced a pin in the 4A Upper State 120-pound final and heads into the state tournament with a head full of steam. The Region 3-4A champ is 41-13 and placed third in the state last season.
Joshua Sturgeon, Fort Mill - the 120-pound freshman turned heads statewide by winning the 5A Upper State tournament last weekend in dominant fashion. He recorded two pins, a tech fall and a major decision. It’ll be interesting to see how Sturgeon handles the bright lights of the state tournament this coming weekend in Anderson.
Weston Nguyen, Indian Land - the 126-pound junior finished second in the 3A Upper State tournament last weekend, but only lost 9-6 in the final and knocked off a few top-ranked wrestlers along the way. This weight class in 3A looks wide open heading into the state tournament and Nguyen, who is 41-5 this season, should have a shot.
Andrew Simpson, Rock Hill - smooth 132-pounder is 46-6 and a favorite at the state tournament after winning the 5A Upper State title. Simpson’s quick strikes can put an opponent on their back at any point in a match.
Bailey Wilkins, Rock Hill - Wilkins is 2-for-2 winning state championships in high school and he’s got a great shot to make it a third straight in the 5A 138-pound classification. Wilkins is 68-6 this season and has won the Bearcat Invitational, Region 3-5A and 5A Upper State championships so far. He’s wrestled since he was a small child and has the experience to handle nearly all situations he encounters.
Markeith Drakeford, Indian Land - Drakeford ‘s Upper State tournament championship was pretty dominant. The 160-pound junior scored two pins and topped Chester’s Ly’Terrence Mills 5-0 in the final. Drakeford is 40-6 on the season and his coach, Leon Boulware, said he can score from anywhere at any point in a match.
Terrence Mills, Chester - Mills won the 3A Upper State championship in the 170-pound weight class. Mills is 41-2 and hasn’t lost to a 170-pound 3A opponent yet. The North-South all-star selection finished second at the Bearcat Invitational and won the Region 4-3A title. Mills uses his quickness to take down opponents when they’re off balance or caught unaware. His brother, Terrence, has a state title shot too at 160 pounds.
Isaac Ekanem, South Pointe - Ekanem finished fourth in the state last season (170 pounds) and is the top-ranked 182-pounder headed into the state tournament. The senior’s pin in the final of the 4A Upper State championship only confirms his favorite status.
Devon Rice, Rock Hill - Rice is only in his second year of organized wrestling but entered the Upper State tournament 56-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state. He fell in the final to Spartanburg’s Malik Shuler, but should be considered a threat to win the state title this coming weekend. Rock Hill coach Cain Beard called Rice one of the hardest workers he’s ever been around.
Immanuel Bush, Lancaster - Supremely strong junior wrestles as a heavyweight (285 pounds) but only weighs around 245. He’s 31-2 with only one loss in the state of South Carolina, which came last weekend in the Upper State championship match against Belton-Honea Path’s Avery Reece. Bush has won several tournaments this season, including the Region 3-4A title.
This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 1:14 PM.