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In or out?
That's what the Loris wrestling team will find out Thursday when Hanahan's appeal of a previous ruling will be heard by the S.C. High School League's Executive Committee in Columbia.
The Lions are waiting to find out if they will be allowed to wrestle in the Class AA Duals Wrestling state championship match against Woodruff.
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"The hearing is at 8 a.m., and I will be down there for it," Loris coach Thomas Britt said Tuesday.
Hanahan, which beat Loris 34-33 in the Lower State championship last Wednesday, was ruled the next day to have used a wrestler in a weight class for which he was ineligible and was forced to forfeit that wrestler's victory in the Lower State match. The change in scoring gave Loris a 39-31 victory, but Hanahan and Berkeley County School District officials decided to fight the ruling by SCHSL commissioner Jerome Singleton and obtained a court injunction to halt the state championship match until the hearing.
"[Hanahan officials] are arguing the rules were not clearly defined in the high school league's handbook,'' Britt said. "These are rules we were given at the coaches clinics over the summer and fall and they are sent out to all high school coaches by e-mail."
Britt said the e-mail sent to coaches regarding the rule included Hanahan coach Ray Adkins' address.
"I think he is conceding he has gotten it, but the two points they are arguing is whether it is binding by sending it out over e-mail and that it is not directly in the handbook." Britt said. "I would be very discouraged if [the committee] overturns the ruling because these rules are in place to protect the wrestlers. But when lawyers get involved, anything can happen."
Britt said Loris athletic director Barry Brooks and himself will be in attendance for the appeal but they will not be directly involved.
Whatever the outcome, Britt said the AA state championship match with Woodruff will be Thursday night at an undetermined site, most likely in the Columbia area.
If the Lions maintain their spot in the state title match, Britt said the team will bus to Columbia that afternoon for the evening match.
"We are practicing like we will be wrestling in the state championship," said Britt, who has been a wrestling coach at the school for nine years and the head coach for seven.
The need to push forward with the duals state championship match is because of the individual portion of the wrestling state championships. The AA Lower State individual tournament is Friday and Saturday at Aynor. Action begins at 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday.
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