Meet The State’s all-area Midlands high school wrestling team for 2024-25
A look at The State’s all-area boys and girls wrestling teams and wrestlers of the year from Midlands-area high schools for the 2024-25 season.
Top Honors
▪ Boys Wrestler of Year: Preston White, Chapin
▪ People’s Choice Wrestler of Year (Fan Vote): Kaleb McNeil, Dutch Fork
▪ Girls Wrestler of Year: Tiyanna Mack, Blythewood
▪ People’s Choice Wrestler of Year (Fan Vote): Sophia Voudouris, River Bluff
All-Area Boys Wrestling Team
——First Team——
Brenden Brazier, AC Flora: Brazier was Class 4A Upper State champion and runner-up in Class 4A 120-pound class.
Darin Brown, Richland Northeast: Brown was Class 4A Upper State champion and fourth-place finisher in state tournament at 175 pounds.
Landon Byrd, Pelion: Senior won the Class A/2A 113-pound championship after finishing runner-up in 106 pounds last year. Byrd also won the A/2A Upper State championship.
Bryant Cherry, Airport: Class 4A Lower State champion and fourth-place finisher at 215 pounds. Cherry also was a North-South All-Star selection.
Dayton Daniel, American Leadership: Third-place finisher in the Class A/2A 126-pound class at state tournament.
Cael Edwards, River Bluff: Runner-up finisher in Class 5A Upper State and state tournament at 175 pounds. Edwards also was selected for the North-South All-Star matches.
John Grove, AC Flora: Junior finished runner-up at Class 4A 165-pound division in his first season with the Falcons. Grove was a three-time champion at Heathwood Hall. He won the 4A Upper State championship.
Mekhi Hampton, Swansea: Hampton won 138-pound Class 3A Lower State championship and finished third at the state championship.
Logan Hinton, Lugoff-Elgin: Hinton won the 190-pound Class 5A Lower State championship and finished third at the state championship.
Austin Huff, Ben Lippen: Senior won his third-straight SCISA state championships by defeating Cardinal Newman’s Jack Laird in the 285-pound division. His two previous championships came at 215 pounds.
Kirby Johns, Hammond: Johns won first SCISA state championship at 215 pounds after finishing second the two previous years.
Angesom Ladd, Hammond: Ladd won second SCISA championship in three seasons after pinning Jase Reynolds to win the 120-pound title.
Carter Lirgg, Cardinal Newman: Eighth-grader won first SCISA state championship in 106-pound class.
Devin Lirgg, Gilbert: The senior won 4A Lower State championship and finished second in the 4A, 138-pound division Lirgg was a North-South All-Star selection.
Eli Lorang, Cardinal Newman: Eighth-grader captured first state championship after pinning Heathwood’s Talbert Miller to win the 113-pound title.
Desmond Macklin, Blythewood: Senior was 157-pound Class 5A Upper State runner-up and finished third at state championship.Macklin also was a North-South All-Star selection.
John Marcum, Lexington: Senior was 165-pound Class 5A Upper State runner-up and was runner-up at state tournament.
Luke Martin, Hammond: Martin won his fifth-straight SCISA championship, winning the title at 150 pounds. His other titles came at 138 (2), 113 and 106. The senior became SCISA’s all-time winningest wrestler earlier this year and he finished with 192 victories.
Kaleb McNeil, Dutch Fork: Senior won the Class 5A state championship at 175 pounds after finishing runner-up at 175 pounds last year. He also won the Upper State championship and was selected to North-South All-Star wrestling matches.
Lake Newman, Chapin: Newman finished third at 175 pounds at the Class 5A Lower State championship and at the state tournament.
Franco Pressley, Dreher: Pressley was runner-up finisher at 113 pounds in the Class 4A Upper State championship and fourth-place finisher at the state championship.
Cobin Rabon, Hammond: Sophomore won his fourth-straight SCISA championship, winning the 144-pound title.
Carson Sturgess, Mid Carolina: Freshman was runner-up at the 113-pound Class A/2A Upper State championship and second-place finisher at the state championship.
Jack Turner, Gilbert: Turner won the 113-pound Class 4A Lower State championship and was third at the state tournament.
Jason Wagner, Cardinal Newman: The junior won his 100th career match, finished second at SCISA 138 pounds after winning at 132 and 113 pounds previously.
Preston White, Chapin: The junior went 46-0 and won his third-straight Class 5A championship, this one at 120 pounds when he defeated Myrtle Beach’s Gunner Musilunas, 16-1. White’s previous two championships were at 106 and 113 pounds. He also won the Lower State championship and is the No. 1 ranked wrestler by SCMat at 120 pounds.
Colin Williams, Pelion: Williams was third-place finisher in the 165-pound division at Class A/2A Upper State championship and state tournament.
Ryker Woolstenhulme, Mid Carolina: Woolstenhulme was second-place finisher at 144 pounds in the Class A/2A Upper State championship and state tournament.
