Rock Hill wrestling has sights set on third straight state title
The Rock Hill wrestling team is off to a tremendous start in the current season as they work toward a goal of winning the state championship for the third year in a row.
Winning a state title once is tough. Winning it two times in a row is hard, while winning it three times in a row is extremely difficult.
The last time that was accomplished was when Summerville did it in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
“You must have everything fall into place just to win it once,” said Rock Hill coach Cain Beard. “You also have to have some luck. If you win it two or three times in a row, all of those things are multiplied.”
The Bearcats are off to a good start in the quest for a third straight title. They are 13-0 in dual meets, and claimed titles in the Hillcrest and Marvin Ridge tournaments. They finished second in the Southern Slam.
Beard, who is in his ninth season as head coach, says there are a lot of factors involved in an outstanding team, but leadership is one of the most important.
The ’Cats are blessed with outstanding senior leaders, with Allan Salgado, Logan Sexton, Stephen Chesney, Jay McNeil, Darius Ellegar, and Brandon Cartier playing key roles.
“I can’t say enough about them as a group,” said Beard. “Salgado is having a super season, Sexton is as good as anyone, and Chesney is a rock solid performer. NcNeil is a strong competitor, Ellegar has worked hard and improved, and Cartier has really stepped up this season.”
Salgado is 22-0, and is happy about where he is right now.
“It feels good to be a part of this team,” said Salgado. “Nothing less than a state title is expected every year. We are like a family.”
Sexton is 21-1.
“We all worked hard in the off-season to get better,” said Sexton. “All of the team leaders have responsibilities, and we all take them seriously. We have learned over the years as we have come up in the program how to be an effective leader.”
The current senior class has an outstanding record of accomplishments. They are 136-5 in dual meets while winning two state titles and one state runner-up.
“They have done an outstanding job of competing every year they have been in the program,” said Beard. “This class has worked hard every time out, improved each year, and enjoyed great success.”
In addition to having a chance at winning three straight titles, this senior class has an opportunity to be the first to go to four straight state title matches since the Bearcats’ 2000 team.
Beard is very pleased with the outstanding start to the current campaign, but he knows his team needs to improve every time they wrestle.
“We have done well thus far,” said Beard. “However, I am always going to be critical. We are not near where we need to be. We are working on every facet every day in practice and when we are in a match.”
The Bearcats are winning by some lopsided scores, but that will not be the case all season. Beard knows he must stress to each wrestler the value of getting every point possible.
“We wrestle a lot of dual meets so that we are in a position to see how much each point means,” said Beard. “When the playoffs come, points will be at a premium, and putting our wrestlers in that situation during the season, helps us down the road.”
The ’Cats seem to be ready every year. They have outstanding leaders, good performers, a solid work ethic, and motivation.
“We are proud of our total program,” said Beard. “We have an outstanding JV program, and we get some outstanding kids from the middle schools. Some of them are ready to wrestle when they get here.”
The Bearcats next outing is Saturday at the Fred T. Foard (N.C.) Invitational Tournament. The field is strong, but that is the way Beard likes it.
“There will be some outstanding teams from North Carolina in the field as well as an excellent team from Pennsylvania,” said Beard. “We want to wrestle outstanding competition so we will be ready when the playoffs roll around.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 8:44 PM with the headline "Rock Hill wrestling has sights set on third straight state title."