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Fort Mill takes title at wrestling tourney

By Mac Banks
(Rock Hill) Herald correspondent

For the second time this season, the Fort Mill High wrestling team has won a tournament title.

After winning the Dorman Duals in December, the Jackets won the Border Wars Invitational tournament at South Pointe High on Saturday in dominating fashion by crowning five different winners.

The nine-team tournament featured both Northwestern and South Pointe locally, as well as Chesterfield, Lugoff-Elgin and Charleston's Fort Dorchester, and Weddington and Cox Mill from North Carolina.

The Jackets scored 208.5 points, besting second-place finisher Lugoff-Elgin by 38.5 points.

Fort Mill brought 12 wrestlers to the tournament and sent seven to the finals and four to the consolation finals. Two of those - Malik Long and Eddie Byrums - placed third.

"That is pretty good," said Jackets head coach Chris Brock. "I had concerns because we are missing three guys and we are a better duals team than a tournament team."

Fort Mill had just two wrestlers lose in the finals. The first was Jake Strong, who was pinned by South Pointe's Charlie Keesee in the second period at 120 pounds. The other was at 126 pounds, where South Pointe's Mike Miller beat Fort Mill's Seth Frase 6-2.

Fort Mill picked up its first winner at 145 pounds in Nick Leitten, who beat Chesterfield's Travis Hinson 13-3.

A fill-in for Fort Mill who surprised some was Drew Murphy, who went 4-0 in the tournament and got wins by pin fall in each of his matches. Murphy pinned Weddington's Evan Lloyd in the 160-pounds final in the second period.

"I am happy for him," Brock said. "For him to step -in and do what he did, says a lot about his accountability."

At the 170-pound final, the Jackets' Drew Cunningham beat South Pointe's Ben Strong 13-8. At 182-pounds, Fort Mill's Nick Sinicrope beat the Stallions' Corey Morgan, pinning him in the second period.

Fort Mill finished its winning ways in the heavyweight match when Zach Dulcie pinned Weddington's Zack Cooper in the second period.

South Pointe head coach Eddie Cook said the tournament ran smoothly, but his team, which finished third, didn't.

The Stallions had a shot at second place but didn't fare well in the heavier weight classes and finished with 152.5 points.

"We have been getting better," Cook said. "The holidays gave us some good mat time."

Besides Keesee and Miller winning titles, the Stallions' Will Irby beat Cox Mill's Kyle Ocker 6-2 in the 132-pound championship.

South Pointe also had some third-place finishers as Cameron Pike won at 138 pounds and Marc Holley won at heavyweight, both in the consolation finals.

Northwestern finished sixth in the tournament with 77 points.

The Trojans had just one wrestler make it to the finals and had four wrestlers finish third.


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