With the 2006 SC 3A State Wrestling Duals Tournament starting this week, SCMAT is here to give you a breakdown of the Brackets and provide our view of the eventual predicted winner.  So, here we go with this year’s 3A Dual State Title predictions!

 

Let’s start with some recognition of the Coaches that have brought their teams this far!

 

Coaches for the 16 teams in the 2006 SC 3A State Wrestling Duals Tournament

Airport                         Ray Grigsby

Belton-Honea Path       Russell Blackston

Bluffton                        John Holman

Carolina Forest             Bill Mayer

Chapin                         Scott Harmon

Chester                        Ricky Campbell

Clover                          Michael Fitzgerald

Eastside                        Jack Kosmicki

Greenville                     Russ Howard

Lake City                     Kevin Graham

Lugoff-Elgin                  Kevin Knoerr

Marion                         Michael Steinbar

North Myrtle Beach      Charlie Clay

Seneca                         Jim Wiles

Timberland                   Richard Kirkland

Travelers Rest              Mark Holliday

 

 

Now for some bracketology!!

 

Round 1 (2-6-06) Bracket Breakdowns

Upper State

#8 Clover at #1 Lugoff-Elgin

Lugoff-Elgin is admittedly the “nice surprise” team of the year.  Just when everyone thought Eastside would run away with it in another boring year of dominance, in comes Lugoff-Elgin (and North Myrtle Beach) to change our mind.  Most every one expected Lugoff-Elgin to be one notch off of a serious title threat.  After defeating several powerhouse teams this year, like Dutch Fork and Chesterfield, we are all believers that Lugoff-Elgin may just have a shot at ousting Eastside in the Upper State Finals (if they both get that far).  Coach Knoerr came from Edisto several years ago after former L-E head coach Tim Wash moved up to take over Rock Hill’s program in 2000-2001.  After leading L-E to the state title in 2003, Knoerr found an awakened giant in Eastside the last 3 years and no one has dared to think that any team could knock Eastside off this year, the expected peak of their three year reign.  But, North Myrtle Beach and Lugoff-Elgin have very good shots at doing it.  Clover’s team will have several solid wrestlers, especially 112 lbs. Tyler McElhaney.  But this match will be all Lugoff’s with highly ranked leaders such as Deral Brown, Tim Graham and Lance McClester.

SCMAT Prediction – Lugoff-Elgin

 

#5 Chester at #4 Greenville

Chester has also wrestled well this year, lead by Sean Griffin.  They will have a slight advantage over Greenville based on experience, but Greenville has two factors that make them a likely first round Cinderella team – home crowd advantage and Coach Howard on their side.  Coach Russ Howard came over from Byrnes last year where he built one of the strongest 4A programs in the state.  One of the leaders of the Greenville team is Will Kimbrell, but they won’t quite have the experience to secure this team victory.

SCMAT Prediction – Chester

 

#7 Travelers Rest at #2 Eastside                           

Eastside is led by a cast of decorated stars - Eddie Coles (2005 summer NHSCA National Open - 93 lbs - finishing 1st in the nation), Bryce Martin, Corbin Martin, Cody Etheredge, Matt Leach (All-American at Junior Nationals - 125 lbs - finishing 4th in the nation and All-American at NHSCA National Open - 125 lbs - finishing 4th in the nation) and JC Oddo (Fargo Nationals summer 2005 in Freestyle 171 lbs 3rd Place, All-American Honors).  Travelers Rest will likely have it’s toughest match of the season at Eastside.

SCMAT Prediction – Eastside

 

#6 Seneca at #3 Belton-Honea Path  

Getty Washington of Belton-Honea Path has led a steady climb up for BHP and a hungry Seneca team comes in with Mitchell Greer and Nathan Sheriff.  BHP will win this with experience, depth and home court fans.

SCMAT Prediction – Belton-Honea Path  

 

 

Lower State

#8 Timberland at #1 North Myrtle Beach 

North Myrtle Beach  comes in loaded with Hayden Cavender, T.T. Prayther, Universal Prayther, Jon Silverberg and Chip Hester.  Coach Charlie Clay has NMB ready to comfortably win every Lower State match and then have one big match Saturday at 2:00 pm in Orangeburg.  Now it’s a a matter of who they will face – Eastside or Lugoff?

SCMAT Prediction – North Myrtle Beach 

 

#5 Carolina Forest at #4 Lake City          

This match up should be very interesting.  Lake City brings Jonathon Huge and Jeremy Scott to the mat to try and secure a win.  Carolina Forest has Randy Mathews and Brian Grazetti to send them to round two.  It will be Lake City winning this one.

SCMAT Prediction – Lake City

 

#7 Airport at #2 Bluffton

Airport came on strong this past Friday to oust Dreher and Brookland Cayce out of the playoffs for the final region spot after all three ended up tied for 2nd in the region.  Rane Fulmer leads Airport through this late season surge.  Nick Shappee of Bluffton will be leading another team on a surge, and we believe Bluffton has the lineup to win this one and advance.  Being at home for Bluffton helps, given the long drive Airport will have to make.

SCMAT Prediction – Bluffton

 

#6 Marion at #3 Chapin

Marion has impressed a number of coaches this year and they have steadily improved all year.  Chapin has not quite found the healthy lineup to put it all together consistently.  With Tim Marcum and Jamie Turner of Marion leading their effort to advance, it will take all of Chapin’s talents in Drew Adamson, Casey Lathren and Drew Conroy to knocked them off the steady climb Marion has displayed.  Chapin wins though based on the experience of being in the State Finals last year.

