‘A bright future ahead’ : Aynor wrestling hopes to build on first title appearance
Two times following Saturday’s state championship match, Aynor coach Billy Jones asked one simple question of his team.
“I asked them point blank, ‘Did anyone leave anything on the mat?’ ” Jones said. “I said if you did then you have to answer that. But they didn’t. They fought hard and I am so proud of this team. I told them to hold your head and we have a bright future ahead.”
Jones has only one senior on a team that made it to the school’s first Class 3A championship before losing to West-Oak, 54-18, on Saturday at Dreher High School.
The Blue Jackets (31-2) advanced to the championship by denying Gilbert a fourth straight championship with a win on Wednesday.
Aynor got off to a good start by winning the first two matches by decision from heavyweight CJ Rabon and Jeret Edwards at 106 pounds. After that the Blue Jackets won only one contested match.
“We knew we were going good at the top end and then 106 pounds,” Jones said. “But we knew in the middle it was going to be a toss up and a fight. It was a fight until we got in the middle.”
Eight of West-Oak’s match victories came by wins during the middle of the match.
The championship is West-Oak’s first since 2018 and comes in coach Derek Strobel’s first year with the program. Strobel came to West-Oak after a successful run at Lexington High School where he led the Wildcats to the 2013 state championship.
“I was at a school for a long time and needed something new, a change,” Strobel said. “I got up to West-Oak and got kind of invigorated with the coaching staff. … It was amazing. I can’t say enough about these kids. They bought in from the time I got up there in April and talked to them for the first time. Everything we asked them to do they did and it paid off. We had some tough spots during the year but they pulled through.”
Results
106: Jeret Edwards (A) pin Abram Rogers (WO); 113: Teague Strobel (WO) pin Taylor Caroll (A); 120: Landon Allen (WO) pins John Michael Staples (A); 126: Jedd Alan Hess (A) def. Connor Wilson (WO), 4-0; 132: Jaxton Freeman (WO) def. Conner Lambert (A), 5-3; 138: Jeremy Dobbs pins (WO) Noah Johnson (A); 145: Cael Davis (WO) pins Dylan Carroll (A); 152: Marcus Thaxton (WO) def. Tanner Carroll (A), 8-7; 160: Dylan Burgess (WO) pins Ryder Soles (A); 170: Damien Thaxton (WO) pins Cole Johnson; 182: Josh Collins (WO) pins Ty Williams (A); 195: AJ Dickerson (WO) pins Riley Hucks (A); 220: Emmanuel Deas (A) wins by forfeit; 285: CJ Rabon (A) def. Jared Cruz (WO), 7-1
