A look at The State’s all-area boys and girls wrestling teams and wrestlers of the year from Midlands-area high schools for the 2024-25 season.
Top Honors
▪ Boys Wrestler of Year: Preston White
, Chapin
▪ People’s Choice Wrestler of Year ( Fan Vote
): Kaleb McNeil
, Dutch Fork
▪ Girls Wrestler of Year: Tiyanna Mack
, Blythewood
▪ People’s Choice Wrestler of Year ( Fan Vote
): Sophia Voudouris
, River Bluff
All-Area Boys Wrestling Team
–First Team–
Brenden Brazier
, AC Flora: Brazier was Class 4A Upper State champion and runner-up in Class 4A 120-pound class.
Darin Brown
, Richland Northeast: Brown was Class 4A Upper State champion and fourth-place finisher in state tournament at 175 pounds.
Landon Byrd
, Pelion: Senior won the Class A/2A 113-pound championship after finishing runner-up in 106 pounds last year. Byrd also won the A/2A Upper State championship.
Bryant Cherry
, Airport: Class 4A Lower State champion and fourth-place finisher at 215 pounds. Cherry also was a North-South All-Star selection.
Dayton Daniel
, American Leadership: Third-place finisher in the Class A/2A 126-pound class at state tournament.
Cael Edwards
, River Bluff
: Runner-up finisher in Class 5A Upper State and state tournament at 175 pounds. Edwards also was selected for the North-South All-Star matches.
John Grove
, AC Flora: Junior finished runner-up at Class 4A 165-pound division in his first season with the Falcons . Grove was a three-time champion at Heathwood Hall. He won the 4A Upper State championship.
Mekhi Hampton
, Swansea: Hampton won 138-pound Class 3A Lower State championship and finished third at the state championship.
Logan Hinton
, Lugoff-Elgin: Hinton won the 190-pound Class 5A Lower State championship and finished third at the state championship.
Austin Huff
, Ben Lippen
: Senior won his third-straight SCISA state championships by defeating Cardinal Newman’s Jack Laird
in the 285-pound division. His two previous championships came at 215 pounds.
Kirby Johns
, Hammond: Johns won first SCISA state championship at 215 pounds after finishing second the two previous years.
Angesom Ladd
, Hammond: Ladd won second SCISA championship in three seasons after pinning Jase Reynolds
to win the 120-pound title.
Carter Lirgg
, Cardinal Newman
: Eighth-grader won first SCISA state championship in 106-pound class.
Devin Lirgg
, Gilbert: The senior won 4A Lower State championship and finished second in the 4A, 138-pound division Lirgg was a North-South All-Star selection.
Eli Lorang
, Cardinal Newman
: Eighth-grader captured first state championship after pinning Heathwood’s Talbert Miller
to win the 113-pound title.
Desmond Macklin
, Blythewood: Senior was 157-pound Class 5A Upper State runner-up and finished third at state championship.Macklin also was a North-South All-Star selection.
John Marcum
, Lexington: Senior was 165-pound Class 5A Upper State runner-up and was runner-up at state tournament.
Luke Martin
, Hammond: Martin won his fifth-straight SCISA championship, winning the title at 150 pounds. His other titles came at 138 (2), 113 and 106. The senior became SCISA’s all-time winningest wrestler earlier this year and he finished with 192 victories.
Kaleb McNeil
, Dutch Fork
: Senior won the Class 5A state championship at 175 pounds after finishing runner-up at 175 pounds last year. He also won the Upper State championship and was selected to North-South All-Star wrestling matches.
Lake Newman, Chapin: Newman finished third at 175 pounds at the Class 5A Lower State championship and at the state tournament.
Franco Pressley
, Dreher: Pressley was runner-up finisher at 113 pounds in the Class 4A Upper State championship and fourth-place finisher at the state championship.
Cobin Rabon
, Hammond: Sophomore won his fourth-straight SCISA championship, winning the 144-pound title.
