10 story lines for the high school wrestling season

1. DUDLEY THREE-PEAT?

Irmo senior Tim Dudley is in the hunt to become the first three-time individual state champion in program history and the first Midlands three-time winner in Class 4A since Spring Valley’s Tyler Thompson (2004-06). Dudley went 92-2 with 69 pins in his first two seasons and has 128 career wins. He was 45-0 last season.

2. CHAPIN ON A MISSION

Chapin is on a mission under new coach Ken Wilson. The Eagles, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A by scmat.com, return six state qualifiers from a team that lost 31-27 to West-Oak in last season’s state championship match. But the team will be without Stuart Hope (three-time champion, 174 career wins) and Nate Polly (four-time state place finisher, 183 career wins).

3. CARDINALS ON THE RISE

Hammond frustrated Cardinal Newman on the SCISA wrestling scene for years, but the Cardinals have turned the tables. Cardinal Newman returns seven state champions and 13 state place finishers from a team that went 21-3 and beat Hammond in the title bout for its third straight title.

4. LEXINGTON SEEKS FIRST TITLE

Lexington, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A by scmat.com, fell short against Hillcrest in the state championship match last season. The veteran Wildcats have one goal this time around — securing the program’s first state title.

5. WHITE KNOLL MOVING UP

White Knoll has emerged as an upper-echelon Class 4A program, but the Timberwolves want to jump to elite status. The Timberwolves, No. 3 in the preseason rankings, have never made it past the third round of the state playoffs.

6. LUGOFF-ELGIN KEEPS WINNING

After winning 46 state playoff matches and six state championships at the 3A level, Lugoff-Elgin made a successful jump to 4A last season. The Demons went 23-5 and advanced to the Upper State final before losing to Hillcrest. Expectations are high again for the most consistent program in the Midlands.

7. FOUR-TIME SCISA CHAMPS?

Hammond’s Gervais Baker and Heathwood Hall’s Fripp Prioleau are looking to become four-time SCISA champions. Baker started his run as a freshman at 103 pounds, followed by wins at 112 in 2010 and at 125 a year ago. Prioleau, a four-time finalist, has earned gold medals at 125, 130 and 135 after claiming runner-up honors at 103 as an eighth-grader in 2008.

8. COLUMBIA DUO ON A ROLL

Columbia’s Randy Medina and Nate Harper made it to the Class 2A-1A individual state finals last season — a first for the Capitals. The senior duo is focused on another first — two state champs in the same season. Medina became the state winner at 125 last year, while Harper won silver at 140.

9. CAN LACKEY, GOSSETT REPEAT?

White Knoll’s Jamal Lackey and Asa Gossett won state championships and broke the 50-win barrier last season. It was the first time two Timberwolves bagged gold medals in the same season. Lackey and Gossett return hope to become the first WK men to win back-to-back titles in consecutive seasons.

10. GILBERT’S LEITNER PLANS ENCORE

Last year, Gilbert freshman Madison Leitner became the first state champion in program history, pulling off an unexpected three-pin sweep at the state tournament to secure 103 pound honors in Class 2A-1A.