Wrestling playoffs set! Clover, Northwestern, other Rock Hill-area teams eye title run

The regular season is now complete, and the opening two rounds of the 2021-22 South Carolina wrestling playoffs are set for this Saturday in all classifications.

Here’s everything you need to know before the consequential weekend of wrestling begins.

Clover wrestling sustains success in Region 3-5A

The Clover Blue Eagles claimed their second straight Region 3-5A title this season. They were dominant in all four of their region wins against Fort Mill, Nation Ford, Gaffney and Boiling Springs. Fort Mill was second at 3-1 with Boiling Springs, Gaffney and Nation Ford completing the region.

The Blue Eagles host the first two rounds. They will take on Ridge View in the first round, and a win will pit them against the winner of the TL Hanna-Riverside match in the second round.

“We are getting our best wrestling of the year right now,” said Clover head coach Mike Fitzgerald. “We are peaking at the right time, and we have a lot of momentum heading into the playoffs. The competition is tougher so we must stay focused on each match.”

Back to back region titles — the first two in program history — have given the Blue Eagles confidence as they move into the postseason.

“We lost some quality wrestlers from a year ago,” added Fitzgerald. “However, we got good leadership from our returning veterans, and we had some young kids step up and do very well.”

The bracket shows that the Blue Eagles will be at home as long as they continue to win. The Blue Eagles made it to the second round last year before being eliminated.

“Our crowd has been great all season,’‘ added Fitzgerald. “They are electric, and our wrestlers really feed off of their enthusiasm.”

The Fort Mill Yellow Jackets go to Hillcrest where they will face Blythewood in the first round. If they win they get the winner of the Spartanburg-Hillcrest match in the second round. Fort Mill made the playoffs last year, but they lost in the first round.

Northwestern wrestling take Region 4-5A crown again

The Northwestern Trojans won the Region 4-5A crown for the second straight season. They toppled Blythewood, Ridge View and Spring Valley in convincing fashion. When they defeated the Rock Hill Bearcats 43-27, they earned the title with a 4-0 mark. Rock Hill was second at 3-1, with Blythewood, Ridge View and Spring Valley completing the region.

Northwestern will host the first two rounds on Saturday. They will take on Gaffney in the first round. With a win, they will go against the winner of the Woodmont-Dorman match in the second round.

“We have a great group of kids this year,” said first-year head coach Ryan Whitmore. “We want to do things the right way, and they bought in from day one.”

The Trojans, who had an historic year before losing in the third round of the playoffs in 2021, stepped it up for the second straight campaign during the regular season.

“We have had tremendous leadership all season,” he added. “We are building a program and not just a team.”

Wrestling at home is a great reward for a good year to date, too.

“Our fans have been great all season,” he said. “We just seem to have a lot of fun when we are at home because we know we are going to get tremendous support.”

The Rock Hill Bearcats will travel to Byrnes where they will go against Boiling Springs in the first round. A win gets them to the second round against the Mauldin-Byrnes winner. The Bearcats, who are perennial playoff participants, lost in the opening round last year.

Region 3-4A: Catawba Ridge on the come-up

The Catawba Ridge Copperheads won the Region 3-4A title with a record of 4-0. The Copperheads got solid wins against the South Pointe Stallions, the York Cougars and the Lancaster Bruins — but it was their 39-38 win over the Indian Land Warriors that gave them the region title.

Indian Land finished second at 3-1, with South Pointe going 2-2. York and Lancaster completed the region, but neither made the postseason.

Catawba Ridge will host the first two rounds. They earned a bye in the opening round. They take on the winner of the Easley-AC Flora match in the second round.

“The guys get all of the credit for what we have done thus far,” said first-year head coach Allen Runyon. “They have worked extremely hard and bought into the system completely.”

The Copperheads did not make the playoffs a year ago, so they are looking forward to this year’s postseason.

“These wrestlers have earned everything thus far with hard work,” he added. “The playoffs are a great opportunity for our young program to improve.”

He added: “We have a great atmosphere when we play at home. Our fans really get into it, and we feed off of their energy.”

Indian Land travels to Westside to take on Greenville in the opening round. A win would put them against Westside in the second round. The Warriors are no strangers to the playoffs: After winning back to back state titles in 2019 and 2020, they made it to the third round last year before being eliminated.

South Pointe goes to Lugoff-Elgin to face Greenwood in the first round. If they win they will battle Lugoff-Elgin for the right to move to the third round. The Stallions have also been in many playoffs in the past. Last year they lost in the opening round.

Region 4-3A still belongs to Chester wrestling

The Chester Cyclones won the Region 4-3A regular season title with a perfect mark of 4-0. They routed Keenan, Lower Richland and Fairfield Central. The key to the region title was a 39-36 victory over Mid-Carolina, which finished second at 3-1 in region play. Keenan, Fairfield Central and Lower Richland completed the region.

The Cyclones will be at home for the first two rounds. They will take on Seneca in the opening round. A win there would send them against the winner of the Emerald-Blue Ridge match with the winner advancing to the third round.

“We have a very good group of seniors this year,” said Chester head coach Dennis Jensen. “We feel like we are peaking at the right time.”

The Cyclones won the region title a year ago, but lost to West Oak in the opening round.

“The brackets are back to normal this year with four teams from each region competing,” added Jensen. “We feel confident in our ability right now.”

Playing at home in the first two rounds will certainly help.

“We like being at home with our crowd behind us,“ he added. “We just need to continue to work hard every day to get better.”

State playoff pairings

Check the SCHSL website for a full list at the 5A, 4A and 3A wrestling brackets.

This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 10:00 AM.