BLACKSBURG, SC - The number five was an important one for the Chesnee baseball team on Wednesday night as they used two five run innings to defeat the homestanding Blacksburg Wildcats 10-0 in five innings.
A key in the game for Chesnee was keeping the Wildcats off the scoreboard and that was in large part due to the performance from starting pitcher Kohan Orr who went all five innings allowing one hit and striking out nine batters. He also had a good night at the plate going two of four with an RBI and a run scored. While Orr was dealing from the mound, his teammates had their first big inning in the top of the third inning as they scored five runs to take an early 5-0 lead. Kyle Martin and Carson Gossett both walked with one out and advanced to second and third bases on a passed ball, Orr helped his own cause by getting a single to left field scoring both runners to take a 2-0 lead. Orr later stole third base and scored on an error to push the lead to 3-0 over the Wildcats. After Orr scored, Tucker Johnson worked a five pitch walk before moving to second base on a Paul Martin single to right field and scoring on an Aiden Greene singled to centerfield. Daniel Wease scored Martin to make the score 5-0 in favor of the Eagles on a single up the middle to end the Chesnee scoring in the third inning. In the top of the fifth inning, Johnson, Martin, and Greene began the inning with walks to load the bases with no outs. Zaiden Hammett added two runs to the Eagles column when he singled to centerfield allowing both Johnson and Martin to score to put the lead at 7-0 over the Wildcats. Wease got his second and third RBIs of the game when he singled to centerfield scoring both Greene and Hammett to put the lead at 9-0 in favor of Chesnee. Chesnee made the lead 10-0 over Blacksburg later on a fielder's choice that allowed Wease to score for the final runs of the game. After a walk to start the bottom of the fifth inning, Orr pitched around the walk sealing the victory with a groundout, pop fly to third base, and a flyball to right field. The Eagles got a big game from left fielder Daniel Wease as he went two for three at the plate picking up three RBIs and also scoring a run. Zaiden Hammett also had a good night at the plate one for three with two RBIs and a run scored. With the win the Eagles improve to 3-0 in region play this season and will look to keep those winning ways going as they will be back in action on Thursday night as they host the same Blacksburg team in another region matchup. LIBERTY, SC - The Chesnee softball team went on the road and picked up their second region win in as many days as they downed the Liberty12-2 on Wednesday evening.
Jada Sellars drove in the first run for the Eagles in the top of the first inning while Harley Grady and Claire Owens each drove in runs on fielder choices. The Eagles exploded for nine runs in the top of the fifth inning to pull away from the Red Devils. Ansley Blanton and Claire Owens each drove in a run with a RBI single as Natalie Morris hit a pair of RBI singles in the inning. Skylar Barrett delivered the big blow of the inning with a three RBI double. The Eagles also plated two more runs on errors. Chesnee's Bella Rollins picked up the win as she threw a complete game scattering four hits while striking out three and surrendering just one earned run. Chesnee will return to action on Thursday night as they travel to Chapman in a matchup of county rivals with first pitch set for 7:30 PM. CHESNEE, SC - The Chesnee softball team opened up region play with an impressive 8-1 victory over the Landrum in front of the home crowd on Tuesday night.
