Record-setting Eastside denies May River wrestling’s dream of state championship
The May River wrestling program has come a long way since the school opened six years ago.
The Sharks have accomplished almost everything during that time but the final hurdle — a state championship — might be the hardest one to climb, especially in Class 4A.
Eastside has been the dominant program in the classification and defeated the Sharks for the second straight year in the championship, 58-15, on Saturday at Dreher High School.
“Our goal is to never finish second. We come here and fight in practice everyday to get to be called state champions. But at the end of the day, we have something to take pride in. We are a sixth-year school and we are climbing this mountain.
“We told them that people who start Mount Everest, every level, there is a drop-off of a huge percentage each time,” May River coach Ashley Powell said. “It is the last three or four steps to get to the top that is the most difficult. I like to think we are getting close. But the gap between us and them is not where we would like it to be. But like I said they do things the right way. … and have figured it out. It is a testament to South Carolina wrestling and they can wrestle with anyone in South Carolina.”
It was Eastside’s 17th state championship, all since 2000 and the Eagles’ seventh in a row which ties the record set by Chesterfield from 2004-10.
The 17 championships are one shy of Rock Hill’s 18 for most in state history. All 17 titles have come under coach Jack Kozmicki who tied former Airport and Rock Hill coach Jim Barnes mark for most by a head coach.
“Seven in a row and that has never been done so I am really proud of the kids for responding to the pressure and they did it,” Kozmicki said. “The expectations are high and the bar is set high. We have a standard that is non-negotiable. This is how we work and how much we do.
“We wrestle a difficult schedule over the East Coast so we can prepare for February.”
The match started at 170 pounds and MR’s Gabe Jaurez gave the Sharks a lead with a win by pin. But Eastside won the next 10 matches to clinch the championship.
May River closed out strong by winning two of the last three matches. The Sharks’ three contested wins were more than they had last year against Eastside, another positive to build on for the young program.
Powell said the team will take a couple days off and return to practice Monday to get ready for lower state and state individual tournaments the next two weekends.
“These kids are remarkable,” Powell said. “We have a lot of work to do, but I am really happy where we are right now. We will go back to work Monday to see if we can’t win some gold medals in a couple of weeks.”
Results
106: Chris Thompson (E) pins Jorge Valdez (MR); 113: Bronik Snizaski (E) def. Kadin McCallum (MR), 15-1; 120: Ty Tice (E) def. Emilio Mendoza (MR); 126: Nick Snizinski (E) pins Jacob Nix (MR); 132: George Maholtz (E) pins Isaiah Wysong (MR); 138: Colt Schrader (E) pins EJ Seman; 145: Santiago Rueda (MR) def. Lane Schrader (E), 6-5; 152: Will Durham (MR) pins Brandon Charlton (E); 162: Jack Wyland (E) pins Gavin Siatowski (MR); 170: Gabe Juarez (MR) pins Garrett Mosley (E); 182: Baron Leonard def. Chris Snowden (MR), 5-3. 195: Roy Price (E) pins Joshua Echeverria (MR); 220: Langston Scott (E) pins Will Mauro (MR); 285: Daniel Esparza (E) def. Billy Hall (MR), 3-0.
This story was originally published February 12, 2022 at 6:43 PM.