Carson Sturgess
, Mid Carolina: Freshman was runner-up at the 113-pound Class A/2A Upper State championship and second-place finisher at the state championship.
Jack Turner
, Gilbert: Turner won the 113-pound Class 4A Lower State championship and was third at the state tournament.
Jason Wagner
, Cardinal Newman
: The junior won his 100th career match, finished second at SCISA 138 pounds after winning at 132 and 113 pounds previously.
Preston White
, Chapin: The junior went 46-0 and won his third-straight Class 5A championship, this one at 120 pounds when he defeated Myrtle Beach’s Gunner Musilunas, 16-1. White’s previous two championships were at 106 and 113 pounds. He also won the Lower State championship and is the No. 1 ranked wrestler by SCMat at 120 pounds.
Colin Williams
, Pelion: Williams was third-place finisher in the 165-pound division at Class A/2A Upper State championship and state tournament.
Ryker Woolstenhulme
, Mid Carolina: Woolstenhulme was second-place finisher at 144 pounds in the Class A/2A Upper State championship and state tournament.
–Second Team–
106: Matthew Boland
, Chapin; Mason Amaker
, White Knoll; Tyler McChesney
, Lugoff-Elgin; Dillan Boyer
, Blythewood; Bryson Hipps
, Dutch Fork
; Collin Comer
, Gilbert; Blake Hino
, American Leadership; Josiah Guerrero
, North Central; Dylan Plyler
, Heathwood Hall
113: Brandon Rogers
, Chapin; Titan Magee, Lugoff-Elgin; Rolland Boisvert
, Blythewood; Jay Tyler Dufries
, Airport; Francisco Mercarda, Richland Northeast; Jackson Jeffcoat
, Swansea
120: Quentin Benjamin
, Lugoff-Elgin; Patrick O’Donnell, Blythewood; Peter Vaporis
, River Bluff
; Dane Dillon
, White Knoll; Michel Rosales
, Swansea; Hayden Hutto
, American Leadership; Xavier Barbossa Gomez
, Fairfield Central
126: Josh Atkins
, Chapin; Will Edwards
, River Bluff
; Wesley Heimbach
, Lexington; Kintyrrion Byers, Camden; David Taylor
, Keenan; Austin Crocker
, Swansea; Jeremiah Alston
, Mid Carolina; Eric Martinez
, Fairfield Central
132: Adrian Galo
, White Knoll; Rylan Griggs
, Lugoff-Elgin; Noah Hays
, Gilbert; Ethan Adams
, AC Flora; Parker Tyner
, Dreher; Landon Cunningham
, Swansea; Shiloh Tindal
, Pelion; Cooper Smythe
, Cardinal Newman
138: Demirion Smith, Irmo; Edyan Figueroa, Blythewood; Wade Campbell
, Gray Collegiate; Randal Harper
, Dreher; Devonte Carter
, Airport; Isaiah Dover
, Pelion; Braydon Heflin
, Mid Carolina; Jason Wagner
, Cardinal Newman
144: Ben Bonnett
, Chapin; Breydon Jennings
, Lexington; Kendel Coker
, Lugoff-Elgin; Anthony Culick
, Gilbert; Preston Rozelle
, Camden; Sauyer Geddings, Brookland-Cayce; Daniel Aguilar
, Swansea; Terrell Wood
, Eau Claire
150: Joshua Kubinak
, Lexington; Elijah Johnson
, Blythewood; Gabe Rush
, Lugoff-Elgin; Hadi Jabali
, Dreher; Xavier Thompson
, Keenan; Chase Alley
, Swansea
157; Nathaniel Nabors
, Chapin; Riley Brown, River Bluff
; Mike Slocum
, Airport; Sawyer Wren
, AC Flora; Shane Wise
, Gilbert; Holden Hucks
, Dreher; James Smith
, Swansea; Hunter Rawl
, Pelion; Brandon Tellez-Lucas
, Mid Carolina; Ashton Brazell
, North Central; Grayson Hawn
, Heathwood Hall
165: Jacob Keisler
, Chapin; Eddie Jefferson
, Lugoff-Elgin; Gavin Boozer
, River Bluff
