Clover-Northwestern ready for playoff wrestling battle; Chester, Catawba Ridge advance

The first two rounds of the 2021-22 wrestling playoffs are complete, and five area teams are advancing to the third round on Monday.

In 5A, the Clover Blue Eagles and the Northwestern Trojans claimed wins and advanced to the next round, where they will face each other. That match will take place in the Clover High School gym at 7 p.m. on Monday. The winner will be at home in the Upper State championship on Wednesday night.

The Blue Eagles won both of their matches this past weekend in convincing fashion: They beat Ridge View 72-6 in the opening round and followed with a 62-18 decision over TL Hanna in the second.

“One of the keys for our success has been the fact that our kids are wrestling for each other,” said Clover head coach Mike Fitzgerald. “I think that we are peaking at the right time.”

The third round is a milestone for the Clover wrestling program.

“This is the farthest we have ever gotten,” Fitzgerald added. “The competition gets tougher every time you advance. Northwestern is the toughest team we have faced all season, and I look for a very competitive match.”

The Trojans, too, opened the playoffs with big wins: They first notched a 51-21 win over Gaffney. They followed that with a 39-33 victory over Dorman. (In that second round match, the Trojans built a 39-9 advantage before forfeiting the final four weight classifications.)

“We have been working all year and bringing our team along to peak at the right time,” said first-year coach Ryan Whitmore. “We have our best lineup out there right now, and we are peaking at the right time.”

He knows the third round match will be a battle.

“I have a lot of respect for Clover,” he added. “They have been climbing to get where they are right now. I expect a tough match, but that is what you get when you get this far in the postseason.”

Rock Hill, Fort Mill end seasons

The Rock Hill Bearcats and the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets saw their seasons come to an end on Saturday.

The Bearcats picked up an opening round win over Boiling Springs by a count of 45-20. Their season came to an end in the second round with a narrow 34-31 loss to Byrnes.

The Yellow Jackets had their campaign come to a close with a 45-36 loss to Blythewood in the opening round.

Catawba Ridge and Indian Land advance

In 4A, the Catawba Ridge Copperheads picked up a win and advanced. After getting a first round bye, they routed Easley 60-15.

“The kids are starting to rally around each other right now,” said Catawba Ridge head coach Allen Runyon. “We are getting better every time we go to the mat.”

The first-year head coach likes the improvement he continues to see every day.

“What we have done is a testament to the work these kids have put in,’‘ he said. “They have done everything the right way.”

The Copperheads will be at home on Monday to take on perennial power Lugoff-Elgin at 7 p.m. in the third round.

“Being at home will certainly help us,” he added. “They are a quality team, and we have to be ready in every match.”

The Indian Land Warriors traveled to Anderson and earned a pair of tough road wins. The Warriors toppled Greenville in the first round and then knocked off first-seeded and host Westside to advance to the third round. They will be at Eastside on Monday night for a 6 p.m. match.

The South Pointe Stallions traveled to Lugoff for the opening two rounds. Their season ended with a loss to Greenwood in the first round.

Chester moves on

In 3A, the Chester Cyclones picked up a pair of wins and moved to the next round of play.

The Cyclones won the opening round over Seneca by a score of 72-9. They toppled Emerald 72-12 in round two.

“We wrestled well in the first two rounds,” said Chester head coach Dennis Jensen. “We are getting healthier as the season moves along, and that has really helped us to get everyone back in the correct weight class.”

The Cyclones have overcome several obstacles thus far this season, Jensen said.

“I attribute what they have done to perseverance,” he added. “When things didn’t go right at times, they just worked harder and continued to put that work in every day.”

Chester travels to Belton-Honea Path for the third round on Monday at 6 p.m.

“They have several returning state champions,” Jensen said, “so we will have to be at our very best in every weight class.”

This story was originally published February 6, 2022 at 12:52 PM.