Lowcountry wrestlers take home state titles at SC individual championships

Lowcountry wrestlers had a good showing over the weekend at the SC High School League individual championships.

Battery Creek’s Gunner DeGroat, Beaufort’s Colton Phares and May River’s Isaiah Wysong all won championships in their weight classes in the boys championships. It was the first title for all three wrestlers.

In the girls tournament, Bluffton’s Jada Lawrence won a state championship in the 145-pound division. It was the first year the girls tournament was held in conjunction with the boys. Lawrence defeated Rory Travis of Gilbert, 10-3.

DeGroat defeated West Oak’s Cael Davis, 3-2, to win the boys’ Class 3A 152-pound class. He is the first Battery Creek wrestler to win a championship since 2018 and 41st in school history.

Phares, a Beaufort senior and Appalachian State football signee, was the winner in the Class 3A, 182-pound class. Phares defeated Hanahan’s Austin Guerrero, 10-2.

Wysong became May River’s seventh state champion in seven years of the program when he defeated Eastside’s Hank Lee, 6-0 to win the Class 4A, 138-pound championship.

May River also had two runner-up finishers in Santiago Rueda (152) and Gabe Juarez (170). Other second-place finishers were Battery Creek’s Elmer Linares (120) and Hilton Head High’s William Jakeway (106). Third-place finishers were Beaufort’s Tayriq Legree (113) and HHI’s Devin Espinoza (170).

Battery Creek’s Anthony Phelan (285), Hilton Head High’s Zao Estrada (113) and Bluffton’s Bradley Denmark (285) finished fourth. The top-four in each class earn all-state.