Chesnee got a strong start in the pitching circle from Kyndall Brill as she started the game off fast, sitting down the first seven batters she faced. Landrum put a dent in Brill's strong showing with three singles in the third inning with the last one being an RBI single by Sydney Price which gave the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead. The Eagles offense picked up their pitcher in the bottom of the third inning though as Claire Owens led off the inning with a double before Harley Grady drove her in with an RBI single, also heads up baserunning on the Cardinal's throw home got her to second base. The impressive base running move set Jada Sellars up to drive Grady in with a RBI single of her own to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead that they never relinquished. The fifth inning was a big inning for the Eagles that allowed them to put some breathing room into their lead as they scored five runs in the inning while keeping the Cardinals off the board. "It feels great to see our offense have a big inning," said Brill. "It helps me relax and know I only have to worry about making good pitches." After back-to-back walks by Landrum's Aaliyah Greene and Alaina Adams, along with a single by Sydney Price loaded the bases, Brill responded in the pitching circle for the Eagles with a strike out and a flyout to centerfield that saw Skylar Barrett make a great throw home that prevented the runners from trying to advance. Brill recorded the final out by fielding a groundball and flipping it to her catcher Ansley Blanton for the force out to end the top half of the inning. After a big half inning in the field, the Eagles had an even bigger half inning at the plate as the Eagles sent all nine batters to the plate and scoring five runs to blow the game open. Skylar Barrett led off the inning with a single and later stole second base before later scoring on Abby Fogle's RBI single. Loren Potter followed with a two run RBI double before Faith Wall hit a deep RBI triple. "After Kyndall did a good job in the top of the inning, we knew we needed to put up some runs in the bottom half of the inning," said Chesnee's Faith Wall. "It felt great to give her a big lead." Claire Owens finished off the big inning of runs for the Eagles with a RBI sacrifice fly to give the Eagles a 7-1 lead after five innings of play. Skylar Barrett added to the Eagles lead with a solo leadoff homerun in the bottom of the sixth inning to give Chesnee an 8-1 lead. "It felt great off of my bat," said Barrett. "It's always a good feeling when I can hit one over the fence and celebrate with my teammates." Brill pitched a complete game only allowing the one run and scattering eight hits while striking out seven. "I felt great tonight," said Brill. "I felt in control the entire game. We worked ahead in the count all game long and I'm looking forward to our next game." Claire Owens led the Eagles with three hits including two doubles and a RBI. Harley Grady, Skylar Barrett, and Ansley Blanton each had a pair of hits for the Eagles. Sydney Price led the Cardinals with three hits and an RBI, while Skylar Cornett added a pair of hits. The Eagles will return to action on Wednesday as they make the long trip to Liberty for a game that was originally scheduled for Friday, but predicted weather prompted the schedule change as first pitch is set for 6:00 PM. CHESNEE, SC - The Chesnee Eagles opened region play with an 11-4 win over the Landrum Cardinals on Wednesday evening.
This was a big win for us,” said Chesnee senior Kohen Orr. “We learned how hard it was last year to not win the first region game of the season. This win opens the door for a lot of possibilities as this region win gives us a lot of momentum.” Chesnee head coach Scott Wease was happy with how his team has fought so far this year. "I'm proud of them,” said Wease. “We haven't had an easy schedule to open the season. They have kept working, and I'm really proud of how they responded tonight. I thought we had some great at bats, and Kohen pitched well for us." Kohen Orr sat the Cardinals down in order in the top of the first inning. Orr reached base in the bottom of the first on a one out walk, the first of three consecutive walks for the team to load the bases. Aiden Greene and Daniel Wease each cashed in RBI singles to give the Eagles an early 2-0 lead after one inning of play. Orr continued the good work on the mound as he only allowed one base runner over the first three innings of play. The Eagles built on their lead in the bottom of the second inning as Kyle Martin reached base after being hit by a pitch with one out. He later scored on Carson Gossett's deep RBI triple to make it 3-0 in favor of the Eagles. The Eagles added another run in the third inning as Paul Martin and Aiden Greene led off the inning with back to back singles and Dawson Pruitt 's two out walk loaded the bases for Kyle Martin to drive in a run after he drew a walk himself to make it 4-0. Landrum scratched across a pair of runs in the fifth inning as Drew Coleman, Wyatt Gulledge, and Hunter Craig each hit singles to open the inning with Craig picking up an RBI. Grady Zipperer got an RBI after he hit into a fielder's choice to make it 4-2 in favor of the Eagles. Chesnee responded with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning as Kyle Martin and Carson Gossett each hit one out singles and later scored on Tucker Johnson's two RBI single. Johnson later scored on a Paul Martin RBI double to make it 7-2 in favor of the Eagles. Daniel Wease came on in relief of Orr to start the top of the sixth inning and quickly sent the Cardinals down in order. Daniel Wease, after being hit by a pitch with one out in the bottom.of the sixth inning, became the first of six straight batters to reach base for the Eagles. Wease later scored on an error before Carson Gossett hit a two RBI double along with Kohen Orr and Tucker Johnson each hitting an RBI single to make the score 11-2 in favor of the Eagles heading into the seventh inning. Kohen Orr pitched five innings of three hit ball and allowed two runs while striking out nine to pick up the win on the mound. Carson Gossett, Paul Martin, and Aiden Greene each finished with three hits for Chesnee. "We have worked all week on our two strike approach,” said Chesnee’s Carson Gossett. “It has really helped us cut down on strikeouts, and increase our quality at bats." Gossett finished just a home run short of hitting for the cycle as he hit a single, a double, and a triple to go along with three RBIs. Martin hit two singles along with a RBI double while Aiden Greene hit three singles. Tucker Johnson also collected three RBIs for the Eagles. Wyatt Gulledge finished with a pair of singles for the Cardinals. The Eagles and the Cardinals will face off again on Thursday evening, this time at Landrum High School as first pitch is set for 7:30 PM. CHESNEE, SC - The Chesnee Eagles used timely plays to pull out a ninth inning walk off 5-4 win over the Broome Centurions in front of the home crowd on Thursday night.
