7 area wrestlers earn all-state honors
By Justin Jarrett
LowcoSports.com
The journey didn’t end in the ultimate glory for any of the northern Beaufort County wrestlers who ventured to Florence Center for the SCHSL State Championships on Friday and Saturday, but seven area wrestlers traversed far enough to earn top-four finishes and all-state honors in the largest state wrestling tournament ever seen in the Palmetto State.
A trio of Beaufort-area wrestlers finished just short of the top of the podium, as Bridges Prep senior Jeremiah Chavez placed second at 285 pounds in Class 2A, while Beaufort’s Colton Freeman was the Class 4A runner-up at 190, and Beaufort’s Olesya Mullins placed second at 105 pounds in the girls all-class division.
Two more wrestlers placed third — Beaufort’s Antonio McKnight at 144 and Bridges Prep’s Ali Jenkins at 175 — navigating the 16-man bracket with only one loss, while Bridges Prep’s Kevin Summers placed fourth at 165, and Malik Moutrie was Whale Branch’s lone all-state representative, finishing fourth at 215.
In Class 4A, Hilton Head Island’s Bryce Stephenson (113) and Bluffton’s Gabe Fulton (165) won state titles, and May River’s Blake Butler (150) and Josh Echeverria (175) won gold and helped the Sharks earn a share of the traditional state title with South Pointe. May River won the dual state championship two weeks earlier.
Bluffton senior Jada Lawrence also finished atop the podium in the 145-pound girls bracket, claiming her third consecutive state title.
SCHSL Wrestling State Championships
At Florence Center
Here are all of the Beaufort County wrestlers who earned all-state honors with top-four finishes in their brackets at the SCHSL State Championships, held Friday and Saturday at Florence Center.
Champions
Bryce Stephenson, HH (4A 113)
Blake Butler, MR (4A 150)
Gabe Fulton, BLUF (4A 165)
Josh Echeverria, MR (4A 175)
Jada Lawrence, BLUF (Girls 145)
2nd Place
Colton Freeman, BFT (4A 190)
Jeremiah Chavez, BP (2A 285)
Olesya Mullins, BFT (Girls 105)
3rd Place
Stephano Calderon, MR (4A 106)
Marcus Foulk, MR (4A 120)
Thomas Brough, MR (4A 138)
Antonio McKnight, BFT (4A 144)
Ali Jenkins, BP (2A 175)
Jourdyn Mootry, HH (Girls 130)
Makayla Hinckey, HH (Girls 155)
4th Place
Kevin Summers, BP (2A 165)
Malik Moultrie, WB (2A 215)
