St. James shines in wrestling event at North Myrtle Beach

LITTLE RIVER -- Last year, St. James wrestlers made it nearly all the way through the Lower State championship but couldn’t quite seal the deal, ultimately falling to Chapin in the finals. After all the wrestling action was finished at the North Myrtle Beach Classic on Saturday, however, the Sharks were able to get their revenge.

St. James finished second out of 22 teams with 223 points, eight points out of the lead but one welcome spot ahead of Chapin, which had 150.5 points. White Knoll, ranked No. 3 in the state, was the champion with 231 points.

The Sharks had the most wrestlers (six) in championship matches and three – Codi Rothermel (138), John Van Slooten (145) and Derek Rothermel (152) – won their weight classes. That group of six is part of what coach Matt Anderson calls the “Murderer’s Row.”

The Sharks’ Mason Elliott (126) and Jamie Bolduc (132) each lost by a point, and Austin Brown (220) lost in the finals to Loris’ Dajuan Griffen.

“It was a great a day as team,” Anderson said. “It was the best finish we ever had. We pushed White Knoll for everything they were worth. We finished above Chapin, which was fantastic.”

Much of that success was thanks to the “Murderer’s Row,” which consists of weights from 126-152. Each of St. James’ wrestlers in those weight classes made it to the finals.

“It’s nice to have that (126-152),” Anderson said. “We then skipped a weight class to (170) with Gregg Johnson, so we almost had six-in-a-row there in the championships.”

The host team Chiefs had two of their own in championship matches. Hampton Harmon (182) and Jonathan Bracey (285) made it to the final but got pinned.

In all, the area had 17 wrestlers place. Of the 17, nine were from St. James. Johnson came in third, and Hunter Brandon and De’ante Salaam finished in fourth in addition to the winners and runners-up.

“I couldn’t have been more happier for our guys,” Anderson said. “We are looking really well for this year.”

Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach had the next-highest amount of wrestlers to place, with three. The Seahawks’ highest finisher was Johnathan Iseman, who finished in third at 113. Daniel Miller (152) and Amir Oukada (285) placed fourth for Myrtle Beach. Joey Small (120) finished in third to give the Chiefs another wrestler to place.

Ethan Nobles (120) was the lone place winner for Aynor in fourth.

Summerville 120-pounder Jordan Wigger was named outstanding wrestler in the 106-152-pound range and Chapin’s Scott Swindell (160) took the honor in the 160-285 range.

Twins shine

Twin brothers Codi and Derek Rothermel moved to the area in April from Pennsylvania and it hasn’t taken long for them to make an impact on the wrestling mat.

Derek has been wrestling the longest of the two, entering the sport in sixth grade, a year before his brother.

Ever since, the two have bonded through wrestling. They are similar in weight, which allows them to train with each other.

“It’s fun,” said Codi, the younger Rothermel. “It’s always fun to have someone right next to you always cheering for you and always pushing you in the room. He is a good positive support.”

Added Derek: “It’s been a joy for me. The first year I was like ‘You should wrestle, you should wrestle.’ He finally came out and it has become a whole family thing.

“Our dad would put us in the car go to a tournament weigh-in and he is right there beside me,” he continued. “He [Codi] is much as a coach as a partner now and he is valuable. I couldn’t ask for a better person to wrestle with every single day.”

The pair were state qualifiers when they wrestled in Pennsylvania. They have been experiencing each other’s success ever since they started wrestling together and so has their father, Barry.

“It’s nice,” Barry said of watching his boys. “They put an awful lot of commitment into it over the years. They’ve probably wrestled four or five times a week. It is a lot of matches and travel but it’s nice.”

•  Team key – A-Aynor; AR-Ashley Ridge; B-Broome; BK-Berkeley; BL-Ben Lippen; C-Chapin; CF-Carolina Forest; D-Dreher; H-Hanahan; L-Loris; LC-Lake City; MB-Myrtle Beach; MSC-Marion, S.C.; MVA-Marion, V.A.; NMB-North Myrtle Beach; NS-Ninety Six; S-Summerville; SB-South Brunswick; SD-Southern Durham; SJ-St. James; W-Wando; WK-White Knoll

•  Team Scores: 1. White Knoll 231; 2. St. James 223; 3. Chapin 150.5; 4. Summerville 146; 5. Dreher 126.5; 6. Ashley Ridge 124; 7. South Brunswick 118.5; 8. North Myrtle Beach 106.5; 9. Hanahan 86; 10. Wando 82.5; 11. Myrtle Beach 82; 12. Southern Durham 80.5; 13. Lake City 66; 14. Aynor 63; 15. Broome 58; 16. Loris 52; 17. Carolina Forest 46.5; 18. Marion (SC) 36; 19. Ben Lippen 33; 20. Berkeley 25.5; 21. Marion (VA) 24; 22. Ninety Six 11.

Championships

• 106—Steven Von Voight, SB pinned Austin Palmer, WK, :57. 113—Derrick Frazier, D, dec. Dakota Dahabi, W, 8-5. 120—Jordan Wigger, S, pinned J.J. Johnson, H, 4:35. 126—Willie Hayes, SD, dec. Mason Elliott, SJ, 2-1. 132—Gavin Perkins, S, dec. Jamie Bolduc, SJ, 4-3. 138—Codi Rothermel, SJ, tech fall Chad Wood, S, 18-2 (3:44). 145—John Van Slooten, SJ, dec. Chris Bloch, D, 4-0. 152—Derek Rothermel, SJ, dec. Chase Owens, C, 6-0. 160—Scott Swindell, C, dec. Jon Wiley, SB, 4-2. 170—Xavier Sierra, AR, pinned Devin Lawrence, C, 3:10. 182—Jake Beckett, WK, pinned Hampton Harmon, NMB, 3:19. 195—Davariour Drunson, LC, major dec. D.J. Taylor, WK, 11-3. 220—Dajuan Griffen, L, dec. Austin Brown, SJ, 7-3. 285—Asa Gossett, WK, pinned Jonathan Bracey, NMB, :43.

Third-Place

•  106—Kenyante Bush, D, major dec. James Sass, S, 14-3. 113—Johnathan Iseman, MB, dec. Emil Colin, WK, 3-1. 120—Joey Small, NMB, def. Ethan Nobles, A, injury default. 126—Sheldon Melvin, D, dec. Chandler Owens, C, 7-4. 132—Kevin Epting, WK, major dec. Sheldon Dove, NS, 14-0. 138—Austin Lee, WK, dec. Marcus Midgette, 7-5. 145—LuWolf Sanderson, SB, pinned Jamal Lucas, S, 2:07. 152—Anthony Holder, SD, dec. Daniel Miller, MB, 12-11. 160—Jamal Lackey, WK, dec. Antwon Wright, W, 6-4. 170—Gregg Johnson, SJ, major dec. Dante Martin, D, 8-0. 182—Cody Brundage, C, pinned De’ante Salaam, SJ, 3:19. 195—Brian Capps, SB, dec. Hunter Brandon, SJ, 4-3. 220—James Moore, WK, major dec. Brandyn Thompson, BL, 9-2. 285—Adam Taylor, C, pinned Amir Oukada, MB, 3:33.