"I'm proud of our effort and how the girls fought," said Chesnee head coach Tripp Fogle. "It was great to see us bounce back after a tough loss on Monday night and to get that final run across was a big lift to our team." Broome loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first inning after a pair of hits batter and a Reagan Lee single. Chesnee eighth grade pitcher Bella Rollins induced a groundball and got the force play out at home followed by two infield pop ups to escape the jam. Senior Harley Grady led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple before scoring on a Jada Sellars RBI sacrifice fly to give the Eagles an early 1-0 lead. Broome once again loaded the bases in the top of the second inning, but this time with two outs and Daiton West was able to push across the tying run with a RBI single. The Eagles got another force out at home to end the threat and keep the game tied at 1-1. For the second straight inning for the Eagles a senior led off an inning with an extra base hit, this time Skylar Barrett hit a leadoff double. She later scored off a well-placed RBI bloop single by Abby Fogle to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead after two innings of play. Lauren Banks was able to get a two out RBI single to tie the game at two for the Centurions in the top of the third inning. Chesnee respond though with back-to-back one out singles by Delani Wright and Natalie Morris in the bottom of the third inning. Barrett followed with a RBI ground out before eighth grader Ansley Blanton's RBI single gave the Eagles a 4-2 lead after three innings of play. The Eagles once again worked out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the fifth inning to keep before finding themselves in another bases loaded situation in the top of the sixth inning, this time with one out. Chesnee got another force out at home, but the Centurions followed that up with back-to-back RBI singles from Lauren Banks and Wren Gaines to tie the game. Chesnee had another bases loaded situation in the top of the ninth with one out but forced out a potential go ahead runner at home, and then got a groundout to second baseman Delani Wright who then threw over to Natalie Morris at first to retire the side. As it generally goes in the diamond sports, make a key play in the field and you get a key at bat the next time around. Delani Wright led off the top of the ninth inning for the Eagles with a bloop single into shallow right field that plated the tie breaking runner Jada Sellars to give the Eagles a 5-4 win. Wright led the Eagles offense with a pair of hits, a RBI, and a run scored. Kyndall Brill picked up the win for the Eagles from the pitching circle as she threw 3 2/3 innings of one run ball and held the Centurions off the scoreboard for the final three innings while striking out four. Bella Rollins threw 5 1/3 innings of three run ball while striking out three batters of her own. Daiton West and Lauren Banks led the Centurions with two hits each while Banks also collected two RBIs. The Eagles worked out of six bases loaded jams in the game and got five force outs at home plate. "The job they did defensively is a testament to how we practice," said Fogle. "We put pressure on them in practice, so when a pressure situation comes in a game, we are ready for it." The Eagles will be back in action on Friday as they host the Crescent Tigers as first pitch is scheduled for 6:00 PM. BASEBALL - Broome 4 Chesnee 0 Broome held Chesnee to just four hits on their way to a 4-0 win over the Eagles in a road matchup for the Centurions on Thursday night. Broome got a runner on to leadoff the game after Christian Giles struck out, but advanced to first on a dropped third strike. He later worked himself into scoring position and scored on a Silas Brown RBI groundout to give Broome a 1-0 lead after one inning of play. Broome added another run in the third inning on a Bryson Arrowood RBI single before getting a RBI single in the fifth for Brayden Simpson and a RBI single from Christian Giles in the seventh inning. Kohen Orr, Paul Martin, Aiden Greene, and Zaiden Hammett each collected hits for the Eagles. Brayden Simpson led the Centurions with two singles, a RBI, and a run scored. Giles threw a complete game only allowing four hits while striking out eight Eagles batters. Chesnee will be back in action on Tuesday at Blue Ridge as first pitch is set for 6:00 PM. WOODRUFF, SC - The Woodruff Wolverines rallied with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 2-1 win over the Chesnee Eagles in a matchup of county rivals on Monday night.
