Battery Creek favored in Class 3A as wrestling playoffs set to open

Wrestlers Omar Daniels, Turhon White and Cooper Kaminsky, all ranked No. 1 in their Class 3A weight classes, help make Battery Creek the favorite for a second state title in three years as the Dolphins welcome three opponents for Saturday’s first and second playoff rounds.

Pelion will be the Dolphins’ first opponent when competition begins at noon, with the winner advancing to take on the Waccamaw-Bishop England survivor. Whoever’s left standing at day’s end moves on to the Lower State semifinal Monday.

Battery Creek, 40-6 in dual meets this season, holds the No.1 seed in Lower State and wouldn’t have to travel until next weekend’s state finals in Columbia.

Daniels (132 pounds) and Kaminsky (220) are defending state champions in Class 2A, while White (170) placed fourth at last year’s meet. In all, five other Battery Creek wrestlers are ranked among the top three in their divisions — Nate Torres (No. 2 113), Tyrus Singleton (No. 2 120), Marcel Porackey (No. 3 160), Ahman Smalls (No. 3 182) and Khalil Chisolm (No. 3 195).

All five other Beaufort County schools also open their playoff runs, albeit on the road.

Hilton Head Island, ranked sixth in Class 4A, heads to North Myrtle Beach for an opener against Darlington, with NMB looming as a second-round opponent. No. 7 Beaufort will be at Chapin, the overall top seed, with a second-round meeting possible if the Eagles can upend Hartsville.

May River, ranked 20th in Class 3A, takes on Gilbert in its opening match with the winner advancing to face host Aynor. Bluffton travels to Timberland, where the Bobcats open against Edisto.

Whale Branch, which rose to 15th in Class 2A/1A, advanced to the Lower State semis on Friday night with a 37-24 victory at Garrett Tech.

This story was originally published February 3, 2017 at 11:38 PM with the headline "Battery Creek favored in Class 3A as wrestling playoffs set to open."