Clover wrestling’s run ends in Upper State finals, but not before making history

The Clover wrestling team enjoyed history throughout 2021-22.

The Blue Eagles won their second straight Region 3-5A title and moved through the postseason until they were eliminated by Hillcrest in the Upper State championship. It was Clover’s first appearance ever in the Upper State title match.

Mike Fitzgerald started the Clover program 19 years ago and has seen a ton of success the last two years. The last two seasons, he said, have been what he is hoping will be the norm for the Blue Eagles.

“Our goals are always the same every year,” said Fitzgerald. “We want to win the region and advance in the playoffs as far as possible.”

He also staked out his plan to improve the program.

“I have some excellent assistant coaches,” he added. “We all took several players and worked with them to improve their skills and develop new ones. We evaluated strengths and weaknesses, and worked from there to build this year’s team.”

That plan included participating in some quality tournaments to get his squad ready.

“We played in some very good tournaments during the year,” he said. “We have good kids and they recognized the value of participating in those tournaments. We wanted to play the best competition available to develop our team.”

The Blue Eagles had 10 seniors this year, and they all worked hard as team leaders.

“They took ownership of this team,” he added. “They were outstanding role models for the entire team.”

The Blue Eagles had four captains during the past campaign. They were Will Grice (160), Yannis Charles (145), Enoch Long (138), and Carson Enix (132).

“They were the strength of the team,” he said. “They knew the program, the culture and the expectations. They helped with the mental preparation.”

Some of the underclassmen from last year’s team got valuable experience a year ago, and they stepped in and performed well this past season.

“One of the reasons we did so well was the development of our younger players,” he added. “Michael Tomko (152), Jayden Bryant (170) and Nicholas Mackins (195) really came on strong this season.”

The Blue Eagles season was not without problems. They had a short bout with COVID-19, but got through it with hard work and perseverance.

“We made it through that period,” he said. “Once we got over that and got all of our wrestlers back on the mat, we were in good shape.”

Fitzgerald was obviously pleased with the development of this year’s team, but he is not resting on what happened the past two years. He is already looking at next year.

“We will have to replace some quality performers, but we have some excellent wrestlers returning,” he said. “Our JV program is very strong, and we have outstanding coaches there and at the middle school level.”

One thing that he has been able to instill in his program is the proper culture. And though the Blue Eagles did not achieve the desired outcome, Fitzgerald said he was most pleased with what his team accomplished.

“We took another step up the ladder this season,” the veteran coach added. “Hard work by the players got us there.”

Fitzgerald looked back from the very beginning to where the program is now, and he sees tremendous growth and improvement.

“When we started our program, we were looking up at Rock Hill and Fort Mill,” he said. “Both programs were excellent and had outstanding coaches. That is what we wanted to be like.”

And now the Blue Eagles are among those programs.

But Fitzgerald doesn’t accept the credit.

“This is not my program. This is Clover’s program,” he added. “I am just a steward for right now. I am proud of what this program has accomplished for the school and the community.”