The pitchers dual matched senior Kaitlynn Jackson for Woodruff against eighth grader Bella Rollins for the Eagles. Both pitchers escaped bases loaded jams as Jackson worked out of one in the first inning and Rollins worked out of another in the sixth inning. Rollins limited the Wolverines to two hits and struck out six over 6.2 innings of work, but the two hits in the seventh ended up being the difference in the game. Jackson surrendered six hits but just allowed only one run in seven innings of work. The Eagles scored their lone run in the top of the fifth inning when Ansley Blanton lead off the inning with a double and later scored on Harley Grady's RBI single. Jada Sellars had a pair of singles for the Eagles. Woodruff's Danicka Simmons worked a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh before later scoring on a Chesnee error. Woodruff's Kaitlynn Jackson hit the walk off RBI single to earn herself along with her team the victory. Kara West had the lone other hit for the Wolverines. The Eagles will be back in action on Wednesday as they host the Broome Centurions as first pitch is set for 7:30 PM. ANDERSON, SC - The Chesnee wrestling capped off their impressive season with eight state placers in the AA individual state championships as they set a school record for All-State placers and tied the school record for most state champions in a single state tournament.
Malachi Hill and Quinton Gerstenacker became the sixth and seventh individual state champions in school history. Hill, a senior, won the 150lbs weight class while Gerstenacker won the 144lbs weight class. The is the third time in school history that Chesnee has taken home two individual titles as the previous two were in 2016 (Kaleb Taylor, Kyle Chrzanowski) and 2023 (Thadeus Gerstenacker and Garrett Williams). The Eagles also had three wrestlers take home second place which tied school record set last season. The wrestlers that took home second place finishes for the Eagles were freshman Taven Pesaro in the 113lbs class, Thadeus Gerstenacker in the 138lbs class, and Aiden Allen in the heavyweight class. Tyler Henderson took home a third place finish for the second consecutive season, this time in the 126th lbs weight class. Senior Gunther Gerstenacker and junior Leonardo De La Cruz rounded out the state placers with fourth place finishes as Gerstenacker placed in the 165lbs class and De La Cruz in the 132lbs class. Freshman Ben Hefner rounded out the state qualifiers as he competed in the 120lbs weight class. The historic individual state tournament wrapped up the historic season for the Eagles as they won the AA state championship along with the impressive showing at the individual state tournament. Chesnee BaseballAfter a second-place finish in the region last season, the Chesnee baseball team looks to build on that success and contend for a region championship as they enter the 14th season under head coach Scott Wease, his 22nd overall at Chesnee where he also played under legendary coach Dean Jones. Last year the Eagles finished second in the region with an 8-2 record to make it to the AA playoffs before falling to a very good Strom Thurmond team in the district championship last season. "We are excited to begin the 2024 baseball season," said Wease. "With a great group of returning players, we hope to be fighting for a region championship. With an extremely difficult non region schedule, we will have to play well early and hopefully it will prepare us for region play." Chesnee will see the return of seven starters from last year and will be led by returning All-Region player in senior left-handed pitcher Tucker Johnson. He'll be joined by senior Kohen Orr (LHP, OF). senior Dawson Pruitt (INF), senior Daniel Wease (RHP.OF), junior Paul Martin (RHP/3B), junior Kyle Martin (OF), and sophomore Carson Gossett (SS). The Eagles will also see the return of varsity senior players Riley Dominquez and Aiden Greene, along with juniors Jaden Hill and Brycen Sprinkle. They're also looking forward to the arrival of sophomores Zaiden Hammett, Banks Davis, and Owen Ehlich. Chesnee will start their season in the Steve Sanders tournament at Boiling Springs against the Bulldogs on February 23rd. The Eagles first contest at home will be on February 29th when they host East Rutherford. Chesnee SoftballThe Chesnee softball team is looking to back up their performance from last year and build upon it as they enter the 2024 season. The Eagles enter their sixth