‘A lesson learned’: Catawba Ridge wrestling eliminated from playoffs in first season
The Catawba Ridge wrestling team was eliminated from the 3A state playoffs after losing both ends of a tri-match on Thursday — falling to Camden, 60-24, and to Fairfield Central, 47-26.
The Copperheads (7-17, 1-4 Region 4-3A) needed one win on Thursday to earn a playoff berth.
Head coach Scooter Weathers said at times he feels as if his team is buying in, but that in the high pressure moments, his team’s inexperience shines through.
“It is a lesson learned,” Weathers said. “Sometimes getting a bad taste in your mouth helps.”
One of the goals Catawba Ridge wrestling had in its first season was to make the dual playoffs, Weathers said. The South Carolina High School League bracket has room for four teams from Region 4 in the 3A playoffs. Besides Indian Land and Chester, who lead the region, Camden sits at 3-2 and in third place, and Fairfield Central takes the fourth spot at 2-1, as of Friday.
Catawba Ridge’s one region win came against Keenan, a team that is winless in the region currently.
Despite not making the playoffs, Weathers said that the season had a lot of good moments.
“It has gone better than I thought it would,” he said. “I knew if we worked, some good things would happen.”
Catawba Ridge pair of matches
Weathers said he felt good going into the match with Fairfield Central, with both teams having holes in their lineup. However, things started off bad and got worse for the Copperheads.
The match started at 145-pounds and saw Catawba Ridge drop the first three matches all by pin fall to go down, 18-0, before Nate Teel got a 4-1 decision at 182-pounds. RJ Lincoln got a pin fall win at 195-pounds to cut the lead to 17-9, after Fairfield Central got a team point taken away for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Fairfield Central then won three straight matches — two by forfeit — to take a 35-8 lead, after Catawba Ridge also got a team point taken away for unsportsmanlike conduct. Conner Stukitz won by pin fall for the Copperheads at 113-pounds and both Andrew Patten (120) and Logan Manha (138) got the final two wins, both by forfeit, for Catawba Ridge.
Against Camden, the match between the two schools went back and forth for a while. Camden went up, 12-0, to start before Joel Reyes won at 145-pounds by pin fall. Sean Barstad then tied the match with a forfeit win at 152-pounds, and Forrest Rozelle would give Catawba Ridge an 18-12 lead with a pin fall win in the first period. On two occasions, Catawba Ridge would tie the match, and the last one came when Lincoln got the last win in the match for the Copperheads with a pin fall at 195-pounds to make it 24-24.
Camden would then take victories in all of the remaining six matches to get the win.
While Catawba Ridge is out of playoff contention, the team will still have wrestlers compete in the individual region tournament on Jan. 31 at Chester. The Copperheads will try to qualify for the Upper State tournament at West-Oak High on Feb. 21-22 and the state tournament at Anderson Civic Center on Feb. 28-29.
Mac Banks: mbanks@comporium.net, @MacBanksFM