; Dominick Heath
, Lower Richland
; Timmy Lippett
, Dreher; Gabe Kirsch
, Swansea; Conrad Hampton
, Keenan; Joey Jamison
, Fairfield Central; Asher Wright
, American Leadership
175: Reco Rembert
, White Knoll; Jakaleb Robinson, Lugoff-Elgin; Da’vion Nathaniel, AC Flora; Patrick Larry
, Swansea; Corey Campbell
, Pelion; Tyrell Peters
, Fairfield Central; Drake Porter
, Ben Lippen
190: Carlson Kilcrease
, Lexington; Johnathon Brown
, Airport; Jake Stroud
, Gilbert; Jerel Wine
, Swansea; Richard Havens
, Pelion; Steven Gadsden
, Fairfield Central; Josh Wise
, Batesburg-Leesville; James Lay Hammond
215: Landon Lyons
, Lugoff-Elgin; Carl Palma
, Lexington; Zion Johnson
, Westwood; Ethan Gamble
, Irmo; Willie Smith
, Dreher; Inman Burkett
, Gilbert; Luis Vigueras
, Swansea; Joseph Taylor
, Keenan; Aaron Meyers
, Columbia; John Hannon
, Pelion
285: Javierre Dubois, AC Flora; Tj Blakeley
, Dreher; Kasiah Harkless-Adams
, Swansea; Nigel Williams
, Keenan; Mehki Jones
, Eau Claire; Tracy Borden-Bryant
, C.A. Johnson
All-Area Girls Wrestling Team
–First Team–
Grace Beeson
, Lexington: The freshman won a state championship in her first season. She pinned South Florence’s Arielle Daniels
at the 4:31 mark to win the 120-pound championship. Beeson also won the Upper State championship
Tiyanna Mack
, Blythewood: Senior won her third-straight championship with a pin of Waccamaw’s Lanna Coleman
at the 1:29 in the 130-pound class. She was named Most Outstanding Wrestler for the girls championship and is nationally ranked.
Sophia Voudouris
, River Bluff
: The sophomore won the 137-pound Upper State championship and finished second at state in the division.
Grace Jumper
, Chapin: Jumper was runner-up at 137 pounds in Lower State championship and fourth-place finisher at state tournament.
Amy Robinson
, River Bluff
: Robinson won the 145-pound Lower State championship and finished third at the state tournament.
Irie Edwards, White Knoll
: Edwards won the Lower State championship and was third in the state tournament at 170 pounds.
Shayanna Shell
, White Knoll: The senior finished runner-up in the 190-pound class at the Lower State championship and state tournament.
Aniya Ruiz
, Swansea: The sophomore pinned Greenwood’s Aislynn Castillo
at the 5:19 mark to win the 235-pound championship in her first season. Ruiz also won the Lower State championship in her division.
–Second Team–
102: Malyn Gentry
, River Bluff
; 112: Samaiya McAllister
, Ridge View
. 117: Chandler Branham
, White Knoll; 127: Hayden Moore
, Brookland-Cayce; 132: Gracie Beaulieu
, River Bluff
; 142: Skyler Simmons
, Airport; 147: Jazmine Williamson
, Ridge View
; Givyn Dyer, Airport; 157: Rory Travis
, Gilbert; Kyrra Shipman-Lutz
, River BluffL Audra Petroff, Blythewood; 192: Abby Ely
, Blythewood; Ivorie Dublin
, Spring Valley; 237: Naomi Priester
, White Knoll; Savannah Parrett
, River Bluff
; Kennedy Mitchell
, Blythewood
TMack.Champpic#1.jpgBlythewood’s Tiyanna Mack
won her third straight state wrestling championship and was named The State’s Girls Wrestler of the Year.
March 5, 2025 | State, The: Web Edition Articles (Columbia, SC)
Author/Byline: Lou Bezjak, The State | Section: high_school