Cardiac Sharks! May River wrestling wins thriller for first SC state championship
May River wrestling used a dramatic comeback to win the program’s first state championship Saturday.
Down 35-11, the Sharks won the final five matches capped off by Liam Engblom’s victory at 126 pounds to defeat Laurens, 36-35, to win the Class 4A state championship at Dreher High School.
“Definitely wasn’t how we drew it up,” May River coach Ashley Powell said. “But in the sport of wrestling, you got to keep battling. And these kids have been battling since June. 1. We got down and we knew we had four pretty good kids on the back end. We told them before the match if we could keep it close to our back four, we would have a chance.”
Powell also reflected the on ups and downs of the program, which started in 2016 when the school opened in Bluffton. He talked about his players and having to get kids out of the hallway to come out for the team.
“It means a lot for every single kid who stepped foot in our program over the last nine years,” Powell said. “ … Everybody who believed in me, believed in us, I appreciate it.”
May River was making its third state championship appearance, getting blown out by powerhouse Eastside in 2021 and 2022.
The Sharks entered the playoffs as the top-ranked team in 4A by the South Carolina Wrestling Coaches Association rankings.
It didn’t look good for the Sharks as Laurens, which was looking for its program’s first title, jumped out to a large lead. Michael Brown’s pin at 215 pounds put Laurens up 35-11.
After MR’s Beau Gwynn won by tech fall at heavyweight, the strength of the Sharks’ lineup delivered. Stephano Calderon (106) and Ryan Semen (113) each won by tech fall and Marcus Foulk (120) won by pin, setting up a dramatic winner-take all between Engblom and Laurens’ Kai McCall.
With May River fans on their feet, chanting, “Liam Liam,” the junior delivered. The match was scoreless after the first period before Engblom took a 3-1 lead into the third.
Engblom had a near fall in the final period and held on for the 8-1 victory. After the match, the Sharks lifted the junior in celebration.
“It means a lot. I’m in the history books,” Engblom said. “In this sport, you got to step out sometimes and that is what it takes. It felt good to win and get the team the trophy.”
Darrion White (132) and Joshua Echeverria also had wins for the Sharks.