SCMAT Prediction – Chapin

 

 

Round 2 (2-8-06) - SCMAT Predictions

Upper State

Chester at Lugoff-Elgin

SCMAT Prediction – Lugoff-Elgin

 

Belton-Honea Path at Eastside

SCMAT Prediction – Eastside

 

Lower State

Lake City at North Myrtle Beach

SCMAT Prediction – North Myrtle Beach

 

Chapin at Bluffton

SCMAT Prediction – Bluffton

 

 

Round 3 (Saturday, 2-11-06 at 10:00 a.m.) - SCMAT Predictions (Semi-Finals)

at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School

 

Upper State Finals – Eastside vs. Lugoff-Elgin

SCMAT Prediction – Eastside

 

Lower State Finals – North Myrtle Beach vs. Bluffton

SCMAT Prediction – North Myrtle Beach

 

 

Round 4 (Saturday, 2-11-06 at 2:00 p.m.) - SCMAT Predictions (State Finals)

at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School

 

State Finals – Eastside vs. North Myrtle Beach

SCMAT Prediction – Eastside

 

 

Brackets for the last five SC 3A State Wrestling Duals Tournaments ---

 

2005 SC 3A State Wrestling Duals Tournament results –

http://www.schsl.org/2004%20brackets/wr%20aaa.htm

 

2004 SC 3A State Wrestling Duals Tournament results –

http://www.schsl.org/2003%20Brackets/wr%20aaa.htm

 

2003 SC 3A State Wrestling Duals Tournament results –

http://www.schsl.org/2002%20Brackets/02WR3.htm

 

2002 SC 3A State Wrestling Duals Tournament results –

http://www.schsl.org/brackets/01WR3.htm

 

2001 SC 3A State Wrestling Duals Tournament results –

http://www.schsl.org/2000/00wr3a.htm

 

 

A History of the SC 3A State Wrestling Tournament

State Title determined by Duals Championship -

2006 - TBD 2-11-06

2005 Eastside 46, Chapin 24                            (Jack Kosmicki, Scott Harmon)

2004 Eastside 59, Lake City 12                        (Jack Kosmicki, Mark Tillotson)

2003 Lugoff-Elgin 58, Carolina Forest 20         (Kevin Knoerr, Bill Mayer)

2002 Eastside 36, Lugoff-Elgin 30                    (Jack Kosmicki, Kevin Knoerr)

2001 Lugoff-Elgin 51, Seneca 14                      (Joe Connell, Andy Smyth)

2000 Eastside 31, Lugoff-Elgin 27                    (Jack Kosmicki, Tim Wash)

1999 Lugoff-Elgin 39, Eastside 25                    (Tim Wash, Jack Kosmicki)

1998 Lugoff-Elgin 48, Fort Mill 12                   (Tim Wash, ?)

1997 Lugoff-Elgin 59, Seneca 7                        (Tim Wash, Andy Smyth)

1996 Battery Creek 34, Dutch Fork 20            (Nathan Day, B.D. LaPrad)

1995 Battery Creek 36, Lugoff-Elgin 19           (Nathan Day, Tim Wash)

1994 Battery Creek 37, Eastside 27                 (Nathan Day, Ed Coles)

 

State Title determined by Team Points Championship -

1993 James Island Nelson Huggins 119 - 98½ Eastside Ed Coles

1992 Belton-Honea Path John Abercrombie 130½ -89½ Lugoff-Elgin Tim Wash

1991 Battery Creek Nathan Day 98 - 80 Swansea Jeff Slagle

1990 Swansea Jeff Slagle 114½ -81½ Lugoff-Elgin Eddie Whitt

1989 Swansea Jeff Slagle 119½ - 119 Dreher Joe Soltish

1988 Dreher Joe Soltish 111½ -78½ Belton-Honea Path John Abercrombie

1987 Belton-Honea Path John Abercrombie 80 - 76 Hanahan Randy Learn

1986 Swansea Jeff Slagle 93 - 78 Camden John Thompson

1985 Swansea Jeff Slagle 91½ - 81½ Belton-Honea Path John Abercrombie

1984 St. Andrews Ed Coles 139½ - 35 J. F. Byrnes Roy Turner

1983 Belton-Honea Path John Abercrombie 91 - 81 St. Andrews Ed Coles

1982 St. Andrews Ed Coles 157½ - 37 Fort Johnson Mark Agner

1981 J. F. Byrnes Tim Ramaley 188-130½ Fort Johnson Mark Agner

1980 Fort Johnson Mark Agner 110 - 92 Mauldin Stan Hopkins

1979 Bonds-Wilson Mike Casey 110 - 92 Fort Johnson Mark Agner

1978 Greer Steve Woodward 96½ - 89 James Island Albert Spalviero

 

(All Classifications 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A together)

1977 Airport Jim Barnes 122 - 80 Bonds-Wilson James E. Cox

1976 Airport Jim Barnes 75 ½ - 68 Fort Johnson Chester Willis

1975 Lower Richland Rudolph Cooper 73 - 57 Airport Jim Barnes

1974 Lower Richland Rudolph Cooper 55 - 41 ½ Summerville Jim Flowers

1973 Lower Richland Rudolph Cooper 65 ½ - 35 Union Jim Barnes

1972 Lower Richland William Tourek 48 - 41 ½ Bishop England Jack Cantey

1971 Fort Johnson M. Leroy Jackson 56 - 53 Brookland Cayce John Checkovich

1970 St. Andrews Rusty Hamilton 113 - 61 James Island Edward Hertwig

1969 St. Andrews Rusty Hamilton 130 - 93 James Island Edward Hertwig

 

 

Best wishes to all 16 teams that are competing in this year’s 3A State Wrestling Duals Tournament!

 

 

 

Article by Mark Buford

Wrestling USA Magazine’s SC State Editor