‘These kids fight for each other.’ Gilbert wrestling falls short in title match.
Gilbert High wrestling’s program has made big strides during coach Mitch Hudson’s four years.
But it left Dreher High School on Saturday without that elusive state championship. Belton-Honea Path put together seven straight wins during the middle of the Class 3A title match to defeat the Indians, 53-21.
“We thought we closed the gap a bit but we still have a ways to go,” an emotional Hudson told reporters after the match. “There is a lot more going on in the upstate than down where we are at. We are trying to get there. We got two guys in the lineup that are seniors and four others that are seniors so we got all these guys coming back. So we feel like we can close that gap even more.
“To be here is an accomplishment but you still leave with that sour feeling. That is the thing. These kids fight for each other. They do it for themselves, do it for the school. That is all you can ask.”
Hudson said he will have guys itching to start preparing for next season after the team competes in the individual state championships in two weeks. That wasn’t the case when he first arrived at the school. Winning has helped create a culture wrestlers want to be a part of now.
This was Gilbert’s third straight state wrestling championship appearance. The Indians lost to Indian Land the previous two seasons.
It was a challenge to even have a season due to COVID-19. There were no extra tournaments to help wrestlers improve and mat time was limited.
Hudson said only had one wrestler on his team missed time due to having to quarantine. But knowing the season could be halted at any point created an uneasy feeling for Hudson.
“From a coaching standpoint, it has been tough,” Hudson said. “You wake up every morning, hoping you don’t get a call. It was all kinds of stress added to routine to day-to-day coaching. The best part about it is the kids were never worried. They showed up and were ready to have a good time and do their jobs. I’m glad we were able to compete a season and get a reward out of what they put in.”
Gilbert led the match, 12-6 after wins by Grayson Keisler, Kyle Decker and Grayson Leaphart. But the Bears rattled off seven straight matches, all by pins, to take a 42-12 lead and clinch the match. It was BHP’s fifth state championship in school history and first 2012.
“We knew Gilbert is a quality program and we knew their kids would be hard-nosed,” BHP coach Chris Strickland said. “Due to COVID, scouting was tough. We learned a little bit about them but honestly, we didn’t know what they would bring to the table. I felt good about our chances.”
Results
Belton-Honea Path 54, Gilbert 21
106 - Cooper Strickland (BHP) pins Elijah Mayers (G); 113 - Asher Roe (BHP) pins Jayden Jenkins (G); 120 - Will Hendricks (BHP) pin Blake Wise (G); 126 - Joseph Morris (BHP pins. Dakota Price (G); 132 - Ethan Babb (BHP) pins Landon Bastian (G); 138 - Eli Strickland (BHP) pins Logan Cason (G); 145 - Easton Brannan (BHP) pins Harley Boatwright (G); 152 - Jackson Caulder (G) def. Will Tollison (BHP),10-8; 160 - Brenden Boatwright (G) pins Drake Ragsdale (BHP); 170 - Tyler Center (BHP) pins Grayson Dowden (G); 182 - Logan Lollis (BHP) pins Will Stroud (G); 190 - Grayson Keisler (G) pins Patrick Stone (BHP); 220 - Kyle Decker (G) def. Hayden Lawter (BHP), 6-3; 285 - Grayson Leaphart (G) Joseph Lawton (BHP), 8-4
State Wrestling Championships
Class 5A
Hillcrest 36, Summerville 33
Class 4A
Eastside 43, May River 30
Class 3A
Belton-Honea Path 54, Gilbert 21
Class 2A
Crescent 37, Bamberg-Ehrhardt 32
This story was originally published February 20, 2021 at 3:23 PM.