season under head coach Tripp Fogle after winning a region championship last year before falling the 2A Upper State bracket. "We're hoping to compete for another region championship and host a playoff game," said Fogle. "I'm excited about the opportunity for the girls to compete against some of the top competition around," Chesnee will have a strong group returning as they return seven starters from last year's team that start with four All-Region players in Aubrey Aparis (OF), Skylar Barrett (OF), Natalie Morris (INF), and Jada Sellars (SS). They'll be joined by fellow returning starters Harley Grady (INF), Ansley Blanton (C), and Claire Owens (OF). Chesnee is also looking forward to the additions of six newcomers to the team in senior Delani Wright (INF), sophomore Kyndall Brill (P/OF), eighth grader Bella Rollins (P/INF), junior Abby Fogle (OF), junior Carlee Turner (OF), and junior Liana Kreydich (OF). The Eagles will kick off their regular season on March 4th in a road matchup against Woodruff before hosting their first game of the season on March 6th against Broome. Chesnee Boys GolfThe Chesnee boys' golf team after winning the region championship last season is looking to build on that success and follow in the footsteps of the girls' golf team and the wrestling program by winning the team's first ever state championship this season. Chesnee will return four starters from last year's team but will have a new face at the helm as Adam Jolley takes over from Andy Pitt as head coach of the program, a team that won last year's region championship and finished fifth at the state tournament. They enter the season ranked #9 in the recently released SC Coaches Association poll. Jolley, who is in his first year at Chesnee but entering his ninth year as a golf head coach overall, is looking to build on the team's success in the last few years and lift the program to a new level this year. "We want to continue with the success from last season and add another region championship to the trophy case," said Jolley. "We have been successful in the past by finishing runner-up at the state championships, but we have yet to be get over the hump and win a state championship." Chesnee will return four starters from last year's team who all earned All-Region honors last season in senior Peyton Lawter, junior Jake Hefer, along with sophomores Creighton Rentz and Hughston Johnson. The Eagles will also look to get key contributions from newcomers to the team in senior Riley Dominguez and seventh-grader Caleb Green. Chesnee will kick off their season on March 5th in the Rebel Invitational that will be held at the River Falls Plantation golf course. Chesnee Boys SoccerChesnee Girls SoccerThe Chesnee girls' soccer team is looking to build on the success from their inaugural season as they head into year two of the program under head coach Megan Coffey this season. Chesnee finished last season tied for third in the region before a trip into the AA playoffs last season in their first year before losing to Southside Chrisitan Academy in the first round of the playoffs. Coffey will be joined on the coaching side once again by lead assistant coach Danielle Thomas. "We are very excited to start this new season with our strong returners and promising newcomers," said Coffey. "We're looking forward to having a more successful season as only a second-year team and we anticipate having a much better record by the end of the season." The Eagles will return nine players from last year's team that begins with returning All-Region players Kylie Warren and Emma Barington. They will be joined by fellow returning starters Perrin Wood, Bet-Sua Jimenez-Quistian, Stephanie Placencia Ayala, Melony Barrera, Reagan Crain, Marianna Difort, and Gabriela Tilley. Chesnee will also look to get key contributions from returning varsity players Cayla Cash, Gabriella Velasco-Williams, and Kaylyn Orozco along with the arrival of freshman Valeria De La Cruz to the team. The Eagles will open their regular season with a home match on February 22nd against RS Central at 6:00 PM. Chesnee Track and FieldThe Chesnee track and field teams will be looking to build on their successes from last season and will be looking to set a few records this season. The Chesnee boys' team enters its second season under head coach Terrance Hamilton (his fourth with the team overall) after finishing fourth in region last year and 23rd in the state championship meet. "This year we are looking to