Three wrestlers bring home state titles

Three of six local wrestlers finalists from York and Chester counties won state wrestling championships Saturday.

Rock Hill’s Alan Salgado (heavyweight), Fort Mill’s A.J. Leitten (138) and South Pointe’s Rodrick Whitlock (132) won their respective weight classes.

Salgado defeated defending state champion John Simpson from Fort Dorchester. Salgado won 3-2 getting a takedown in the final period. With the win, Salgado finished undefeated at 72-0, tying the state record for most wins in a season.

Salgado said the record was nice, but not as important as the title.

“I have been working on my stamina all year, because he obviously had the size advantage,” he said. “I just had to attack, attack, attack. Winning a state title was more important than getting a record.”

Rock Hillcoach Cain Beard said he was glad to see Salgado win after having to wait his turn to get a chance to wrestle behind other heavyweights that were ahead of him in the program.

“He has had a really good two-year run,” Beard said.

Leitten had an easier time, and like Salgado, finished the season undefeated.

The junior became the sixth wrestler in Fort Mill history to win two state titles and the fifth one to do it in back-to-back fashion. It was the Jackets’ 12th consecutive year bringing home a state champion.

Leitten cruised to a 11-1 win over Dorman’s Nick Caspio and gave up two points the entire tournament.

“He doesn’t open up much, so I had to get home going,” Leitten said. “I rode him tough. It was the best match I wrestled all year. There wasn’t one point in that match that I though I might lose.”

South Pointe brought three wrestlers to the 3A tournament and had all three place with Whitlock getting an 7-1 win over Belton-Honea Path grappler Trevor Mansfield.

“I was nervous and I knew he was tough,” Whitlock said. “I just knew if I wrestled my match, I would win.”

Three other regional wrestlers finished second.

Nation Ford’s Dalen Byerley finished second falling to Westwood’s Evan Carrigan 7-2 at 132-pounds. Chester’s had both of the Williams twins make it to the finals in the 3A tournament at 152 and 160-pounds. Caymen Williams was pinned in the second period and Cardan Williams lost 4-3.

Several local wrestlers finished third. Nation Ford’s Jeremy Kishbaugh battled back from losing his first match to pin the same wrestler he originally lost to – Tito Colon from Goose Creek – at 106 pounds. Fort Mill’s John Brotemarkle came back to win two matches on day two of the tournament to finish third, beating Mauldin’s Thomas Druckenmiller (3-2) at 113-pounds.

South Pointe’s Tarrik Beaulieu finished third at 152-pounds in the 3A tournament with a 2-1 win over Pickens’ Austin Brezeale.

Indian Land, with four wrestlers to the 2A tournament, had two third-place finishers – Kyle Daley at 132 pounds and Will Van Hoose at 195 pounds. Daley beat Marion’s Troy Vick-Timmons (8-3) and Van Hoose won over Liberty’s Breck Dismukes.

Fourth-place finishers were: Tomas Seamon of Indian Land, Steven Hamilton of Fort Mill York’s Zeke Bean, Lancaster’s Tyri Brown-Washington and South Pointe’s Nathan Stroud, in their respective levels.

This story was originally published February 27, 2016 at 7:50 PM with the headline "Three wrestlers bring home state titles."