Rock Hill, South Pointe wrestling have plenty to prove ahead of ‘cross-town rivalry’

The Rock Hill Bearcats and the South Pointe Stallions open the 2020-21 wrestling season on Monday night at 6 p.m. at South Pointe. The two programs are both exceptionally strong, and the cross-town battle will give both an indication of what kind of teams they each will have this year.

Rock Hill finished second in its region a year ago and advanced to the 5A playoffs. The Bearcats toppled Dorman in the opening round, but lost to Lugoff-Elgin in the second round.

South Pointe won its region and moved to the 4A postseason. After getting a first round bye, the Stallions knocked off Travelers Rest in the second round before being eliminated by Eastside in the Upper State finals.

Both coaches see the importance of Monday night’s matchup.

“We always look forward to this cross-town rivalry,” said Rock Hill coach Cain Beard. “We are starting the season against a top quality team, and bragging rights are on the line. The last two matches with them have been classics.”

South Pointe coach Eddie Cook echoed the Rock Hill coach’s statements.

“They are an outstanding team. Going against them lets you see where you are,” said Cook. “Plus, it is a cross-town rivalry. Our team really looks forward to this one every year. It is for pride and bragging rights.”

Previewing Rock Hill wrestling

The Bearcats return six of last year’s starters, and Beard has a good group to fill the openings left by graduation, he said.

Rock Hill has gotten super leadership from a pair of seniors in the early going. Demitrius Bledsoe (182) and Ricky Kimbrell (138) have taken that role seriously.

“They have done an incredible job thus far in setting the example,” said Beard. “They are really having a positive influence on the young wrestlers as well as the newcomers to the program.”

Beard is also looking for a trio of juniors to perform well on the mats. Garrett Pfirman (285), Dawson Cashier (160) and Waverly Brooks (220) have impressed the veteran coach thus far.

“They have experience, and they have stepped it up in the early going,” he added. “They are going to be counted on heavily during the season.”

Rock Hill has two newcomers in sophomores Kamera Read (106) and Ethan Thompson (152) who have performed well in the early workouts, too, Beard said.

Rock Hill will be in a new region this year, no longer in the same region as longtime rival and wrestling powerhouse, Fort Mill.

Like every coach, Beard has had to work around COVID-19.

“Yes, it hurt us,” he added. “It will slow our progress, but if the work ethic I have seen thus far continues, I feel like we will be ready.”

Previewing South Pointe wrestling

The Stallions have half of their lineup from a year ago returning, and Cook has 10 wrestlers with varsity experience and some promising newcomers to complete the remainder of the team.

“We have gotten excellent leadership from our returning wrestlers,” said Cook. “We have a number of new wrestlers this year. We are working on techniques and learning the ropes. They are getting better with each practice.”

Cook likes the work ethic of this year’s entire team, and he is counting on six wrestlers to lead on and off the mat: Spencer Cox (138), Ernie Greenwood (285), and Nygel Moore (195) have been outstanding thus far. Kyle Murphy (170), Josh Popov (126), and AJ Powell (132) are also doing well in the early going.

“All of our young men have been working hard,” said Cook. “We are still trying to determine the best person for each weight class. Some we know, and we are working on the others. The lineup we start with will change as we go forward.”

South Pointe is in a new region, which features some of last year’s teams. That said, its non-region slate will look different this year, Cook said.

“Every tournament we went to last year has been canceled,” he said. “We did keep as many quality teams for dual matches as we could. Going against that type of competition gets you ready for the playoffs.

He added, perhaps hinting at his team’s season-opening contest: “If you want to be the best, then you have to go against the best every chance you get.”

This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 11:08 AM.