build on a very successful 2023 season," said Hamilton. "This year’s team is being led by a large group of seniors that are looking to finish their high school track and field careers on top of SCHSL Region 1-2A." Chesnee has 26 returners from last year's team that include All-Region athletes in Clay Davis (shotput) and Malichi Hill (400m). They'll be joined by fellow returners in Austin Bigford, Adonis Burgess, Noah Gottshalk, Tyrel Hamilton, Noah Lawter, Marcus Linder, Omarion Ocampo-Rios, Christian Charles, Josh Deland, Hudson Jones, Bradley Myers, John Owens-Kong, KJ Proctor, Jacob Sumerel, Tyler Sumerel, Davis Wall, Wesley Wilkie, Jayden Williams, Hayden Webb, Andrew Cash, Karson Mvula, Luke Edmonds, Hayden Held, and Marquez Franklin. "The experienced guy are going to be joined this year by a large number of middle schoolers and underclassmen who are working hard to be the “Next Man Up," said Hamilton. "We are very well rounded this year and will be able to compete in sprints, distance, jumps, hurdles and relays as we return some of the top athletes in the region in their respective events. We also return a very strong team of throwers who were able last year to be competitive all the way up to the state championship year with many of them eyeing a ring." They'll be joined by some young newcomers in Jace Proffitt (10th), Zachary Winecoff (12th), Blake Cochran (8th), Brett Bigford (7th), Tyler Turner (8th), and Zabian Kendrick (12th). Chesnee will have a number of athletes who were close to school records last year and will be challenging this year to change the names in the record books as Malachi Hill is going for the 400M record, Tyrel Hamilton is going for the 400M record, Omarion Ocampo-Rios is going for the 3200M record, Clay Davis is going for the shot put record, Hudson Jones is going for the 800M record, Austin Bigford is going for the javelin record, KJ Proctor is going for the javelin Record and Marquez Franklin is going for the 100M record. The Chesnee girls' team is going to be look on their success as well from last year as they also have many athletes going for school records this season. The Eagles will be entering their second season under head coach Kimberly Hamilton (her 5th overall with the program) after finishing fourth in Region I-2A and 24th in the 2A state championship meet. "We're returning a strong group of competitors again this season, " said Hamilton. "We will again be led by a strong distance team that saw numerous girls compete at the state championship meet in the 1600, 3200 and 4x800. The school record holding 4x800 team is returning all runners this year and are poised for a run at the top podium spot after finishing 5th in the state in 2023. The sprint team will feature a lot of young underclassmen who are excited to be the next group of outstanding female sprinters for Chesnee High School. On the throwing side, we return all of last year's ladies who all grew in their abilities last year and are ready to compete/ We will also have more girls who will be competing in the jumping events this year than we have had in the past." Chesnee will return 17 athletes from last year's team beginning with All-Region high jumper Cade Newman. She will be joined by Amy-Rae Breitenbach, Olyvia Stowell, Cami Tilley, Lanie Arrowood, Claire Walker, Olivia Wampler, Ardenia Barns, Zibi Edmonds, Daisy Barrs, Madelyn McDowell, Anslie Middleton, Karina Rhymer, Hannah Barnes, Katherine Hawk, Samantha Tilley, and MerriElizabeth Cable That group will be joined by newcomers Olivia Roberts (11th), Anna Cobb (8th), and Tiana Jefferies (7th). Chesnee will have a number of athletes who were close to school records last year and will be challenging this year to change the names in the record books as Claire Walker is going for the 800M record, Olyvia Stowell is going for the 800M record, Lanie Arrowood is going for the 1600M record, Cade Newman is going for the high jump record, and Anslie Middleton is going for the high jump record. The Eagles will kick off their season on March 7th at the Landrum meet. *An email was sent to all head coaches for information, if you don't see a team included, we never received any information back from the team
CHESNEE, SC - A week after winning the first team wrestling state championship, the Chesnee wrestling team had a strong showing back at home in the individual upper state finals as they will be sending nine wrestlers to next week's 2A state championship in Anderson.
