LowcoSports.com
A total of 13 wrestlers from northern Beaufort County qualified for the SCHSL State Championships by placing in the top four in their weight classes at the Lower State qualifying meets Friday and Saturday.
Among the baker’s dozen are four Lower State champs — Beaufort High’s Tayriq Legree (113) and Colton Phares (182) and Battery Creek’s Elmer Linares (120) and Gunnar DeGroat (152). The state championships begin Friday in Anderson. Here’s a look at how the local qualifiers got there and their path to bringing home hardware.
Tayriq Legree, BFT (Sr.)
Weight: 113
Qualifying details: Lower State champion
First-round matchup: Straton Covington, Powdersville (4th at Upper State)
Outlook: Expect a medal, but to win gold, Legree will likely have to beat two past state champions with Belton-Honea Path’s Cooper Strickland possibly awaiting in the semifinals and defending 113-pound champ Teague Strobel of West-Oak looming in the finals.
Elmer Linares, BCHS (Jr.)
Weight: 120
Qualifying details: Lower State champion
First-round matchup: Syles Woodard, Chapman (4th at Upper State)
Outlook: In his third straight trip to state, including a third-place finish at 106 as a freshman, Linares is in excellent position to medal, but he will face a challenging semifinal matchup, likely against West-Oak’s Landon Allen, who was runner-up at 120 last year.
Gunnar DeGroat, BCHS (Jr.)
Weight: 152
Qualifying details: Lower State champion
First-round matchup: Asher Roe, Belton-Honea Path (4th at Upper State)
Outlook: A fourth-place finisher at 132 as a freshman, the younger of two DeGroat brothers who qualified for Creek enters ranked second, and a showdown with West-Oak’s Cael Davis in the finals seems like a strong possibility.
Colton Phares, BFT (Sr.)
Weight: 182
Qualifying details: Lower State champion
First-round matchup: Landon Bledsoe, Fountain Inn (4th at Upper State)
Outlook: After surpassing 100 career wins last weekend, look for Phares to add the last piece of hardware needed on his resume. He is the overwhelming favorite to take gold, and it’s difficult to imagine anyone derailing one of the most determined athletes in the Lowco.
Antonio McKnight, BFT (Jr.)
Weight: 132
Qualifying details: Lower State runner-up
First-round matchup: Jackson Tilirson, Wren (3rd at Upper State)
Outlook: Despite being ranked seventh in SCMat.com’s Feb. 1 rankings, McKnight placed second at Lower State and positioned himself well to pick up a medal in his first trip. Winning his opener will be key and would lead to a matchup with Jaxton Freeman of West-Oak, last year’s third-place finisher in this weight, in the semis.
Andrew Legree, BFT (Jr.)
Weight: 152
Qualifying details: Lower State runner-up
First-round matchup: James Howard, Union Co. (3rd at Upper State)
Outlook: Legree faces another first-time qualifier in his opening match, but if he can get past that it will get more difficult with two-time placer Cael Davis of West-Oak awaiting. Nonetheless, a first-round win would put him in prime position to claim a medal.
Sam DeGroat, BCHS (Sr.)
Weight: 132
Qualifying details: 3rd at Lower State
First-round matchup: Blake Greenwood, Clinton (Upper State runner-up)
Outlook: Now a four-time qualifier, the elder DeGroat was runner-up at 113 as a sophomore and placed third at 120 last year. He is the most accomplished wrestler in the bracket, and a trip to the finals for a chance to check the last box off his list is definitely not out of the question.
Anthony Phelan, BCHS (Sr.)
Weight: 285
Qualifying details: 3rd at Lower State
First-round matchup: Qwentin Welborn, Daniel (Upper State runner-up)
Outlook: “Bronco” is a relative newcomer to the sport, but he finds himself on the state’s biggest stage and has a good shot to medal. Making it gold will be a task, though, as defending champion and 2021 runner-up Andre McFadden of Lake City would await in the semifinals.
Jack Miller, BFT (Sr.)
Weight: 138
Qualifying details: 4th at Lower State
First-round matchup: JoJo Morris, Belton-Honea Path (Upper State champion)
Outlook: Miller’s reward for qualifying for state for the first time is a matchup with two-time state champion Morris, who won at 126 as a freshman and 132 last year and is the favorite to add a third title in three years. Miller shouldn’t be overmatched by anyone else in the bracket, though, so don’t count him out of the consolation finals.
Brandon Bolles, BFT (Jr.)
Weight: 145
Qualifying details: 4th at Lower State
First-round matchup: Marcus Thaxton, West-Oak (Upper State champion)
Outlook: As first-round draws for fourth-place qualifiers go, Bolles gets a break. Thaxton is a sophomore who has qualified for the first time, but as the Upper State champ, he knocked off some tough opponents to claim that perch. Barring a big upset, Bolles will have work to do in the consolation bracket to medal.
Hunter Smith, BCHS (Sr.)
Weight: 170
Qualifying details: 4th at Lower State
First-round matchup: Damein Thaxton, West-Oak (Upper State champion)
Outlook: Another brutal first-round draw with last year’s 160-pound champion Thaxton opposite Smith to start. Only one other wrestler in the bracket has a state medal to their credit, though, so Smith looks like a strong contender to reach the consolation finals in his second trip to state.
John Bechtold, BFT (Sr.)
Weight: 195
Qualifying details: 4th at Lower State
First-round matchup: Zach Nicholson, Seneca (Upper State champion)
Outlook: Bechtold will face another senior first-time qualifier in the first round of a wide-open 195-pound bracket with only one returning state qualifier — Lower State champ Riley Hucks of Aynor — so it’s anyone’s guess who will emerge with the medals.
Jeremiah Chavez, Bridges (Soph.)
Weight: 220
Qualifying details: 4th at Lower State
First-round matchup: Martavis Mason, Ninety-Six (Upper State champion)
Outlook: The area’s only qualifier in Class 1A, Chavez has his work cut out in the first round with two-time defending 220-pound champion Mason awaiting, but aside from Mason and Lower State champion Justin Pardue of Buford, the rest of the bracket should be relatively competitive. His second match will be the key, but if Chavez gets past that, he has a shot to bring home hardware.
State Qualifers from the Lowco
Class 4A
Champions: William Jakeway, HHIHS (106); Zao Estrada, HHIHS (113); Isaiah Wysong, MR (138); Santiago Rueda, MR (152); Gabe Juarez, MR (170)
2nd: Devin Espinoza, HHIHS (170); Josh Echeverria, MR (182); Bradley Denmark, BLUF (285)
3rd: Emilio Mendoza, MR (126); Dillon Seman, MR (132); Sebastian Agnew, HHIHS (145); Shaikh Thompson, HHIHS (285)
Class 3A
Champions: Tayriq Legree, BFT (113); Elmer Linares, BCHS (120); Gunner DeGroat, BCHS (152); Colton Phares, BFT (182)
2nd: Antonio McKnight, BFT (132); Andrew Legree, BFT (152)
3rd: Sam DeGroat, BCHS (132); Anthony Phelan, BCHS (285)
4th: Jack Miller, BFT (138); Brandon Bolles, BFT (145); Hunter Smith, BCHS (170); John Bechtold, BFT (195)
Class 1A
4th: Jeremiah Chavez, Bridges (220)
