Reigning SCISA kingpin Cardinal Newman continues to headline the Midlands small-school scene. The Cardinal went 9-3 in December against a mix of independent and public school competition and won their own holiday traditional tournament.
Jake Wilson and Billy Solomon were the CN stars in the first month of the campaign. Wilson, ranked No. 1 in SCISA at 182 pounds by scmat.com, had an 8-1 record, while Solomon was 10-3 at 220 and was named the MOW in the upper weights at the Wade Hampton Duals.
Gilbert is ranked No. 8 in HSL Class 2A, and went 6-9 in duals against some good competition. That may have been a bit disappointing, but the Indians tempered that with some impressive individual showings in the first month of the season.
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Sophomore Madison Leitner is at the top of the list with an 18-6 record at 113 pounds. Leitner, who won a state title at 103 last season, is currently ranked No. 1 at his new weight. Nathan Brazel (20-5 at 103), J.P. Moody (20-6 at 120), Matt Risinger (21-5 at 152), Austin Shealy (24-5) and Chris Dyer (25-2 at 170) were the other busy and successful Gilbert performers in the first month of the season.
Pelion had a 3-8 duals showing in December but a number of individuals had winning marks prior to the holiday break, including Preston Guess (10-8 at 106), Barry Padgett (12-6 at 113), Jacob Huggins (14-3 at 145), Mark Vuocolo (9-8 at 182) and Nathan Middleswarth (11-8 at 285). Huggins, a team captain, had the best Panthers finish at the Cardinal Newman tournament, picking up a silver medal for a second-place finish.
Eau Claire is off to a solid 7-4 start in dual matters, and four Shamrocks have been outstanding individually. DeAndre Griffin, Antonio Ashford and Carlos Dubois are all 11-0, while Demetric Tucker is 10-1.
“We are very pleased with where the program is going, and the work our wrestlers are putting in to become good wrestlers,” said EC coach Belton Goodwin. “We ask only three things from the guys - give 110% effort, show good sportsmanship and have fun.”
Keenan spent most of December honing their skills in the wrestling room, not in competition. In fact, the Raiders have only seen action in three dual meets. Jemeal Matthews (220) and heavyweight Morris Williams are both 3-0.
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