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In the eyes of coach John Hollman, Wednesday's match has indeed been five years in the making. More so than wrestling in a playoff tilt, Hollman has been building Bluffton's program to be the hunted and no longer the hunters.
The top-ranked team in the Lower State ensured it will be hunted for at least one more night.
The Bobcats took the first step toward reaching next week's Lower State title match with a 49-15 win against North Myrtle Beach. They'll host the second round of the Class 3-A playoffs Monday night, also the Lower State semifinals, when they'll face the winner of Camden and Swansea.
"We understand that people are coming after us now, and I think we liked to be hunted," Hollman said. "We feel like we've earned it and we've proved it. That's like a badge of honor."
They wore it proudly against the Chiefs on Wednesday night.
Bluffton won 10 of the 14 weight classes. It record six pins -- Austin Farmer (112 pounds), Josh Doamaral (130), Jason Williams (140), Braden Putich (145), Andrew Dean (189) and Scott (285) each had falls.
Doamaral got that ball rolling in the night's first matchup -- though it took longer than his coach would have preferred. Doamaral trailed well into the second period before turning Sheldon Dove into a headlock in the third period for the pin.
The Bobcats followed by winning seven of the next nine matches, the last of which -- Scott's first-period pin -- clinched the team victory.
"Ever since we missed the playoffs last year, we've been thinking about this moment," Scott said. "This is it. This is the time to show that our hard work is paying off."
And they didn't let it go to waste. Each of Bluffton's four losses came against a ranked opponent.
Rosenlieb also notched a win against No. 7 Kelton Chestnut in the night's biggest matchup. Wrestling with a mask to guard a black eye he received against Hilton Head High last week, Rosenlieb said he struggled to see early in the match. Chestnut took advantage with a 4-1 lead after the first period, but Rosenlieb scored the match's final 10 points to take an 11-4 decision -- one that certainly impressed the Chiefs' coach.
"From what I've seen, Bluffton is the team to beat in this state -- no question about it," Ryan Neal said.
Hilton Head High hopes to have something to say about that next week. The Seahawks, the second-ranked team in the Lower State, hope to reach Wednesday night's Lower State championship and earn their shot at a rematch against Bluffton.
It's a match the Bobcats also have in the back of their minds, though Hollman hopes it stays there for the time being.
"In order to play around at Disney, you have to buy a ticket and get through the gate first," Hollman said. "So don't think about the rides you're going to ride if you haven't checked your wallet for some cash yet."
Bluffton 49, North Myrtle Beach 15
Note: The match started at 130 pounds
103: Hung Nguyen (NMB) def. Colin Placke, 15-10.
112: Austin Farmer (B) pinned Justus Scafidi, second period.
119: Mike McDonell (B) def. Tyler Stump, 13-7.
125: Travis Gore (NMB) major dec. Lincoln Joly, 15-6.
130: Josh Doamaral (B) pinned Sheldon Dove, third period.
135: Randall Greene (NMB) def. Josh Wetmore, 6-1.
140: Jason Williams (B) pinned Lee Gore, first period.
145: Braden Putich (B) pinned Nick O'Brien, second period.
152: C.J. Johnson (B) def. Luke McCarthy, 12-8.
160: Tyler Rosenlieb (B) def. Kelton Chestnut, 11-4.
171: Jared Michael (NMB) pinned Manuel Lopez, overtime.
189: Andrew Dean (B) pinned L.T. Pratt, first period.
215: David Lopez (B) major dec. Dylan Stump, 13-0.
285: Phillip Scott (B) pinned Nick Harvey, first period.