The Eagles had four wrestlers claim the Upper State championships in their respective weight class including defending state champion in the 138lbs class Thadeus Gerstenacker. He was joined by twin brother Quinton Gerstenacker, who claimed the Upper State title in the 144lbs class while Aiden Allen took home the heavyweight title and Malachi Hill took home the 150lbs title. Freshmen Taven Pesaro (113lbs) and Ben Hefner (120lbs) each earned second place finishes in their respective weight classes as their only losses came in the Upper State championship matches. Three other Eagles took home third place finishes winning the consolation bracket championship matches as Tyler Henderson took home the spot in the 126lbs class, Leonardo De La Cruz grabbed third in the 132lbs class, and Gunther Gerstenacker captured third place in the 165lbs class. Some familiar faces to the Eagles won Upper State championships as well on Saturday as Liberty had six Upper State champions, High Point Academy had two, while Dixie and Abbeville had one each. Liberty saw 106lbs Alex Allison win the 106lbs class while Jonah Pierce (113) and Grady McManis (120) also won Upper State titles. Bray Cain at 132lbs along with Ian Vallecillo (165) and JT Spence (175) also won the Upper State in their weight classes as well. Like Johannes (126) and Said Gasimov (190) captured Upper State titles for High Point Academy on Saturday. Dixie's Andrew Stoltzfus won the Upper State championship in the 157lbs weight class while Abbeville's Na'Gaevien Calhoun won the Upper State title in the 215lbs weight class. The state individual championship tournament will be next Friday and Saturday at the Anderson Civic Center. COLUMBIA, SC - The Chesnee Eagles downed the Buford Yellow Jackets 39-19 to win the AA Wrestling State Championships for the first time in school history in front of a large crowd at Dreher High School on Saturday morning.
Chesnee head coach Jon Rentz, who has been the only head coach of the program, said it's something he has waited for since the beginning on the program in 2011. "It feels like a long time coming," said Rentz. "We preach a lot about being awesome on our feet and we had the best compliment from an opposing fan today. They said what we demonstrated today was a takedown clinic and it was awesome to watch, that pretty much says it all. We are built for the third period, and it showed today." "It feels great ending my career as a state champ," said Chesnee's Austin Bigford with an emphasis on the words state champ. "It's something I didn’t think I’d ever say, but it’s a phenomenal feeling." "Ending my Chesnee career as a state champ means that all of the hard work in the (wrestling) room has paid off," said Chesnee senior Jesse Cozby. The Eagles got off to a fast start as they won three of the first four classes with Wyatt Hawk taking a major decision in the 126lbs class, Thadeus Gerstenacker getting a pin in the 138lbs class, and Quinton Gerstenacker taking the decision in the 144lbs class to make the score 13-3 after four weight classes while Buford claimed a decision win in the 132lbs class. The teams split the next two classes with Chesnee's Malachi Hill winning a decision in the 150lbs class and Buford taking a decision in the 157lbs class. Gunther Gerstenacker and Austin Bigford both came up with big senior moments for the Eagles as Gerstenacker picked up a major decision win in the 165lbs class, and Bigford got a pin in the 175lbs class to give Chesnee a 26-6 lead. "It feels really good to the win on this stage and to put points on the board for our team," said Bigford. "I think wrestling those guys helped me get prepared for the match today." Buford swung right back taking the next two classes as they won the 190lbs class with a pin and claimed the 215lbs class with a decision to cut the Eagle's lead to 26-15 over the Yellow Jackets. Chesnee's Aiden Allen pushed the Eagles to the brink of victory with a major decision in the heavyweight class while Eli Barnhill secured the win with a forfeit win in the 106lbs class to make it 36-15 with two classes to go. Buford took the 113lbs class thanks to a major decision win before Chesnee's Ben Hefner capped things off with a decision win to give Chesnee the 39-19 win. Rentz was very complimentary of the Chesnee crowd on hand at Dreher High School, saying they made it like a home match for the Eagles. "It was like being at home," said Rentz. "It felt like the entire community was there to support us. I am so proud and happy for our community and wrestlers; they definitely earned it today." This win is an extra special one for Rentz as today is also his father Jim Rentz's birthday. "My dad has been a rock in my life," said Rentz. "He helps keep me grounded and has shown me what being a Godly man is all about. I love him so much." Chesnee wrestling will be back on the mat on Friday and Saturday in the familiar confines of Chesnee High School for the Upper State Individual Tournament. |
Our Sponsors
. If you would like to join us as a sponsor please contact us at: [email protected]
Archives
October 2023
Categories |