——Second Team——
106: Matthew Boland, Chapin; Mason Amaker, White Knoll; Tyler McChesney, Lugoff-Elgin; Dillan Boyer, Blythewood; Bryson Hipps, Dutch Fork; Collin Comer, Gilbert; Blake Hino, American Leadership; Josiah Guerrero, North Central; Dylan Plyler, Heathwood Hall
113: Brandon Rogers, Chapin; Titan Magee, Lugoff-Elgin; Rolland Boisvert, Blythewood; Jay Tyler Dufries, Airport; Francisco Mercarda, Richland Northeast; Jackson Jeffcoat, Swansea
120: Quentin Benjamin, Lugoff-Elgin; Patrick O’Donnell, Blythewood; Peter Vaporis, River Bluff; Dane Dillon, White Knoll; Michel Rosales, Swansea; Hayden Hutto, American Leadership; Xavier Barbossa Gomez, Fairfield Central
126: Josh Atkins, Chapin; Will Edwards, River Bluff; Wesley Heimbach, Lexington; Kintyrrion Byers, Camden; David Taylor, Keenan; Austin Crocker, Swansea; Jeremiah Alston, Mid Carolina; Eric Martinez, Fairfield Central
132: Adrian Galo, White Knoll; Rylan Griggs, Lugoff-Elgin; Noah Hays, Gilbert; Ethan Adams, AC Flora; Parker Tyner, Dreher; Landon Cunningham, Swansea; Shiloh Tindal, Pelion; Cooper Smythe, Cardinal Newman
138: Demirion Smith, Irmo; Edyan Figueroa, Blythewood; Wade Campbell, Gray Collegiate; Randal Harper, Dreher; Devonte Carter, Airport; Isaiah Dover, Pelion; Braydon Heflin, Mid Carolina; Jason Wagner, Cardinal Newman
144: Ben Bonnett, Chapin; Breydon Jennings, Lexington; Kendel Coker, Lugoff-Elgin; Anthony Culick, Gilbert; Preston Rozelle, Camden; Sauyer Geddings, Brookland-Cayce; Daniel Aguilar, Swansea; Terrell Wood, Eau Claire
150: Joshua Kubinak, Lexington; Elijah Johnson, Blythewood; Gabe Rush, Lugoff-Elgin; Hadi Jabali, Dreher; Xavier Thompson, Keenan; Chase Alley, Swansea
157; Nathaniel Nabors, Chapin; Riley Brown, River Bluff; Mike Slocum, Airport; Sawyer Wren, AC Flora; Shane Wise, Gilbert; Holden Hucks, Dreher; James Smith, Swansea; Hunter Rawl, Pelion; Brandon Tellez-Lucas, Mid Carolina; Ashton Brazell, North Central; Grayson Hawn, Heathwood Hall
165: Jacob Keisler, Chapin; Eddie Jefferson, Lugoff-Elgin; Gavin Boozer, River Bluff; Dominick Heath, Lower Richland; Timmy Lippett, Dreher; Gabe Kirsch, Swansea; Conrad Hampton, Keenan; Joey Jamison, Fairfield Central; Asher Wright, American Leadership
175: Reco Rembert, White Knoll; Jakaleb Robinson, Lugoff-Elgin; Da’vion Nathaniel, AC Flora; Patrick Larry, Swansea; Corey Campbell, Pelion; Tyrell Peters, Fairfield Central; Drake Porter, Ben Lippen
190: Carlson Kilcrease, Lexington; Johnathon Brown, Airport; Jake Stroud, Gilbert; Jerel Wine, Swansea; Richard Havens, Pelion; Steven Gadsden, Fairfield Central; Josh Wise, Batesburg-Leesville; James Lay Hammond
215: Landon Lyons, Lugoff-Elgin; Carl Palma, Lexington; Zion Johnson, Westwood; Ethan Gamble, Irmo; Willie Smith, Dreher; Inman Burkett, Gilbert; Luis Vigueras, Swansea; Joseph Taylor, Keenan; Aaron Meyers, Columbia; John Hannon, Pelion
285: Javierre Dubois, AC Flora; Tj Blakeley, Dreher; Kasiah Harkless-Adams, Swansea; Nigel Williams, Keenan; Mehki Jones, Eau Claire; Tracy Borden-Bryant, C.A. Johnson
All-Area Girls Wrestling Team
——First Team——
Grace Beeson, Lexington: The freshman won a state championship in her first season. She pinned South Florence’s Arielle Daniels at the 4:31 mark to win the 120-pound championship. Beeson also won the Upper State championship
Tiyanna Mack, Blythewood: Senior won her third-straight championship with a pin of Waccamaw’s Lanna Coleman at the 1:29 in the 130-pound class. She was named Most Outstanding Wrestler for the girls championship and is nationally ranked.
Sophia Voudouris, River Bluff: The sophomore won the 137-pound Upper State championship and finished second at state in the division.
Grace Jumper, Chapin: Jumper was runner-up at 137 pounds in Lower State championship and fourth-place finisher at state tournament.
Amy Robinson, River Bluff: Robinson won the 145-pound Lower State championship and finished third at the state tournament.
Irie Edwards, White Knoll: Edwards won the Lower State championship and was third in the state tournament at 170 pounds.
Shayanna Shell, White Knoll: The senior finished runner-up in the 190-pound class at the Lower State championship and state tournament.
Aniya Ruiz, Swansea: The sophomore pinned Greenwood’s Aislynn Castillo at the 5:19 mark to win the 235-pound championship in her first season. Ruiz also won the Lower State championship in her division.
——Second Team——
102: Malyn Gentry, River Bluff; 112: Samaiya McAllister, Ridge View. 117: Chandler Branham, White Knoll; 127: Hayden Moore, Brookland-Cayce; 132: Gracie Beaulieu, River Bluff; 142: Skyler Simmons, Airport; 147: Jazmine Williamson, Ridge View; Givyn Dyer, Airport; 157: Rory Travis, Gilbert; Kyrra Shipman-Lutz, River BluffL Audra Petroff, Blythewood; 192: Abby Ely, Blythewood; Ivorie Dublin, Spring Valley; 237: Naomi Priester, White Knoll; Savannah Parrett, River Bluff; Kennedy Mitchell, Blythewood
This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 1:55 PM.
